Pull Out Those Calendars: Preparing for the 2014 Midterm

Is it too soon to think about next year's national midterm and the election of Congress, one-third of the Senate, two-thirds of state governors, and almost all state legislatures? No, definitely not. Unfortunately, most nonprofits won't even begin considering their November 2014 plans until the end of next summer. In such a small window, there is little time to plan, much less implement effective registration, education, and get-out-the-vote activities.

Why nonprofits should get involved in nonpartisan election activity 
Voting is associated with a host of positive attributes:

• People who register and vote are more likely to talk to their neighbors, meet with local officials, and engage in other civic actions. 
• Studies show that states with higher voting levels have higher levels of self-reported health, lower ex-offender recidivism rates, and even lower unemployment. 

Besides empowering their constituents, higher participation rates help nonprofits further their missions and complement advocacy and public policy work. Because of the populations nonprofits reach, their voter engagement efforts have the potential to significantly contribute to the diversity of the electorate.

Our new report illustrates the impact of personal voter outreach by nonprofit service providers in raising turnout out rates among those least expected to vote and in closing gaps in voter participation across all demographics. By tracking the voters contacted by 94 nonprofits during the 2012 election cycle, we found:

• The clients and constituents engaged by nonprofits were markedly more diverse, lower income, and younger than the general population of registered voters in their states. 
• Voter turnout among those contacted by nonprofits was 74%, six points above the 68% turnout rate for all registered voters–with the largest turnout differences seen among young, Latino, and "low propensity voters" who political campaigns typically miss. 

Voter engagement should be a year-round activity
As our report shows, nonprofits have an important role to play in getting their communities involved in the fundamental democratic act of voting. There are many ways organizations can make voter engagement a year-round activity and then jumpstart or increase activity during a national or local election.

Ensure that ways to get involved in voting are visible year-round at your organization. Talk about voting on your website and in your communications. Place a voter registration link or tool on your website, along with relevant election information and resources from Nonprofit VOTE and Bolder Advocacy.

Make voter engagement part of your organizational mission and culture. Have a conversation with your leadership about voter engagement, why it makes sense for your nonprofit, ideas for implementation, and your plans for 2014. Leadership support can facilitate staff buy-in and help make voter outreach an ongoing priority. It also creates a foundation for including civic engagement in your organization's mission statement.

Celebrate National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday September 24, 2013 to demonstrate your organization's support for voter participation. It could even be the perfect time to test out methods and strategies for registering voters at your organization.

Knowing that nonprofits can have an incredible impact on turnout when they talk to their clients and communities about voting, now is the time to start thinking about how you can help yours successfully register and participate in 2014 and the years to come. Visit Bolder Advocacy's Election page and Nonprofit VOTE's site for resources and materials to get started.

A version of this post appeared on the Bolder Advocacy blog.

2012 Spotlight: Boys & Girls Clubs of America

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 2012 "Our Voice, Our Choice" campaign effectively combined many elements of the Nonprofit VOTE voter engagement model.

1. Commitment from the top. "Character and Citizenship" is one of BGCA's six program foci, and the vice president responsible for this area was able to get institutional buy-in for voter engagement as a natural extension of this core commitment. This helped ensure the various campaign elements were seen as sanctioned and pre-approved.

2. Planning. High level buy-in was secured in part because the Director and Assistant Director for Character and Citizenship developed a thoughtful and organized multi-stage plan months in advance. They organized voter engagement activities into five "pushes," indicating different activities for staff and program participants, at the national office, and among affiliates. Unlike a spontaneous activity proposed last minute during the height of an intense election season, this prepared approach allowed for internal review, approval, and support.

3. Branding. BGCA developed an attractive "Our Voice, Our Choice" logo that became ubiquitous within and among BGCA affiliates (though it was not part of BGCA's external communications). The campaign tagline, "Great citizens start here," played off a familiar BGCA motto, "Great futures start here."

4. Built in, not tacked on. The BGCA campaign generally didn't require extra resources because most activities were incorporated into existing youth programs and leveraged existing policies:

• National staff: BGCA's campaign plan included a range of activities throughout the various stages, including: Pre- and post-campaign "We the People" quizzes with prizes; iCivics online games; "Lunch & Learn" with county board of elections officials; fun videos made in-house; red, white, and blue "jeans day"; cupcakes and sodas on Election Day; an online guide to activities, and; a special HR memo explaining their paid leave policy for voting.
• Local clubs: BGCA utilized existing communications channels--primarily their internal intranet "online communities"--to provide their 4,000 affiliates and 45,000 staff members with regular messages and reminders as well as well as links to Nonprofit VOTE resources and election information. Local clubs incorporated mock elections, iCivics quizzes and games, and voting activities into ongoing youth programs.

5. Having fun! From the start, the campaign was designed to be fun and festive. BGCA produced a man-in-the-street style video to find out what people know about voting, the national office hosted "Lunch & Learn" sessions, youth played iCivics games online, and Election Day itself was a celebration of democracy featuring balloons and festive attire.

Webinar: Getting Started with Voter Engagement

Voters won't be selecting the next president this year, but they will be electing state and local government leaders. Don't sit out during these important elections!

Get Started with Nonprofit Voter Engagement
Thursday February 21st, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Looking for an introduction to nonpartisan voter engagement for nonprofits? Join us for an overview of nonpartisan dos and don'ts, as well as effective tactics for voter registration, voter education, ballot measure advocacy, candidate engagement, and get-out-the-vote efforts. We'll focus on ways to help you integrate outreach into services you already provide. Register today!

Featured Presenter: Isela Gutiérrez-Gunter is currently a consultant with Nonprofit VOTE and previously led the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Project at Democracy North Carolina. Her prior work experience includes advocacy around statewide juvenile justice reform in Texas and local drug policy reform in Seattle, WA. She has a BA in History from Scripps College and a MSW with an emphasis on Community, Management, and Policy Practice from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Webinar Series Returns in 2013

For a number of years, we've sought to fill an information void on voting and elections in the nonprofit sector with our webinar series. Webinars are free of charge for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. They are recorded and made available on-demand online, along with the PowerPoint presentation and audio file.

Our webinar series will return in early 2013 covering a variety of nonprofit voter engagement topics such as:

• Candidate Engagement - Forums, Questionnaires, Appearances, and More
• Staying Nonpartisan - Voter Engagement Guidelines for 501(c)(3)
• Organizations Nonprofit Voter Registration Voter Turnout in the 2012
• Election Ballot Measure Advocacy - How to Take a Stand on the Issues 

A full schedule will be available next month. In the meantime, browse our webinar library and visit our YouTube channel.

"Nonprofits Get Out the Vote!" Event Recap

Materials from last week's web event, Nonprofits Get Out the Vote! Countdown to Election Day, are now available. Hundreds of nonprofits from across the county participated, demonstrating the growing momentum and support within the sector for nonpartisan voter engagement

Couldn't tune in? Watch the event on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you'll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download the PowerPoint presentation and the audio portion of the presentation, or browse all of our get-out-the-vote resources.

Now that your organization is on board and excited about nonprofit voter engagement, register for our final webinar before November 6th, and Get Ready for Election Day.

AIGA Get-Out-the-Vote Poster Competition

As part of their Design for Democracy program, AIGA--the professional association for design--is hosting a get-out-the-vote poster contest!

Their Get-Out-the-Vote campaign invites designers to create nonpartisan posters and videos that inspire the American public to participate in the electoral process and vote in the 2012 general election.

The initiative enables designers to engage in the public arena by contributing to a coordinated voter mobilization campaign, which is great news for nonprofits, as all of the posters can be viewed online, downloaded, and printed! Browse their current submissions or the 2008 gallery and hang your favorite(s) in a prominent location!

Community Health Vote 2012

This week, one of our partners, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is launching Community Health Vote 2012--a national nonpartisan voter engagement campaign to establish voter engagement as an ongoing effort at as many health centers as possible.

Marc Wetherhorn, NACHC’s National Advocacy Director, blogged: "Health centers are in a unique position to help our communities be more civically engaged because the very nature of health centers makes them an integral part of how low income Americans are involved in their communities and society."

Like other nonprofits, many health centers have been doing voter engagement for years, seeing it as an extension of their mission. This year, NACHC is urging all health centers to participate because "Every health center has the power to dramatically increase voter participation in its district."

To help health centers get started, NACHC has crafted a Health Center Voter Engagement Tool Kit. Learn more about Community Health Vote and read the full blog post.

Partner Spotlight: Coalition on Human Needs

One of our newest national partners, the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN) is an alliance of national organizations working to promote public policies that address the needs of low-income and other vulnerable people. Like many nonprofits involved in advocacy and public policy work, CHN believes that voter engagement complements these efforts.

The Coalition on Human Needs is active in voter engagement and co-hosted a webinar last month on nonprofit do's and don'ts in an election year. Through the webinar, CHN encouraged its network to use voter engagement to think about activities and opportunities to advance the anti-poverty framework they support. Follow CHN's lead and voterize your nonprofit!

Increasing Voter Participation One Nonprofit at a Time

Most of your New Year's Resolutions are already set (and maybe even broken), but we have one more that can't wait until next year.

In 2012 we'll elect the president, 33 U.S. senators, every member of the House of Representatives, and countless others in state and local races. 220 million Americans will be eligible to vote--including over 25 million young people and new citizens eligible for the first time. But who will turnout?

Voter turnout will be the key, not just to who wins, but to what voters and which communities are heard after Election Day. In 2010, six of ten eligible voters stayed home, and a disproportionate number were younger and lower income individuals.

Nonprofits can change that. Our sector is a powerful civic force whose status as trusted messengers and daily contact with millions of Americans has the potential to reach and engage large underrepresented populations. We are more than one million nonprofits strong and with your help the sector can close participation gaps and encourage everyone to become a voter in 2012.

So when your organization sets its 2012 priorities, make sure that voter engagement is one of them. Although your nonprofit might struggle with shrinking budgets and increased demand for services, you must still resolve to voterize your organization. Whatever challenges your nonprofit faces, voting is part of the solution. Start planning today.

Voter engagement can take a variety of forms: you can register voters, educate your clients and constituents about the voting process, or take a stand on a ballot measure. Voter engagement doesn't have to be complicated. But you have to do something.

In 2012, we will leave no nonprofit and no voter behind. Let's give nonprofits and our communities a seat at the table of democracy this November and beyond.

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The 2012 Election Begins Today!

Today is only the third day of the new year, but it officially marks the beginning of the 2012 presidential election. Iowa Republicans are kicking off the selection process for their party's nominee, and results are expected to begin coming in around 8:30pm Eastern.

Although 2012 is underway, it's not too early (or late) to map out your organization's voter engagement plan for this year. Join our webinar this month for guidance and support on building a 2012 voter engagement timeline!

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Nonprofit VOTE Debuts on YouTube

We're pleased to announce that Nonprofit VOTE is now on YouTube! In an effort to make our materials more accessible, our entire webinar library is now available on our YouTube channel.

Although our 2011 webinar series has concluded, the presentations--as well as webinars from past years--can be viewed on demand at your convenience. Best of all, if you subscribe to the Nonprofit VOTE channel, you'll be notified automatically whenever new content is available.

We hope you'll take advantage of this new way to access our webinar content and will encourage your colleagues to visit our channel to learn more about nonprofit voter engagement.

Speed Dating for Votes

Last month, candidates in Vancouver's municipal elections campaigned a little differently—they dated voters.

Of course, these were strictly platonic "dates" and were part of a candidate speed dating event organized by Get Your Vote On—a nonpartisan group who encourages youth participation. For many attendees, the format made perfect sense because "you're going to be in a three-year relationship" with whoever is elected.

The quick rounds of face time give voters a chance to ask questions and interact with candidates on a more personal level. The evening had something for everyone, including a formal candidate debate after the speed dating concluded.

Luckily you don't have to go to Canada to date your candidates. Similar speed dating events have been held across the country, in places like Portland, Oregon and Juneau, Alaska. Speed dating seems like an effective and fun way to engage candidates, so why not organize an event in your community? Learn more about candidate engagement and then start dating!

Recent Trends in Youth Civic Engagement

A new CIRCLE study, "Understanding a Diverse Generation: Youth Civic Engagement in the United States," provides an in-depth analysis of recent youth civic engagement trends. The findings challenge many common myths about the ways in which young people (ages 18-29) are involved in our political system.

The study found that at least three quarters of youth were somehow engaged in their community or in politics in both 2008 and 2010--but in very different ways. Six distinct patterns of engagement emerged in 2010:

• The Broadly Engaged (21% of youth) fill many different leadership roles.
• The Political Specialists (18%) are focused on voting and other forms of political activism.
• The Donors (11%) give money but do little else.
• The Under-Mobilized (14%) were registered to vote in 2010 but did not actually vote or participate actively.
• The Talkers (13%) report discussing political issues and are avid communicators online, but do not take action otherwise.
• The Civically Alienated (23%) hardly engage at all.

See a visual representation of these numbers.

Although this data contradicts the bleak and homogenous picture often painted by the media, it is still clear that many young people are not fully engaged. Other research suggests that some of them could be persuaded to vote if they were directly asked to participate or if voting seemed more accessible--something nonprofits can address. Learn more about nonprofit voter engagement and how your organization can increase participation rates in your community.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of Thanksgiving, we wanted to share just a few of the many things Nonprofit VOTE is grateful for this year.

We're thankful for…

• Our amazing network of state and national partners and their commitment to expanding nonprofit voter engagement among their affiliates.
• Election Day Registration because it ensures that everyone who wants to vote can, without having to worry about missing the registration deadline. 
• Early voting opportunities--both by mail and in-person--that make voting more convenient and accessible for everyone.
• The upcoming 2012 election, because after two years of nonstop talk and speculation, it's finally less than a year away. (Sign up for our December 1st webinar on making a 2012 voter engagement plan.)
• The elections officials, Secretaries of State, local elections boards, and registrars who make elections happen!

This is a short list and doesn't even begin to cover the thousands of local nonprofits registering and engaging voters everyday. So while we don't have space to write out every thing, person, election reform, and organization we're thankful for, we still want to say "Thank you!"

Happy Thanksgiving from Nonprofit VOTE!

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Upcoming Webinar: Making a Plan for 2012

Our final webinar of 2011 will start you thinking about next year's general election and how your nonprofit can maximize your impact with the resources you already have.

Plan Ahead: Building a Voter Engagement Timeline for 2012
Thursday December 1st, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

The 2012 presidential election will be here soon, and it's time to start thinking about your nonprofit's plan for registering, educating, and engaging voters. This webinar will cover when, where, and how to incorporate voter engagement activities into your work. We'll also help you develop and tailor a 2012 voter engagement timeline for your organization. Don't miss this opportunity to start building a voter engagement plan for 2012 now!

New Hampshire Primary Project Returns

The New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, in partnership with the National Council of Nonprofits, is once again sponsoring the 2012 Primary Project, a presidential candidate education initiative. The Project empowers members of the nonprofit and civic sector to engage candidates campaigning in New Hampshire, while also raising candidate and public awareness of the impact and importance of the nonprofit sector. See what they did in 2008.

At its official September kickoff, the Center brought in two seasoned party activists--one who served as a traveling adviser for McCain's 2008 campaign and the other who worked for Obama's New Hampshire team. Although they disagreed on politics, both guests expressed a desire to see greater nonprofit and community involvement in the political process.

This month the Center will be holding two trainings for nonprofits and community members interested in participating. They'll address what nonprofits can do, how to stay nonpartisan, and tactical advice for shining a spotlight on the nonprofit sector.

The Project will continue through the primary season and transition into more general voter engagement in the lead up to November's general election. This nonpartisan initiative does an incredible job of utilizing New Hampshire's political relevance to champion nonprofit voter engagement, and can hopefully inspire similar projects in other states.

Counteracting Campaign Cash

The Federal Election Commission's approval of the Colbert Super PAC has turned some heads, and it also has plenty of people wondering just what a PAC is and does.

With names that all seem to include "America" and references to apple pie, it's no wonder people are confused. (If you want to get in on the naming action, try the Sunlight Foundation's PAC name generator.)

A recent ProPublica article explains the various types of political action committees and how their campaign money can be spent (and hidden):

1. PACs can accept donations of up to $5,000 from individuals and pass the money along to both candidates and parties.
2. Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited sums of money from individuals, corporations, unions and other groups. They can't donate directly to candidates but can promote them and attack their opponents, as long as they don't coordinate with any candidate or political party. In 2010 Super PACs spent more than $80 million.
3. 527s can either register as a PAC and give directly to candidates or focus on specific issues and then raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. While the rise of the Super PAC may draw attention away from 527s, 527 groups still spent more than $415 million during the 2010 election.
4. 501(c) organizations include (c)(3) charities, (c)(4) social welfare organizations, (c)(5) labor unions, (c)(6) business leagues and trade associations, and others. As we know, (c)(3)s are not allowed to advocate for or against a candidate, but other 501(c)s are, so long as their primary purpose is not politics. And their 501(c) status means they don't have to disclose their donors.
5. Combinations linking a Super PAC and a 501(c)(4) allow donors to give to the (c)(4) which can then give to the Super PAC. Although the (c)(4) is identified as the donor to the Super-PAC, the donors to the (c)(4) are kept secret.

PACs and Super PACs are required to disclose their donors, but lags in reporting as well as loopholes (like the combination described above) often allow donors to stay hidden. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations and unions were allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose candidates, allowing even greater amounts of cash to flood the political system.

All of this money is spent in an effort to get voters to cast their ballots for or against candidates and ballot measures. And while money can certainly buy ad space, don't forget that your nonprofit also has the power to influence the political landscape by helping to engage the entire American electorate--starting with your clients and community. Visit our website to learn more about how your nonprofit can strengthen our democracy through nonpartisan voter engagement.

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Nonprofits Take Action on Budget Challenges

As state and federal budgets are tightened, nonprofits are being asked to shoulder a disproportionate share of cuts, while still being expected to maintain quality services. In response, many have stepped forward to advocate and lobby for their clients, their causes, and their funding. In addition to working with legislators, many nonprofits are recognizing the importance of mobilizing voters, and are ramping up their voter engagement activities. These voter engagement efforts translate into expanded advocacy, particularly when there are questions on the ballot.

This is readily apparent in Colorado, where the state constitution requires voters to approve any tax policy change at the polls. To solve the state's budget challenges--which have forced some municipalities to ask residents for donations in order to keep street lights on--Colorado has two choices: increase revenue or drastically cut services. With looming cuts, as well as the possibility that a proposed tax increase will go before voters in November, Colorado's nonprofit sector is preparing to mobilize around this important debate.

The Colorado Nonprofit Association's Fiscal Education Network (FEN)--a project that engages the nonprofit sector in fiscal education efforts--has reached more than 750 organizations through its webinar series and in-person forums, exceeding their original goal of 500 organizations. In partnership with the Colorado Participation Project, FEN also instructs nonprofits on voter engagement strategies as part of a holistic approach to nonprofit advocacy.

Mark Turner, the Manager of Public Policy at the Colorado Nonprofit Association found that it was a natural fit: "Colorado voters make the key decisions on state fiscal policy. The partnership of FEN with the Colorado Partnership Project helps us empower voters not only to decide who should represent them at the legislature, but also how state resources should be used to serve Colorado."

Colorado nonprofits are not along in recognizing the importance of broadening public policy debates. After a long, hard-fought legislative session, the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits is making sure that nonprofits know how to engage candidates, and will feature a workshop on hosting candidate forums at their annual conference.

The California Participation Project (CPP) works with nonprofits and human service agencies across the state, many of which have mobilized around the state budget debate. The ongoing budget crisis has helped demonstrate the relevance and importance of nonprofit voter engagement work by linking it directly with critical public policy decisions. CPP believes that by strengthening and involving a larger electorate, nonprofits can complement their ongoing advocacy efforts to address community needs and hold officials accountable.

Many nonprofits are engaging the budget process at the local level as well. Earlier this week, the New Orleans Coalition for Open Governance hosted a free training on "The Budget Breakdown" to help encourage greater community participation in the New Orleans budgeting process. LatiNola encouraged their constituents to attend, reminding them that Spanish interpretation at municipal courts was one of 22 unfunded priorities in public safety and was almost cut from the budget last year. By helping the community better understand the budget process, these groups are facilitating community-wide discussion and giving citizens the ability to influence how their tax dollars are spent on public safety, children and families, economic development, sustainable communities, open and effective government, and innovation.

Across the country nonprofits of all shapes and sizes are grappling with the impact of further cuts, and are using their nonpartisan status to mobilize supporters and engage the public around voting, elections, and public policy. These efforts have not gone unnoticed and nonprofit voter engagement will continue to be a critical tool in current and future budget battles.

Is your nonprofit engaged in budget debates at the local, state, or national level? Tell us about it!

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Access Last Week's Webinar

Many thanks to last week's webinar attendees! We are pleased that so many joined us for Nonprofits Increase Voter Participation: New Research from the Field to hear about the importance of nonprofit voter engagement.

Whether or not you were able to tune in, you can still access the materials online: download the PowerPoint and the audio portion of the presentation in MP3 format. You can also watch the full presentation online.

If you have questions for any of our presenters, you can reach them using the contact information below.

Kelly LeRoux
Assistant Professor, Public Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago
Email: kleroux@uic.edu

Rachid Elabed
Civic Engagement & Field Coordinator, ACCESS
Email: relabed@accesscommunity.org

Lindsey Hodel
Director of Training and Partnerships
Nonprofit VOTE
Phone: (303) 910-5700
Email: lhodel@nonprofitvote.org

We'll be sharing more information about the study shortly, so stay tuned!


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Share Your Story

Is your nonprofit registering new voters? Gearing up for a municipal election? Designing a candidate questionnaire? Well then let us know! At Nonprofit VOTE we love to hear from nonprofit organizations about the voter participation activities, projects, and events you're working on, as well as why does your nonprofit participates in this work. So no matter how your nonprofit is approaching and promoting voter engagement, we want to celebrate your dedication and achievements. And because it's National Photo Month perhaps you'll oblige us by including a picture documenting the incredible impact of your work. Email us your challenges, successes, lessons learned--anything--just be in touch!

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