Discipleship in a Democracy: How faith communities can work for justice and peace without jeopardizing their nonprofit status — even during an election year!
August 22 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Though public charities, including churches, must remain nonpartisan, they have a critical role to play in civic life — even throughout the election cycle! Not only can public charities engage in issue education and advocacy during election season, but they can also conduct robust voter and candidate education campaigns and mobilize the public to get out the vote. After this session, you will have a better understanding of how to legally engage in nonpartisan advocacy during an election without jeopardizing your nonprofit status. The information will cover federal, state and municipal compliance. LAMPa is hosting this webinar in collaboration with Bolder Advocacy, a project of the Alliance for Justice, and Attorney Steve Masters of JustLaws, a Philadelphia-based law firm. This 1 1/2-hour webinar will also include time for Q&A.
Participants will learn:
- How you can continue to educate and advocate on important issues during election years;
- How you can educate the public through candidate forums and questionnaires;
- How you can respond to candidate statements objectively;
- How you can conduct nonpartisan voter registration and ensure get-out-the-vote efforts are conducted legally;
- How you can safely support or oppose ballot measures without being partisan; and
- How staff and volunteers’ partisan activities in their personal time can be kept separate from their activities on behalf of the organization.
$25 registration fee gets you a personal link to the webinar and recording of the main presentation. Rostered leaders and Congregation Council members are encouraged to register, and then watch the recording with others in leadership at your congregation to help everyone understand legal and practical precedence for civic participation.
