Making Your Voice Heard: Lobbying Within Limits

This workshop is full. If you would like to join the wait list, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].

Staff at many nonprofits engage in advocacy to protect their communities.  They may seek government funds, urge legislative action regarding societal issues, or request government agencies to change their rules.  They may also help community members communicate with government.  Government regulators define some, but not all, of this activity as lobbying.  

This workshop will focuses on the rules that govern lobbying by nonprofits. It will identify the federal limits on the amount of lobbying nonprofits can undertake, and the federal, state, and local laws requiring the disclosure of lobbying activity. It addresses advocacy concerning legislative, budgeting, and agency rule-making processes. The workshop also explains the lobbying laws that apply to procurement of contract funding from New York City and New York State -- essential information for any nonprofit that relies on government funding to do its work.

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to evaluate how much lobbying their organization can do, whether their organization must register as a lobbyist, and how to report lobbying activity, based on an understanding of federal tax law and federal, state, and local lobbying disclosure laws.

For nonprofit managers, organizers, and others involved in the day-to-day operation of not-for-profit tax-exempt organizations in New York.

Presenter: Laura Abel, Senior Policy Counsel/Interim Legal Director