Transition Team Advocacy: How Nonprofits Can Be Effective During a Transition Period

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 2, 2016–Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy team is working to remind advocates that they have an important role to play when a new administration—either a new president or governor— is coming into power. During a transition period, nonprofit organizations will have a window of time when they can build relationships and work to have their concerns made a priority of the new administration.

Bolder Advocacy has prepared a fact sheet to help nonprofits take advantage of this transition period and educate the transition team and new administration about their organization’s issues. This fact sheet covers how organizations, particularly 501(c)(3)s, can determine whether their activities constitute lobbying under the IRS rules.

“A transition period opens opportunities for 501(c)(3)s” explained Abby Levine, Director of the Bolder Advocacy program, “and we want to ensure they understand that there are many activities, including ones that do not constitute lobbying, that organizations can engage in to influence the policies and direction of a new administration.”

The Transition Team Advocacy fact sheet describes activities that will constitute lobbying- as well as those that will not. For more information about what constitutes lobbying, see Bolder Advocacy’s publication, Being a Player: A Guide to the IRS Lobbying Regulations for Advocacy Charities.

Bolder Advocacy provides a free hotline, 1-866-NP-LOBBY, that nonprofit organizations can call for additional information.