Support for Nonpartisanship – Letter to Congress
April 5, 2017Dear Members and Friends,
Today, the Community Letter in Support of Nonpartisanship is being delivered to members of Congress. The National Human Services Assembly is proud to stand with our fellow nonprofits to fight for the Johnson Amendment to remain intact, which is crucial to helping the human service sector build and maintain well-being in our communities in a space where we can be free of partisan politics. A recent national poll found that 72% of American voters agree with maintaining the current rule protecting nonprofit nonpartisanship.
Thank you to those that signed the letter and joined the efforts to push it out to your members and networks. Due to the efforts of the collaborative (see description below), led by the National Council of Nonprofits, almost 4,500 organizations from all 50 states signed the letter. You can read the full press release online.
INSIDER KNOWLEDGE: From April 7-21, Congress will be out of session and members will return to their home districts to conduct business. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with your local representatives. Urge your senators and Representatives to go on the record supporting the retention of the Johnson Amendment.
You can also take to Twitter by following and retweeting @NatlCouncilNPs or generating your own messages using #CommunityNotCandidates and #JohnsonAmendment. Here are some sample posts:
- 4,500 #nonprofits to Congress: Let us keep focus on #CommunityNotCandidates http://bit.ly/2nV6SQI #JohnsonAmendment
- #nonprofits are effective because they focus on #CommunityNotCandidates. Maintain #JohnsonAmendment http://bit.ly/2nV6SQI
- The millions of people we serve rely on #nonprofits to focus on #CommunityNotCandidates. Keep the #JohnsonAmendment http://bit.ly/2nXtK22
Keep an eye out for future updates, calls for action, or next steps in the campaign to preserve protections of the Johnson Amendment for the good of our sector. Please direct any questions or suggestions about NHSA’s efforts on this issue to Brandon Toth, Manager of Public Policy.
Sincerely,
Lee Sherman
President & CEO
About the Community Letter in Support of Nonpartisanship
The Community Letter is part of a collaborative initiative led by National Council of Nonprofits, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, BoardSource, Council on Foundations, Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, Habitat for Humanity International, Independent Sector, Jewish Federations of North America, National Human Services Assembly, and Volunteers of America. This broad-based coalition has formed to protect a cornerstone of the 501(c)(3) community, its ability to solve problems in localities across the country by bringing people together without the rancor of partisan politics getting in the way. The initiative seeks to protect the current law (known as the Johnson Amendment) that ensures 501(c)(3) organizations remain nonpartisan and focused on mission instead of politics. Learn more at www.GiveVoice.org.