| Survey was closed 6:00pm EST on September 26, 2000 |
Nonprofit Sector Issues and the President
September 2000
This survey is sponsored by Advocacy Institute, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, OMB Watch, and The Union Institute. It contains ideas that will lead to specific recommendations to the next President to strengthen the nonprofit sector, particularly the portion of the sector that addresses social justice issues. Please complete the survey and click on the submit button at the end.
We are sorry this survey is so long, but we could find no other way to get your thoughtful opinions. We have categorized the 35 ideas into six sections, although some ideas fit in more than one category:
I. Building Nonprofit Capacity and Investing in Social Justice (7 ideas);
II. Strengthening Public Policy Participation (6 ideas);
III. Tax Incentives for Charitable Activities (5 ideas);
IV. Nonprofit Accountability (5 ideas);
V. Encouraging Nonprofit Careers and Volunteering (7 ideas); and
VI. Partnering with Government (5 ideas).
At the end we have provided space for you to write in other high priority ideas that are not among the 35 ideas below. If you identify your e-mail address at the end, we will send you the results. The top ranked ideas will be more fully developed into specific recommendations to the next President. We'll make the recommendations available to you for review.
Thanks for your help and participation in this new way of using the Internet to help improve the relationship between government and the nonprofit sector. |
| I. Building Nonprofit Capacity and Investing in Social Justice |
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1A. Nonprofit Capacity Building Centers – Provide grants for nonprofit leadership development centers in every congressional district, modeled on the Small Business Development Centers, to build capacity of nonprofits, particularly for smaller groups, and assist with program development, governance and board development, technology, fund-raising, legal and regulatory matters, advocacy, communications and public education, human resource development, etc. |
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1B. National Endowment for Grassroots Efforts- Create a national endowment that will generate resources for grassroots
organizations that are involved in community based economic development, human services, neighborhood participation and
representation and similar projects aimed at improving and enhancing the quality of life in neighborhoods and rural
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1C. Community Technology Centers – Provide grant support for community technology centers (CTCs) in every congressional district, many of which will be nonprofits, but initially targeted to low-income, minority, and rural communities. These CTCs are to provide educational, employment, and recreational services to the community, including instruction in basic productivity software (e.g., word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications), access to the Internet and other telecommunications services, literacy training, homework help, computer assembly and repair, and advanced computer skills such as desktop publishing, multimedia, web page design, and network administration. |
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1D. Investing in the People Served by Nonprofits – Use some of the federal surplus to address domestic needs, including universal pre-school, universal health care, long-term care, a livable wage for those who are working full-time year round, income supports for those without jobs, and a healthy and safe environment. |
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1E. Nonprofit Loan Fund/Bond Funds – Establish a low-interest loan fund that will give nonprofits access to capital for building technology, facilities and other infrastructure. Also make bond funds available to small nonprofits. Target use of loan funds and bond funds to help moderate financial advantage of for-profit companies and seeming imperative for growing commercialism in nonprofit program operations. |
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1F. Common Capital Funds – Allow nonprofit organizations to form common capital pools that will bring significant return from prudent investments at low management fees and with mechanisms to assure emergency liquidity. |
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1G. Surplus Resources – Encourage the General Services Administration to use surplus office space and related resources to help nonprofit organizations in service to their charitable missions. |
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| II. Strengthen Public Policy Participation |
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2A. Simplify Lobbying Rules for Charities – Currently, grassroots charity lobbying expenditures are limited to 25% of the amount permitted for total lobbying expenditures. End that limitation, and permit charities to spend the total permissible lobbying expenditure amount on either direct or grassroots lobbying, or on any combination of the two. This brings the added benefit of simplified recordkeeping. |
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2B. Update Lobbying Allowance - Adjust the current lobbying expenditure limits to equal the dollar value of the limits when they were originally passed in 1976. After this adjustment, make annual cost of living adjustments to
keep pace with inflation. (Since 1976 failure to make such adjustments has effectively cut the lobbying expenditure limits by 65%.) |
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2C. Protect and Encourage Nonprofit Advocacy/Public Participation – Increase general appreciation for nonprofit advocacy and encourage federal departments and agencies to consult with nonprofit organizations to expand public engagement/commentary on rules, regulations, programs, etc. Encourage all agencies of government to guard against abridgements in nonprofits' democratic voice. |
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2D. Urge Foundations to Drop Anti-Lobbying Statements- Urge the IRS to make clear to foundations that they need not include an anti-lobbying statement in grant letters to charities because of tax code restrictions. Provide clear guidance defining lobbying conditions that foundat?ons can support and the distinctions between lobbying and advocacy. |
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2E. Grassroots Communications – Develop a neighborhood-to-municipality-to-county-to-state-to-federal interactive/multidirectional telecommunications system through which nonprofit organizations can help increase public voice on policy issues/program monitoring and through which government officials can better engage the populace. |
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2F. Campaign Finance – Support reform in campaign finance to moderate the corrosive influence of money on the political and policy process. |
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| III. Tax Incentives for Charitable Activity |
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3A. Charitable Deduction for Nonitemizers – Allow people to take at least a partial tax deduction for charitable contributions even if they do not itemize on their federal income tax. |
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3B. Retirement Rollovers – Allow people to transfer all or a portion of their IRA accounts, Social Security payments, or other retirement plans as donations to charitable organizations without having to pay income taxes on those assets. |
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3C. Targeted Tax Credits – Oppose efforts to use federal or state tax credits to steer charitable contributions to particular kinds of nonprofit organizations and particular kinds of preferred programs (e.g., only direct services/no advocacy; only poverty-serving), and be especially assertive when proposed credits would decrease or redirect government funds to cover the costs of such tax incentives. |
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3D. Charitable State Tax Credits – Support state tax credits available to both itemizers and non-itemizers for charitable contributions. |
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3E. Foundation Payout – Payout rates of foundations and donor-advised funds should be increased to at least 6%. |
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| IV. Nonprofit Accountability |
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4A. Revise Annual Tax Forms – Revise IRS Forms 990 and 990PF, the annual tax forms submitted by nonprofits and foundations, so that they collect and disseminate information which assures greater public disclosure and accountability. |
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4B. Public Information – Require the IRS to make Form 990 and 990PF information available in a searchable format for free through the Internet. |
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4C. Disclosure of Corporate Grants – Require the Securities and Exchange Commission to require contributions of publicly held corporations to be disclosed and be made available in a searchable format for free through the Internet. |
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4D. Streamline Government Grants & Contracts – Streamline grant application and reporting requirements (including the full implementation of the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act), develop uniform application and reporting requirements where possible, and insure coordination with federal, state and local requirements. |
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4E. Coordination of Financial Reporting – Develop coordinated and sanctioned financial reporting requirements for IRS Form 990, grants, and general nonprofit audit standards. |
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| V. Encouraging Nonprofit Careers and Volunteering
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5A. Strengthen Volunteering – Through direct federal programs (VISTA, AmeriCorps, Civilian Conservation Corps, Peace Corps, etc.) and by enhancing private volunteering generally (extending Volunteer Protection Act to legal entities, allowing deductibility of volunteer expenses for non-itemizers, etc.) increase the numbers of volunteers and extent of time donated to charitable causes. Sanction nonprofit advocacy and public policy education as a legitimate focus of federal volun
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