Georgia Nonprofit Lobbying & Political Activity Dos and Don'ts

Learn what 501c3 nonprofits can or can’t do when it comes to lobbying and political activity, from Charles “Chuck” Hodges II of Kilpatrick Townsend and Ashley Groome of McGuire Woods Consulting. Click on “Show More” and use the timestamps below to jump to topics. Click here for presentation slides: https://goo.gl/Rrynsq

This video is a recording of a Pro Bono Partnership Atlanta session at Foundation Center Atlanta on Oct. 14, 2015. Join us on Oct. 28 when a panel of Atlanta area nonprofits that have done lobbying will share their experiences, successes, and lessons learned: http://grantspace.org/course-offerings/training-calendar/Atlanta/getting-started-with-lobbying-and-advocacy-2015-10-28-atlanta-ga

CONTENTS:

Introduction: Church’s full-page ad against Bill Clinton in 1992
Applicable exempt orgs 5:23
Federal rules applicable to 501c3 orgs 9:42
Georgia rules applicable to 501c3 orgs 12:10
What is “political campaign activity”? 14:53
What about voter registration groups? 19:18
Permitted lobbying activities 25:00
General issue advocacy is generally OK 27:43
Grassroots vs direct lobbying 29:48
“No substantial part” test for lobbying 32:22
501(h) Election (expenditure test for lobbying) 42:17
Showing how candidates voted (legislative scorecards) is OK 46:08
Complying with Georgia’s ethics laws (slide 31) 50:58
Basic rules for Georgia lobbyists (slides 32-33) 53:52
Vendor/state agency lobbying (slides 34-39) 1:02:18
Who is NOT a lobbyist? (slides 40-42) 1:05:13
Allowed vs disallowed lobbying expenditures: “Don’t give anyone money, ever. Period.” (slides 43-44) 1:11:27
Bribery (slide 45) 1:15:49
What you must disclose (effective documentation) (slides 46-50) 1:17:45
Contingency fees 1:20:29
Recent & proposed changes in Georgia laws 1:22:01