Tips for Election Planning as a Nonprofit

An election year in the USA—especially a Presidential election year—always takes up a lot of bandwidth. On TV, in the mail, on the phones, in the inbox, not to mention in your social media feeds. And people actually speaking to each other—aka word of mouth. That means your organization is competing for attention, and you’ll have to work even harder to make sure your messages are relevant and engaging. The goal is to be heard above the noise.

Of course, while the entire country is affected by election seasons and their outcomes, the actual election itself will impact some organizations more than others. Depending on the type of organization you are, your activities will necessarily take one direction or another. Here’s a brief list of the most common types of nonprofit organizations:

• Political Action Committee (PAC): Endorse candidates and issue campaigns, give money directly to campaigns. PAC activity and communication about endorsements is governed by the Federal Election Commission, and communication is usually limited to people who are considered “members” of the organization. This is usually defined by a monetary contribution within a specific period of recency. PACs can communicate directly to their members about their endorsements and encourage members to volunteer on behalf of candidates.
• 501(c)4: Advocate to Congress, legislative bodies and members to influence decisions on policy issues and bills. 501(c)4 organizations also have a vested interest in what candidates are elected, based on the candidates’ support or opposition to the organization’s key issues and legislation.
• 501(c)3: Public education with 1/5 time allowed to be spent on direct advocacy. 501(c)3 organizations are often described as Foundations. Their primary purpose is for education, and they can also engage in a limited amount of issue advocacy.

A good resource for guidance on nonprofit electoral and lobbying laws, consult the Alliance for Justice, which provides resources to help organizations understand the rules that may apply to their activities.

In general election cycles are becoming longer and longer, and that means the most creative and engaging content delivered at the right time is key to grabbing people’s attention. If your issues are front and center and the candidates are talking about them, then you have additional opportunity to engage your constituents. That means you need to be ready to engage in rapid response.

Start by identifying the issues most relevant to your mission, the audiences you need to reach, and the moments when timely communication will matter most. Then prepare adaptable messages, establish an approval process, and clarify who can respond when the news cycle accelerates.

Election seasons may be noisy, but a clear plan can help your organization communicate with purpose. Prepare your messages and approval process before attention peaks so your team can respond quickly, stay relevant, and keep your mission at the center of the conversation.

Relevant content is only effective if your organization can publish it quickly. Email, text messaging, and social media can help your team respond to the 24-hour news cycle and reach constituents through the channels they already use.