Involvement in TNPA’s Advocacy Program: It’s Fun & You Can Help the Nonprofit Sector

Now that the 118th Congress is sworn in, the legislative work begins! TNPA is here to guide and shape the policies that matter to the nonprofit sector. Your membership supports that. You can get involved and make TNPA’s voice and impact even stronger. We have a variety of options for you to not only help the nonprofit sector, but also network with interesting people and have some fun!

Capitol Hill Days Program

You can play a critical role in TNPA’s advocacy efforts and support legislation that will help the nonprofit sector. Hill Days provide you an opportunity to join nonprofit sector leaders to share your experiences with policymakers. You do not need to be an expert on specific legislation or the Congressional process — TNPA staff will be there for that and will prepare you in advance. Also, Hill Days are fun, energizing days and a good networking opportunity with your professional peers. Check out our Calendar of Events to see when the next Capitol Hill Day is and to register.

Executive Advocacy Forum

Here you can be an essential part of our grassroots lobbying efforts by being on call to weigh in with your member of Congress when they need to feel the heat on issues vital to our sector. Our Vice President of Government Affairs, Mark Micali, does all the legwork to make your participation easy and will reach out when we need to move quickly on particular Senators and Representatives.

Government Affairs Committee

Your involvement will allow you to have input on TNPA policy positions and help shape our plan of action. The committee meets monthly and includes both nonprofit and corporate representatives. Importantly, only the nonprofit members vote to recommend key actions.

Monthly Legislative Round-Up

Keep your eye on your email inbox! This round-up will help you stay on top of the latest policy issues facing the nonprofit sector. What legislation matters? Where is a proposal in the process of becoming law? And who are the elected officials on Capitol Hill and in the states? Stay in the know!

Monthly Video | Around Capitol Hill with Mark Micali in 90 Seconds

TNPA’s VP of Government Affairs, Mark Micali, takes you through what’s happening on Capitol Hill with this concise 90-second video, which is included in each month’s Legislative Round-Up and on our website.

Action Alerts

From time to time, we email Action Alerts on key issues. This is when we need you, and as many TNPA members and voices from the nonpofit sector as possible to weigh in quickly with decision-makers. When they hear from you, this can make all the difference in their decision and their vote.

Action Alerts differentiate from the Executive Advocacy Forum in that Action Alerts are sent out to a broad list, whereas Executive Advocacy Forum is for specific participants.

To sign-up for Action Alerts contact us here.

TNPA’s Political Action Committee (PAC)

The PAC operates in a bipartisan manner by supporting federal candidates for office.

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That is how you can get involved. But you might be asking, why get involved? Here are the important issues where your involvement will have an impact.

TNPA’s number one legislative priority is the enactment of comprehensive bipartisan national privacy legislation

With five states having already enacted their own state privacy laws, and several more states likely to follow, the need for national privacy legislation—in effect, one national “Rules of the Road” for the responsible use of data—has never been stronger. We want to avoid creating a patchwork quilt of varying and cumbersome state privacy laws.

Increasing and making permanent the Universal Charitable Deduction

The current Universal Charitable Deduction—which provides a $600 deduction for married couples filing jointly and a $300 deduction for individual tax filers—expired on December 31, 2021. We need to have the Universal Charitable Deduction reinstated, increased, and made permanent.

Expanding the IRA Charitable Rollover

Here we have good news! The Securing a Strong Retirement Act, which Congress just enacted this past December, includes a provision increasing the current maximum annual contribution to an IRA Charitable Rollover from $100,000 by indexing the maximum to the yearly rate of inflation (the Consumer Price Index or CPI), allowing the cap to increase each year as the CPI increases.

Additionally, the legislation allows seniors to use their IRA to fund a gift annuity, enabling middle-income seniors to make charitable contributions while maintaining retirement income.

But there’s more work to be done. Eligibility to set up an IRA Charitable Rollover starts at age 70 1/2. With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day, lowering the eligibility age would be a real plus for the sector.

Postal Policy

Although Congress enacted postal reform legislation in 2022, this measure did not slow down the massive increases in postal rates. The ultimate solution—the one that would be best for the nonprofit sector, and for all mailers—would be to return to the goals of the Postal Reform Act of 2006, which had predictable rate increases (both in amount and timing) in line with the rate of inflation.

Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

PSLF allows an individual with a student loan who has a 10+ years of full-time work for a designated 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or government entity and and also has made student loan payments for 120 months (10 years), then all remaining student loan debt is forgiven. This statute is critical to the nonprofit sector to attract and keep talented individuals, and TNPA is determined to ensure it stays a part of federal law.

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In addition to these issues, you can follow what’s happening in the states on our website. TNPA also works on other issues as they arise, such as:

– Mastercard regulations
– Federal Court cases impacting donor privacy
– Insights and resources on Board Diversity, Cybersecurity, and Salary Transparency

The Bottom Line

By adding your voice to the work of TNPA, you make a difference on the issues that impact the nonprofit sector and pave the way for nonprofit organizations to pursue their missions effectively.

Also, remember that once an organization becomes a member of TNPA, all the organization’s staff become members of TNPA, and all are invited to participate in our various programs, including these advocacy programs.

So, are you ready to join us to promote, protect, and strengthen the nonprofit sector? We cannot wait to welcome you! Go to our Calendar of Events to register and/or email Mark Micali to get involved.