We’ve Got a Winner and an Honorable Mention!

The Stand for Your Mission Award is designed to recognize nonprofit boards that have established advocacy as an expectation for engaged and effective board leadership, and, by doing so, are helping their organizations realize their missions. We received 125 applications for the 2018 award and winnowed the pool down to ten finalists.

Today, we’re excited to announce that Treehouse is the winning organization and will receive $5,000 to support its advocacy efforts. This Seattle nonprofit envisions a world where all children who experience foster care can pursue their dreams and become productive members of society. Read about their successful efforts advocating for their kids.

And a shout out to our honorable mention, Vermont Afterschool lnc., a public-private statewide partnership dedicated to supporting and sustaining innovative learning opportunities that extend beyond the school day for all of Vermont’s children and youth. We encourage you to read its success story, as well as the inspiring stories shared by our other finalists.

BoardSource’s Own Advocacy and the Distinction Between Policy & Politics

When it comes to its own advocacy work, BoardSource has voiced its opposition — as well as encouraged the BoardSource community to voice its opposition — to any legislation that would weaken or repeal the Johnson Amendment, the law that protects charitable nonprofits, houses of worship, and foundations from partisan politics. Some of you may wonder how nonprofit engagement in partisan politics and advocacy differ. Allowing nonprofit organizations to take a position for or against a candidate (electioneering) is a misuse of a nonprofit organization’s charitable status and would put pressure on nonprofits to endorse or oppose certain political candidates in order to secure contributions. On the other hand, a nonprofit organization’s legal right to advocate on policy issues that impact its mission is essential when there’s an important issue that would help — or hurt — the organization’s mission. This 2013 position paper explains why BoardSource supports the Johnson Amendment.

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