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We are a proactive, nonpartisan voice for Northeast Florida nonprofits. We offer tools and training to help all nonprofits effectively participate in public policy and community discussions that influence the well-being and prosperity of all citizens. Become a stronger nonprofit advocate by accessing the Nonprofit Center’s resources.
Nonprofit Quarterly:
"As the Trump administration takes office, here’s a helpful legal to-do list for nonprofits to shore up their compliance and advocacy strategies.
In this exclusive article, “Nonprofit Legal Compliance in an Unfriendly Political Environment,” nonprofit legal expert and NPQ board member Gene Takagi will guide us through:
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Compliance Checklist: A list of compliance matters that will help public charities and private foundations address and prepare for a threat.
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Going on the Offense: A list of 10 activities that public charities and private foundations can engage in to better advance their mission and values."
Click here to access this resource!
The Nonprofit Center engages candidates and elected leaders to create a clear understanding of how connected and trusted nonprofits are to their constituents’ interests and well-being, how strongly we undergird the social infrastructure, and how willing we are to partner to help our communities thrive. We make available policy positions and data that give candidates and elected leaders information about the nonprofit sector’s impact and value.
In 2023, the Nonprofit Center is asking candidates for elected office in Northeast Florida to:
- Recognize nonprofit economic power. Northeast Florida Nonprofits employ over 72,000 people making them an important business constituency and a formidable force for good. 77% of Northeast Florida residents believe the work nonprofits do creates a fairer, more unified community; 78% believe nonprofits are a vital part of the economy.
- Champion smart grantmaking and streamlined contracting processes in order to create a relationship of mutual accountability. Government depends on nonprofits to provide critical services to its citizens; excessive regulations can inhibit excellence, unnecessarily increase costs of doing business, and get in the way of public/private projects. 81% of Northeast Florida residents believe nonprofits deliver services more efficiently than government.
- Invite private philanthropy and the local nonprofit community’s resources and expertise to resolve complex issues. In Jacksonville, keep the office of Strategic Partnerships within the mayor’s office. This one-of-a-kind position in Florida local governments is an innovative tool for a mayor to bring solution-oriented collaborators together and leverage private investment.
- Create government and business employment policies that support volunteerism and community involvement. 80% of Northeast Florida residents agree that our community would be a better place to live if more people gave money or volunteered to help nonprofits.
- Include the nonprofit sector to co-create community solutions. People in northeast Florida trust nonprofits (67%), making them ideal partners for community work. In Jacksonville, the City Council’s Critical Quality of Life Issues Committee successfully modeled this process.
- Invest strategically in additional grant funding for local nonprofits in order to accelerate progress toward community priorities. 72% of northeast Florida residents believe government should provide more funding for nonprofits.
- Remove barriers to the creation of public/private initiatives. Private philanthropy might provide more strategic resources that advance government priorities if innovative mechanisms for collective and collaborative investment were championed.
The Nonprofit Center is strictly nonpartisan and careful to protect our neutrality by following guidance from the IRS, and nonprofit experts like the Florida Nonprofit Alliance and the National Council of Nonprofits.
Statistics are from the Nonprofit Center 2022 Public Perceptions Survey and the Nonprofit Center 2019 State of the Sector report.
- Successful self-advocacy
- Developing strong advocates
- Sub-sector collaboration
For upcoming advocacy-related trainings and events, visit the Nonprofit Center’s calendar.
The Nonprofit Center commissions and conducts research for the Northeast Florida nonprofit sector.
More information about and resources for Northeast Florida's nonprofit sector:
Stand for Your Mission is designed to unleash the power of the nonprofit sector through advocacy. It flows from a deep belief in the role of nonprofit organizations in identifying solutions and finding common ground and an unwavering commitment to the communities and people we serve.
From advocacy toolkits and informative “how to” sheets to recent opinion pieces and material about federal, state, and local lobbying laws, this section of our website provides resources to nonprofit leaders about ways to advance their missions through everyday advocacy.