Sign on to Protect the Charitable Giving Incentive

The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is working with the National Council of Nonprofits and state associations across the country to protect charitable deductions.   

Please join the fight!

Policymakers from across the political spectrum have put forward plans to address ways to reduce the federal budget deficit through spending cuts, entitlement reforms, and changes to the tax code, and many propose changing the charitable deduction in one way or another. No one knows the true impact that any of these proposals will have on the ability of nonprofits to raise the resources needed to provide the programs and services in their local communities. You can help protect the charitable giving incentive by signing onto the nonprofit community letter. Sign on! Learn more.  

And please pass this message along to all nonprofits you know so their voices can be heard!

We also urge you to contact your Senators and Representatives directly and ask them to oppose any cutbacks to the charitable deduction laws. To learn who you should contact, visit the Elected Official Contact Page.

On June 8, the IRS released a list of 3,814 nonprofits in Oklahoma that had their tax-exempt status automatically revoked. Is your nonprofit one of them? Check the list!

If your nonprofit is on the list, the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is here to help. Through our affiliation with the National Council of Nonprofits, you have access to tools that will explain how automatic revocation affects your nonprofit and what you need to do to have your tax-exempt status reinstated.

For answers to FAQs about automatic revocation of tax-exemption for nonprofits, visit the IRS' website here.

If you have any questions or need additional assistance, contact Sarah Chancy, Alliance Director at 405-463-6886 ext. 209 or by email. 

Many nonprofits believe they are prohibited from participating in advocacy or lobbying. The truth is, while nonprofits are subject to certain rules, they can and should raise their voices and stand up for their clients and the greater nonprofit community.

Nonprofits can:

• Lobby during an election cycle, so long as they remain impartial
• Invite candidates to events, but they must give all candidates seeking the same office equal opportunity to speak
• Take positions on policy issues so long as they stay focused on the issue and not candidate campaigns

Nonprofits cannot:

• Endorse or speak out against candidates or political parties
• Contribute to campaign funds
• Distribute third-party statements that favor or oppose candidates

Advocacy can be indirect in the form of education, information sharing, and media or direct in the form of lobbying. Either way, effective advocacy is based upon relationships. Nonprofits should call upon their allies, such as board members, volunteers, funders and clients, to help advocate for their cause.

If you have any additional questions about rules and regulations that govern nonprofit lobbying, please contact the Center at 1-800-338-1798 or by email for more information.