You Are a Trusted Messenger: How Your Nonprofit Can Help People Vote Without Crossing the Line

If you have ever hesitated to talk about voting with the people you serve because you were afraid of "getting political," you are not alone. Many of us worry that one wrong move could put our tax-exempt status at risk, so we stay quiet. But here is the tension: the communities we serve are often the very ones campaigns overlook, which means our silence can leave their voices out of decisions that shape their lives.

The good news is that helping people vote is not only allowed, it fits squarely inside our mission. As a 501(c)(3), you can do a great deal to encourage participation, as long as you stay strictly nonpartisan. Let's walk through what that looks like in practice.

Why your nonprofit is uniquely positioned for this

Nonprofits are among America's most trusted community institutions. As familiar service providers and advocates, we already have real relationships with people who are traditionally underrepresented in elections: low-income households, people of color, young people, rural residents, new citizens, and people with disabilities.

That trust matters because of a cycle worth understanding. Partisan campaigns only invest in people with a high probability of voting. People in historically marginalized communities tend to have shorter voting histories, so campaigns label them "unlikely voters" and stop reaching out. Because no one reaches out, those folks are less likely to vote, and the cycle repeats.

Nonprofits active in these communities can break that loop. By registering and turning out new voters, we help more of the community be heard, and over time, candidates and parties take notice and represent them better. Voting also has a ripple effect: people who vote are more likely to volunteer, advocate, and stay civically engaged. And elected officials are more responsive both to neighborhoods that turn out and to the organizations that promote voting.

The three ways you can engage voters

Think of voter engagement as a pipeline: register, educate, turn out, and (if you choose) engage candidates. Here are the three core categories you can mix and match.

1. Voter registration. Help eligible people register or update their registration, following your state's law. This is usually the first step to becoming a voter.

2. Voter education. Share nonpartisan information on the where, when, and how of voting. Many of the people you serve need real guidance: finding their polling location, learning their options (early, by mail, in person), understanding what's on the ballot, and seeing how those choices connect to the issues they care about. You can also encourage and remind people to vote.

3. Candidate engagement. This is the most visible and highest-risk category. It includes hosting candidate forums, sending identical questionnaires to every candidate in a race, and inviting candidate appearances. The rule here is equal access: whatever you offer one candidate, you must offer all of them.

The bright line you must never cross

Staying nonpartisan is non-negotiable. Under the Johnson Amendment, every 501(c)(3) must remain nonpartisan in elections for public office. That protects both charities and the donating public from partisan election activity.

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So your organization may not:

• Endorse a candidate or express support or opposition for any candidate or party (even for nonpartisan offices).
• Make a contribution or expenditure for a candidate.
• Rate or rank candidates based on who is most favorable to your issues.
• Let candidates use your facilities or resources, unless those resources are made equally available to all candidates at fair market value.

One distinction trips people up: a ballot measure is not a candidate. Supporting or opposing a proposition, referendum, or bond counts as lobbying, which you are allowed to do in limited amounts. Supporting or opposing a person running for office is electioneering, which is flatly prohibited.

A few more clarifications that bring relief:

• Issue advocacy continues during elections. You do not have to go silent on the causes you care about. Just avoid tying those issues to any candidate.
• Personal speech is not organizational speech. Your staff and board can support candidates on their own time and with their own resources. The organization simply cannot.

Weave it into the work you already do

You do not need a whole new department for this. Every interaction with community members is a "point of service," a natural moment to weave in voter engagement. Front-desk and intake staff can offer registration materials. Program staff can share nonpartisan voting information. Your communications team can produce assets and post reminders on social media (still nonpartisan, of course). You can even encourage staff to serve as poll workers, translators, or other nonpartisan Election Day volunteers.

What "good" looks like is a year-round, relationship-based effort that visibly raises participation among the people you serve, builds durable relationships with current and future elected officials, and never gives even the appearance of partisanship. Document it well, and it becomes a story you can share with funders and partners for the next cycle.

What to do next

Start with leadership buy-in. Your executive director and board are the foundation of this work, so bring them a simple plan. Then designate one person, staff or volunteer, to own it. Decide which of the three categories fits your capacity right now (registration is often the easiest place to begin). Reach out to your local election office and aligned nonprofits, who can amplify what you do. And keep every message anchored to helping people vote, never to who they should vote for.

As you grow your circle of supporters toward 100 and beyond, remember that civically engaged community members tend to stay engaged with you, too. If you want to see where your organization stands, take the assessment and review the milestones to plan your next step.

Your challenge this week

Ask your board or leadership to approve a one-sentence nonpartisan commitment, then add a short, nonpartisan "how to vote" note (where, when, and how) to one place your community already sees, such as your intake packet, email footer, or social feed.