Public Policy + Advocacy

I have been in fundraising for almost forty years. In my experience, one of the most chronic problems in the nonprofit sector is our failure to make a connection between fundraising and the rest of our work.  Yet, as many of us have experienced over and over, how we raise money and where we get […]

Our partner, the National Council of Nonprofits, provides some updated information on the OMB Uniform Guidance and the opportunity to provide input through a survey below. A few years ago, the federal government adopted grants reforms designed in part to improve the way governments at all levels treat nonprofits that perform services on their behalf. […]

MANP joins its national counterpart, the National Council of Nonprofits, in supporting a non-itemized charitable giving deduction. Congress is considering comprehensive tax reform. As part of that conversation, it should secure adequate resources to fund essential and effective programs and obligations, promote economic growth, and ensure that the net effect of tax-law changes strengthen, and […]

Updated (September 1) From our partner, the National Council of Nonprofits A federal judge in Texas ruled yesterday (in State of Nevada v. U.S. Department of Labor), as expected, that the Overtime Final Rule is invalid because the U.S. Department of Labor exceeded its authority in setting a high salary-level test that denied exempt status to […]

House Committee Votes to Politicize Nonprofits Nonpartisanship–the longstanding legal protection (known as the Johnson Amendment) which allows 501(c)(3) nonprofits to speak out on issues of the day and advocate on legislation, but keeps us away from the divisiveness of supporting or opposing candidates for office–is under imminent threat in Congress. Each of us needs to […]

Updated:  July 17 Yes, it’s summertime but that doesn’t mean life’s a beach in Augusta or D.C. State House The Appropriations Committee met this week to take up what’s called “the table.” That’s the Special Appropriations Table where bills that cost money (have a fiscal note) go and often die. Fortunately, LD 648 had a […]

Typically, the Fourth of July weekend is busy with social plans–visiting with family and friends. For those of us who live in Bath, it’s Heritage Days with rides, music, food, parade, and fabulous fireworks. Many people, this year, were instead at the State House worrying about the budget. Others, like me, were constantly checking their […]

While we are closely watching today’s budget negotiations at the Maine State House, we are also continuing to monitor efforts in Washington D.C. to undermine the Johnson Amendment. In the past twenty-four hours, anti-Johnson Amendment language was attached as a rider to an appropriations bill by a House subcommittee. The National Council of Nonprofits has […]

Reprinted and updated with permission from The National Council of Nonprofits.  It originally appeared in their newsletter “Nonprofit Advocacy Matters” on June 26, 2017. Partisanship – putting political party above policy and practicality – has nearly destroyed the health care insurance and delivery system in this country. The Senate is scheduled to vote on its […]

Like most everyone else, we’re hopeful that the Maine Legislature will pass a budget and avoid a state government shut down. But, it never hurts to be prepared. How Would a Shutdown Happen? The state’s fiscal year starts July 1. The Legislature is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget. The Legislature is currently at […]