Advocacy

Let your voice be heard! Each and every one of us living in this country has a right for his or her opinion to be considered. Contact your elected offical to speak up about issues you are passionate about.  Learn more about issues that concern you.  Join with others to make positive and long lasting change.

If you'd like to explore advocacy for your organization, we recommend the following resources:

  • Alliance for Justice - Alliance for Justice is a national association of over 100 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society.
  • Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest- CLPI trains nonprofits and promotes increased advocacy within the nonprofit and philanthropy sector in order to create systemic change on the critical issues of our day.
  • Center for Effective Government - An informational resource for policymakers, the media, advocacy allies, community organizations, and citizens.

 

Advocacy to Act On

We regularly research legislation that may be of interest to our members. Take a look to see if there are any upcoming issues supporting the interests of your organization:

  • Expand Availability Of Affordable Housing
  • Allowable Expenses Renting Tax Exempt Property
  • Adult Education And Literacy Programs
  • Tax Credit For Donating Food To Charitable Organizations
  • Confidentiality Social Security Numbers
  • Veterans Assistance Grant Program
  • Modify Charitable Solicitations Act
  • Job Creation and Main Street Revitalization Act
  • Prop Tax Exempt Nonprofit Entity Fed Tax Credits
  • Sunset Review Licensure of Home Care Agencies
  • Colorado Child Care Assistance Program
  • Suicide Prevention Commission
  • Public Benefit Corp Must File Annual Reports
  • Create by Colorado App to Promote Business in CO

View details on each issue. (Updated April 28, 2014)

Helpful Links:

Economic Impact Survey

Nonprofits make an enormous impact on our community! In September 2012, CNE in partnership with Summit Economics and UCCS School of Public Affairs, launched an economic impact survey of nonprofits in the Pikes Peak region. This was the first comprehensive study of its kind in our region in 10 years. Learn more.

THE OVERHEAD MYTH

Earlier this year the leaders of the country's three largest sources of information on nonprofits penned an open letter to the donors of the U.S. denouncing the "overhead ratio" as a valid indicator of nonprofit performance. GuideStar, Charity Navigator, and BBB Wise Giving Alliance began a campaign to correct the common misconception that the percentage of a charity's expenses that go to administrative and fundraising costs- commonly referred to as "overhead"- is, on its own, as an appropriate metric to evaluate when assessing a nonprofit's worthiness and efficiency.

The Overhead Myth website provides many resources, articles, and a social media tool kit for educating yourself, your organization, and your donors about what nonprofit overhead costs actually look like and how you can educate others about the myths of using "overhead" costs to measure performance.

Dan Pallotta's 2013 TED Talk "The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong" talks about the double standard that drives a broken relationship with charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend - not how well they get things done. Check out the video.

Quality of Life Indicators Report

The report makes a conscious effort to present only facts. While it shows trends, the report does not attempt to evaluate these trends as positive or negative. The goal of presenting this data is to help community members prioritize and make educated decisions about which areas deserve investment of time, talent and resources. The goal of this entire effort is positive action. Let’s work together to make life better for all of us! Learn more.