With our 44^th federal election now underway, many charities are considering how to leverage this election to the benefit of the people we support through our work. Some, like those of us in Ontario, also have provincial and municipal elections coming up within the next 12-18 months, providing additional opportunities to engage with, and garner commitments from, political candidates.

So many of the issues we work daily to address are symptoms of bad policy: homelessness, poverty, deaths from substance use, climate change, and more. Bad policy led to these crises, and we get to choose the people who make those policies.

But even though the strict limitations of the CRA “10% rule” has been lifted for years now, advocacy still makes many charities nervous. We have, mostly out of necessity, prioritized treating the symptoms of bad policy over working to replace those policies with better ones.

If your charity is ready to take on not just social service, but social change—and I really hope you are–here are a few of my favourite pieces of advice on leveraging elections for change:

Rules

Even though the Income Tax Act was updated in 2018 and we no longer need to track our public policy activity to ensure no more than 10% of charity resources are going towards advocacy, the CRA still has some rules relating to what the government calls Public Policy Dialogue and Development Activities (P2D2A):

1. Keep it non-partisan: charities are permitted to conduct advocacy activities as long as they are not directly or indirectly partisan. In other words, asking all candidates to commit to creating more affordable housing is permitted; campaigning for or endorsing a particular candidate or political party is not.
2. Keep it on mission: as with all a charity’s activities, our public policy advocacy must align with the purposes of the charity, as on file with the CRA.

Tips

1. Choose your ask. this may sound obvious, but, so often charities go to great lengths to get the attention of candidates, tell them about all the problems in their sector…and then don’t have a good answer to the question, what would you like me to do about it? Some things to consider as you turn your complaints into policy asks:

• Make sure your ask is aimed at the correct level of government. Federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments have different powers, so tailor your election ask to the correct level of government. Check to see if you have a current ask that can be repackaged or freshened up for the election.
• When framing your problem and your ask, be clear that the policy is causing the problem, so that policy solutions make sense.
• Is your ask realistically going to be an election issue? Is there a different but related ask that aligns with your goals and is also polling as an election issue?
• Be clear and specific. It should be easy to tell if your candidate has followed through with any promises or commitments they have made to you.
• State explicitly how your ask ties to your larger goal, be it ending homelessness, mitigating climate change, or eliminating a disease. If the government has committed to that goal already, mention that, too.

2. Check for allies: who else may have similar goals and asks to yours? Many voices with a relatively unified message will be stronger.

• Look for first voice advocates, listen to what they are asking for, and be careful to amplify, not talk over, those with lived expertise.
• Consider if there are any national or provincial alliances or coalitions that will be running campaigns you can piggyback on.
• Consider your organization’s role and capacity. Does it make sense for you to take a leading role or a supporting role this election?

3. Reach out to candidates and voters:

• Whatever your ask is, whatever your message, aim to be consistent across all platforms.
• Remind voters of their power, reiterate that these are policy issues, and we choose our policymakers.
• Your advocacy almost certainly includes letters or surveys to candidates, or perhaps to party leaders. Keep these succinct and clear. It also makes sense to let the candidate know how many organizations are in your coalition, or how big the support community is that you will be sharing their answers with. (I shared tips for writing an advocacy letter in a previous Charity Village article that might be helpful.) Most if not all federal and provincial parties will have a central policy team that will provide candidates with responses, so don’t be surprised if you send a survey to multiple candidates from the same party in your region and they come back with identical responses.
• Once you have responses from candidates, you can share these with your supporters, so that voters are aware of what position each candidate has taken on issues that they find important. You can also encourage your supporters to let candidates know they will be voting and that your issue is a deciding factor for them. Some of your supporters may even appreciate if you provide them with a question to ask candidates that come to their door or that they can ask at an all-candidates debate. One-pagers, explainer videos, social media graphics, and a blog post or a dedicated page on your website are all free or low-cost ways to reach and educate voters.
• I’ll also use this opportunity to make a plug for accountability assemblies over all-candidates debates, for all levels of government elections. Having hosted both, I can share that voters found this format more informative and candidates found it less intimidating. I first became aware of this event format when reading of the one hosted by the Metro Vancouver Alliance in a 2014 mayoral election. Instead of debating each other, all candidates are asked to commit to a list of asks, and then given an opportunity to expand on why it is important to them or how they intend to accomplish it, or not, depending on their position and platform. Ideally, you end the event with clear commitments from each candidate that you can hold them accountable to, no matter who wins. A letter version of this works as well if a live event is not possible.

4. Get Out the Vote

• Finally, if you support marginalized individuals, consider how to help them effectively engage in our democracy. Plan ahead, informing and reminding clients/residents/program participants know about the election, helping them register to vote if needed, and provide rides if you can. Make voting as low-barrier as possible.

Whether your nonprofit is just starting to think about moving some energy and resources toward a justice approach to our work, or your team is seasoned in policy advocacy, elections provide an excellent opportunity to engage with policymakers and will-be policymakers while they are working to win your vote. If you try out any of these tips, let me know how it goes, I’d love to hear from you!   

Jennifer van Gennip is an Advocacy and Communications Strategist. She offers strategy and support for cause organizations to make sure they get heard. You’ll find more tips like these at www.jennifervangennip.com, or she can be reached by email at jennifer.vangennip@gmail.com.