CAN's Policy Accomplishments
CAN's advocacy, lobbying, and public policy work have resulted in fairer legislation for nonprofits, heightened awareness among public officials of the impacts their decisions have on nonprofits, a growing nonprofit voice in Sacramento, and the publication of key resources for decision-making.
CAN and its partners have saved California nonprofits millions of dollars and many headaches by ensuring that legislation and regulations do not negatively impact the sector:
- The CAN Policy Council rallied nonprofits to defeat Proposition 226 against all odds – halting a measure that would have required employees to disclose details about payroll deductions – including the organization to whom they were contributing.
- CAN sponsored a successful ballot measure to legalize nonprofit raffles and protected the sector by preventing so-called “enabling legislation” that would have put nonprofit raffles under control of the Gambling Commission and required unreasonable administrative burdens for nonprofits running fundraising raffles.
- We prevented the erosion of standards around fundraising techniques like Bingo, which is a major fundraising vehicle for many California nonprofits.
- In numerous actions, CAN and its collaborations have promoted government streamlining, improved access to grants and contract information, and sponsored legislation to reduce administrative burdens on nonprofits.
- CAN and its partners have saved California nonprofits tens of millions of dollars by stopping or amending legislation that would have levied undue burdens on the state’s charities.
Because of CAN and its partners, lawmakers are more informed about the impact of proposed legislation and policies on nonprofits. A refrain regularly heard in Sacramento now is, “What impact will this legislation have on nonprofits?” – a question rarely asked before CAN and its partners got into the game.
CAN and its public policy partners have built the nonprofit sector’s public policy influence in Sacramento and throughout the state:
- 10,000 sector leaders receive the CAN Policy Update.
- 2,500 California nonprofit leaders participate annually in CAN’s advocacy, lobbying, and issues workshops.
- 100 nonprofit leaders convene with government leaders at Nonprofit Policy Days in Sacramento each spring.
- CAN staff respond to hundreds of Managers' Helpline calls each year to help nonprofits comply with laws and hone their advocacy skills.
- CAN staff give frequent interviews to major media outlets and periodicals on public policy developments.
CAN publishes key information about the nonprofit sector to keep policy-makers, thought leaders, and nonprofit executives informed of the facts:
- CAN’s signature publication, Facts and Fallacies: Setting the Record Straight on California's Nonprofit Community, is distributed to nonprofits, foundations, legislators, and members of Congress.
- The 2004 Holes in the Safety-net Study assesses the impacts of the economic recession and budget cuts on California safety-net nonprofits. The study was featured in the lead article of the June 2004 issue of the California Journal.
- CAN has published two studies on nonprofit employment and the economic impacts of nonprofit employees to the state and distributed the studies to the legislature, CAN members, and leadership groups.
Questions?
E-mail Ken Larsen or call him at (213) 347-2070, ext. 203.
