Where does the campaign energy go?
Who continues the work of civic engagement post election? Also I spent the day at the Wynn with friends.
What a week. A friend flew in from LA to canvass with me. Then Tuesday’s presidential election. Then I met up with college friends from Florida in town to see Adele. On Saturday, I joined them for brunch at Tableau and ordered oatmeal with fruit and a mojito. Yes, I know, that crazy combo—the oatmeal was a spontaneous substitution and I’d already decided on the cocktail. Chalk it up to stages of grief.
After we ate, half of the crew drifted off to the spa for massages, and the rest of us went to the pool to watch football and read, reply to emails about engineering projects, and research articles on civic engagement: three guesses which one was me.1
I noticed how much I was seeking perspective and direction after the election. I often feel overwhelmed by the glut of advice that swirls around me in podcasts, newsletters, books, articles, etc. (As a learner, I am always absorbing something.) But this week, I was seeking trustworthy voices to guide me: I wanted wisdom on how to think and move forward in these politically divided times.
Campaigns are designed to be ephemeral. But what is the next rung on the ladder of civic participation—where does the energy, the people, the idealism go when it’s all over? Below is an outline of what I’ve been considering. It’s a case, of sorts, for the role that nonprofits play in our civic life as one answer. And while none of this research is new-new, most of the articles I’ve cited were published within the last two years, and they hit differently right now.
The potential of nonprofits in civic engagement
The nonprofit sector is the most trusted sector, and that trust has increased by five percentage points to 57 percent today, according to a report from the Independent Sector. In fact, people trust nonprofits more than government, business, and the media.
Further, Americans trust nonprofits to reduce national divisions more than they trust the government, corporations, or the media.2
The foundation for this trust lies in relationships—“trust is relational, and so is the work of nonprofits.”
Across the country, nonprofits engage with their communities in ways that for-profit entities and other institutions do not. They work with people to achieve shared goals—and, in fact, they rely on participation from their communities just as much as those communities rely on their services.3
There are more than 12 million nonprofit employees in the US, and more than 64 million board members and volunteers. (For comparison, 84 million people voted early in the 2024 election, and almost double that voted in total.)
Further, nonprofits are the hubs and laboratories of civic engagement, leadership development, and nonpartisan advocacy. These are the building blocks of democracy.4
If we are seeking frameworks to rebuild our civic infrastructure and engagement, our nation’s network of nonprofits is ready-made: they are trustworthy, and designed and staffed to address our collective action problems.
So … what are the challenges? What does nonprofit involvement in civics look like right now? Well, spoiler alert, it has declined over the years.
The decline of nonprofits in civic engagement
Only 31 percent of nonprofits report engaging in advocacy or lobbying over the last five years. But in 2000—the last time this research was conducted—74 percent of nonprofits engaged in advocacy and lobbying.
From that same report, 54 percent of public charities knew they could support or oppose federal legislation in 2000. Today, only 32 percent of nonprofits are aware of that fact.
And finally, only 13 percent of nonprofits conduct nonpartisan efforts to help people vote.5
Related, the percentage of people donating to charity has declined steadily since the early 2000s, and the formal volunteer rate decreased during the early 2010s. The single strongest predictor of volunteering? Education. College graduates are 19.4 percentage points more likely to volunteer.
One reason for the decline is that the rules of what constitutes advocacy, lobbying, and civic engagement need to be clarified. Many nonprofit leaders simply don’t know what they can and can’t do—and it’s not their fault. There is a lack of clarity around legal rights and responsibilities when it comes to policy advocacy. Again, education is key.6
And that’s a sample of the rabble-rousing I get into at the pool. Come visit.
What strikes you? What do you see? From my perspective, I have worked in nonprofits—or with nonprofit executives as a coach and consultant—since 2005. But I don’t know that there has ever been a time like this one, where I’ve considered our collective mission, agnostic of cause, with as much curiosity and potential as I do now.
This is a great primer on civic engagement published by PACE: Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement.
From the Independent Sector report “Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy.” June 2024
From a Candid article “Community relationships strengthen trust in public nonprofits.” September 2024
From the National Council of Nonprofits’ report “Nonprofit Impact Matters: How America’s Charitable Nonprofits Strengthen Communities and Improve Lives.” 2019
Independent Sector report “Nonprofit Advocacy and Civic Engagement Research,” Oct. 2024
Independent Sector’s “Clarifying Nonprofit Civic Engagement Rules.” And here’s where you can read more about proposals to alter or destroy the Johnson Amendment.