In March 2008, we conducted a national survey and a series of phone interviews to better understand the professional development needs of artists. I thought you might be interested in what your peers described as their needs, wants, and desires. Sometimes it makes us feel better to know that we are not alone; that others are looking for the same things. Maybe, it can help you gain clarity about what you want and what actions you can take to fulfill your needs. As you might expect, we found that artists’ needs varied based on age, career stage, region and discipline. However, some needs remained consistent across all categories, such as creative autonomy, meaningful results, and love. The following is a list of the most universal needs expressed by your peers:

1) Need for success – Respondents’ definition of success ranged dramatically; from generating large sums of money, to simply having a moment of creative expression. Some artists saw positive critical reviews and prestigious grants/awards as markers for success; whereas others cited the euphoria of the creative process as their standard. Some defined success as having made a meaningful social impact and others simply measured it by the number of laughs or tears in their audience. No matter what the definition, success is one of the strongest needs expressed in this study.

“Success is embodying my own work, having my work produced and performed where it can make a statement for the artist world and the activist world…and serve as a catalyst for people to think critically.” – Dancer, New York

“Big bucks don’t define artistry….success is fulfilling dreams in terms of non-monetary results. Although money is nice and necessary…being true to yourself, realizing your potential to the fullest and connecting to your roots is my definition of success.” – Playwright, Georgia

“The greatest use of art is as a medium for creating greater understanding of the human experience.” – Photographer, San Francisco

2) Need for clarity/focus – Many artists expressed a need for clarity, for control over their careers, and for a vision to push them past periods of stagnation. Some say clarity would help them to let go of long-term projects that may never work, to break free of tunnel vision, and to avoid the paralyzation (scattered energy) of pursuing too many possibilities. Some “successful” artists said the turning point in their career happened the day they “got honest” with themselves. Once they clearly defined their core desire, they were able to stop spending energy on everything and anything that came their way. This elimination of non-productive activity allowed them to focus all of their energy on things that effectively brought them closer to their goal.

3) Need for emotional support - Artists endure long periods of unemployment, intense competition, and frequent rejections. This can have a serious effect on self-confidence. The artists in our survey expressed a need to be validated, encouraged, challenged, and motivated by their peers and artistic community. They need peer support in overcome fear of success and failure.

4) Need for work/life balance – It seems that everyone in the current fast paced environment wants balance in their lives, but artists’ lack of job security and financial resources make balance particularly challenging. Many artists are frustrated by having to spend 40 hours per week on a day job that takes them from their artistic pursuits. Whereas, “working” artists are challenged by the speed and quantity of work they have to produce; they want to learn how to better pace their creative output.

5) Need for advocacy - Artists want better advocacy. They want to capture some of the value they generated for society. They are frustrated by the cycle of moving to a “unpopular” urban neighborhood, improving its attractiveness by creating a “trendy” scene, getting priced out, and losing their creative space.

6) Need for partnership/services - In many ways, artists want the ability to “just do art”, but they understand that survival requires money, which requires some involvement in business. Many of the respondents expressed a desire to have someone else take care of their administrative and business needs, so they can just create.

7) Need for business and managerial skills – Many artists feel disempowered when dealing with the business aspects of their career, because they have not been given a cursory education in this field of knowledge. They want to better understand the “fog of business,” in order to confidently chart their path and navigate their journey.

“Business know-how is my primary deficiency… because of it… I missed a lot of opportunities. I need to know how to market, negotiate, and strategize for the long term….NEGOTIATION!!! I have struggles with setting a fair price for my work. How do I sell myself? I don’t know what to ask for.…what to sell myself for. I don’t know how to read a contract. Sometimes I feel like I am signing my life away. In dance a lot of work is created collectively, but the director gets all the branding…I don’t know what to ask for because there is no distribution of information on what is industry standard for this type of thing. I don’t know how to set boundaries. Artist need benchmarks to determine value….principals to navigate these issues. It’s hard to be a dissenter in a community of “yes men.” I feel the eagerness of the “yes men” brings down the value for everyone.” – Dancer, New York

Additionally, the unprecedented virtual noise and rapid changes in the Web 2.0 (3.0) environment requires that artists know more about accessing a virtual audience, but most of the time they feel “beat up” by this saturated eSpace. They want new strategies for building a loyal audience, gaining recognition, finding creative employment, and generating financial returns.

8) Need for resources - the funding from public and private organizations is not expected to keep pace with rising production costs, so only large and mid-size companies are able to operate under the traditional business model. Smaller companies are having fewer performances/exhibits/events and offer limited employment opportunities. Artists want to find new business models or new funding sources. Also, many artists express a need for physical space to create and present their work.

Currently, we are working to expand the Fractured Atlas Professional Development Program to better meet your needs. Initiatives include an online training center (Fractured U.) and a network of highly qualified consultant/coaches who can provide customized assistance to artists trying to plan, launch and manage their careers and companies. For more information contact me (kamal.sinclair@fracturedatlas.org) or Adam Natale (adam.natale@fracturedatlas.org)

One of the best blogs on arts administration out there is Andrew Taylor’s. In his post from this afternoon, Taylor proposes a contest to develop an arts advocacy public service announcement based on his rough storyboard concept. The idea is to balance messages about art’s functional community value and its intrinsic aethetic/experiential value. This is a noble effort and one I’d love to see succeed. I also believe it’s consistent with Fractured Atlas’s holistic approach to arts advocacy.

Here are the guidelines and here’s the storyboard:

The New York Innovative Theater Foundation is currently conducting a demographic survey of theater artists producing in the off-off Broadway (OOB) community. Since they need about 6000 responses, I wanted to pass this along and encourage people to participate! The survey should only take about 4 minutes to complete and you can find it here.

They ALSO just published a statistical analysis of OOB production budgets which presents some fascinating information (for example: the largest % of productions had budgets of below $5000!). I would recommend it as a must-read for anyone in or out of NYC who is considering self-producing in the OOB community (which is often where many independent artists & emerging companies start out). Survey results can be found here.

I would be interested to hear how their findings compare to markets outside New York. Any members outside NYC care to comment on that?

“If every artist in America’s work force banded together, their ranks would be double the size of the United States Army,” reports Sam Roberts in today’s NY Times. This conclusion is drawn from a groundbreaking new report from the National Endowment for the Arts titled Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005.

I realize not everyone will be as interested in this as I am. Not only do I run an organization whose customers are exclusively artists, but I’m a shameless statistics junkie. Still, what’s significant about this study (at first glance anyway; I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing yet) is that is provides some of the basic data on our industry that has historically been entirely elusive.

Here’s how the NEA describes the study:

Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005 is the first nationwide look at artists’ demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century. Artists in the Workforce analyzes working artist trends, gathering new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide a comprehensive overview of this workforce segment and its maturation over the past 30 years, along with detailed information on specific artist occupations.

The use of census data is probably the only practical way this research could have been conducted, but it does raise some important questions about the report’s comprehensiveness:

First, census data is biased towards a strictly economic definition of employment. The study does include people who identified an arts field as their second job, but it includes only 300,000 of such individuals, compared to 2,000,000 who claimed an arts field as their primary employment. While I don’t have any hard data to refute this, bushels of anecdotal evidence suggest there are at least as many, if not more, “semi-professional” artists as there are folks who make their living exclusively or primarily through their art. I even spoke with someone at the US Department of Labor who believed that their arts-related employment figures were 40-60% below the true numbers. So the fact that the NEA report counts just 300,000 artists whose income comes mainly from other sources strikes me as being seriously under-representative of this broad segment of the industry.

Second, census data is biased towards white, mainstream artists whose work falls into a European tradition. One of the things I’ve learned in our local advocacy work is that a white, middle-class college graduate is much more likely to self-identify as an artist than an equally talented, dedicated practitioner of a non-European folk tradition. Likewise, a graduate of Yale’s drama school who pays his rent by waiting tables thinks of himself as an actor, while a Latino janitor who happens to be a brilliant amateur photographer would never in a million years call himself an artist (this latter example is from a real person I met in Brooklyn). This is another factor that suggests the NEA data is almost certainly under-reporting certain large segments of the industry.

These are real concerns, but they shouldn’t seriously diminish the significance of the NEA report. Frankly, despite the fact that the report’s numbers are probably much lower than reality, I suspect many will be shocked at the sheer size of the U.S. arts sector. Artists are often seen (and see themselves) as operating within a strange niche at society’s margins. It’s hard to retain this stereotype when you learn that our ranks exceed those of lawyers, doctors, police officers, or farm workers, and roughly equal those of the active and reserve armed forces.

Think about that the next time someone implies that you’re not an authentic American or that you don’t contribute anything meaningful to society. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to vote.

Fractured Atlas is proud to announce our partnership with The Tank for next week’s symposium - if you are in NYC, please attend!

Saving Our Cultural Capital: The Challenges Facing Independent Venues and Artists in Manhattan

A symposium hosted by The Tank, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, and Fractured Atlas, in cooperation with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Co-hosted by Collective Unconscious, chashama, The Field and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

New York City is a world-renowned cultural destination: from big-budget Broadways shows to dance performances in small Brooklyn lofts to Chelsea gallery openings. The performing arts drive the city’s economy and tourism and give New York the cultural texture that makes it a uniquely dynamic environment.

As cost-of-living and real estate prices continue to rise, can young artists and small venues still call Manhattan home? New York – and Manhattan, in particular – cannot lose the energy brought by these individuals and organizations, and the higher-market entertainment industry in the city relies on their innovations…but can we still make New York work for the emerging arts? This event will bring together city officials, arts professionals, business representatives, advocates and freelancers for an afternoon of conversation about solutions to the challenges facing independent venues and emerging artists in Manhattan.

This event is FREE and open to artists, advocates, policy-makers, foundation representatives & everyone committed to keeping Manhattan the cultural capital of the world.

Saturday, June 7th, 2:00pm – 5:30pm
Wolman Hall, The New School, 64 West 11th Street

More information: http://www.thetanknyc.org/culturalcapital

Fractured Atlas recently joined the Coalition for Artists’ Preparedness and Emergency Response. What could that possibly be? Well, I’m glad you asked…

Spearheaded by Craft Emergency Relief Fund, the Coalition is a national effort to improve the system of disaster readiness, response, and recovery for individual artists and the arts infrastructure that supports them.

The Coalition has developed a Blueprint document to investigate what would be involved to form a comprehensive emergency assistance system for artists. This Blueprint and the Coalition arose because three artist-focused groups who have responded to aid artists in times of emergency— the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, Artist Trust, and the New York Foundation for the Arts — wanted to address their belief that artists are underserved in emergencies, that there is need for an organized safety net for them, and that arts responders in emergencies need guidance.

So far the Blueprint has been reviewed by members of the coalition and now it needs artists feedback (ESPECIALLY if you have survived a disaster or emergency)! Your involvement would require you to read the Blueprint in its current form and provide a written response to some questions embedded within it. While it can be done anonymously, you would have to provide some basic demographic information (age, artistic discipline, geographic area etc) for the data analysis component.

If you are interested in participating, please contact support@fracturedatlas.org with “Blueprint Feedback” in the subject line. I will send you the document with full instructions and I’ll even give you a free year of membership for your troubles!

I’ve been tracking the controversial Orphan Works Act of 2008. Today I received a “bill alert” from the Alliance of NY State Arts Organizations that includes some great analysis, which I think comes from Americans for the Arts:

H.R. 5889, the “Orphan Works Act of 2008″ introduced by Representative Howard Berman (D-CA) in the House, and S. 2913, “The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008″ introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), seek to amend the Copyright Act of 1976 by limiting certain liabilities of potential copyright infringers depending on whether a reasonable due diligence search before use is made according to guidelines established for the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) by Congress.

New Copyright Search Criterion and Database Proposal
To achieve this goal, the legislation sets forth rules that govern whether an infringer is either a bad faith user or a good faith user to determine what damages are available to the copyright holder or what liability has been limited to the user. The bills differ slightly on implementation, but rely on similar criterion for qualifying a copyright user for certain liability exemptions:

1. give notice of usage to USCO (House version);
2. conduct a search of USCO certified searchable independent databases for pictorial, graphic and sculptural works administered under agency rules and best practices;
3. and, that these actions were taken before using the work.

The establishment and certification of electronic databases that facilitate searches for pictorial, graphic and sculptural works is a critical development in this legislation. The bills seek to propose certification guidelines in which a database must list the copyrighted work’s authors, contact information, and image or description - all searchable by text or image with the latest advances in security. In addition, the databases must be available to the public through the Internet by 2011 in the Senate, and 2013 in the House, which will serve as effective dates for the new infringement criterion.

Doubts have been raised primarily by the visual arts community that the search criteria will not adequately protect artists that have volumes of images that may or may not be registered in databases that have not yet been constructed by the USCO. The potential for an image or work to get cleared for usage by a system of registries that are privately contracted by USCO rules but whose effectiveness is not proven, would allow damages to be limited for many works that may not be litigated because of the prohibition on legal fees for good faith users. Some in the visual artists see this legislation as shifting the burden of copyright protection to the holder by making their work’s inclusion in the registries as part of the final say on a diligent search.

Meeting these criterions would then qualify as a “good faith search” or “diligent effort,” thereby exempting the copyright user from statutory damages (as much as $150,000 per infringement) and legal fees. A bad faith user who has not met the criterion is still liable for all the available remedies to the copyright holder (statutory and compensatory damages and legal fees) as is current practice.

Natural Right to Copyright and other exemptions
The natural right to copyright is not changed by the proposed legislation. Compensatory damages - the amount that a willing buyer and seller would have agreed to before infringement - are always available to the copyright owner should they later be found. Also, museums (Senate version), archives, nonprofit educational institutions, and public broadcasting receive a specific protection from monetary liability if acting in good faith.

There is also a concern that the legislation allows continued usage of a copyright that is integrated into another original work - one that consists primarily of the infringer’s expressions. The infringer’s new work can be continued if:

1. they made a good faith reasonable search;
2. reasonable compensation is paid to the copyright holder;
3. and attribution is made despite discovery of the copyright holder.

The bills as they are presently constructed may be amended and address some of the issues previously discussed above.

Congressional Action
Markups are currently scheduled for May 7th and 8th in the committees of jurisdiction in the House and Senate, respectively. We will keep the field informed as to what changes may be implemented and the progress of the legislation as further consideration is scheduled. If you have suggestions, comments or concerns regarding this legislation, please contact: Gladstone Payton, Associate Director for Federal Affairs, Americans for the Arts payton@artsusa.org

Report on May 7th House Subcommittee Consideration
On May 7 the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property held a mark up of H.R. 5889, the “Orphan Works Act of 2008.” Markups consist of opening up the bill to a first round of amendments that may be considered in the full committee markup at later consideration. During this markup, Chairman Berman used a manager’s amendment as substitute for the base bill that now mirrors the Senate companion bill S.2913 by adding a provision that limits damages against museums, as well as archives, libraries, public broadcasting and nonprofit educational institutions. The House bill had not included museums in its original form. As well, the manager’s amendment would add that both parties must agree on what constitutes “reasonable compensation.”

Members of the subcommittee each then spoke briefly on the concerns for the bill, but without offering any amendments, deciding that discussion of germane amendments would be better suited for a soon-to-be scheduled briefing for interested stakeholders and then the full committee markup. The briefing will provide another opportunity to submit proposed changes to committee staff in writing.

Many Members voiced concerns but also willingness to work to on the more “controversial” aspects of the proposed legislation. Namely, the minimum standards, best practices, and statutory guidelines that will constitute a reasonable due diligent search were the most talked about topics. The bill’s chief sponsors and committee members acknowledged that more specificity and statutory guidance will be needed before a final bill is reported out for floor consideration. Other topics included further protection for nonprofit institutions and addressing ambiguity on what is commercial use of an orphan work.

If you noticed my recent “Fractured Atlas On the Road” post, you may have seen that I attended Americans for the Arts’ Arts Advocacy Day the other week. I’ve been to this event a few times in the past and, although I do not believe in a big, one-day push for advocacy myself (I’m of the 365/24/7 advocacy state of mind), I think it’s generally good to get everyone in one big room talking about arts advocacy.

The best part about this year’s visit was that I was able to attend the congressional hearing that occurs during Arts Advocacy Day. This is where the congressional appropriations committee meets to hear from Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bob Lynch, Executive Director of Americans for the Arts; and other assorted arts notables, including luminaries like John Legend, Kerry Washington, and Robert Redford, among others. Interestingly enough, I was never inclined to go to this hearing in years past, even when I worked for the NEA. But, this year, I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about.

The following are just some of my “assorted ramblings”:

- Although I may not have agreed with all of Chairman Gioia’s initiatives while I was an employee at the NEA, I have to say that he has indeed done a terrific job in his position. His one big, early initiative — making sure that there was at least one NEA grantee in every American congressional district — has made even the conservatives swoon. With this effort, Gioia has [almost] ended the thoughts of the NEA Four that sometimes linger in the minds of conservative legislators. The NEA’s budget has consistently risen since he’s been chairman. Chairman Gioia has also helped the NEA gain funding from other government agencies, like the Department of Defense (for Shakespeare on military bases — eh). They are also looking into getting funding from (or have already obtained funding from) the Department of Veteran Affairs (I believe for the military literature initiative, Operation Homecoming, which became an Academy Award-nominated documentary) and from the Department of Homeland Security (for what exactly, I’m not sure). And, for all the hits that Shakespeare in American Communities initially took, according to the NEA, the initiative staged regional premieres of some of Shakespeare’s works. Premieres! After 400+ years! Basically, what Chairman Gioia was doing all along was working towards “democratizing” the arts — making it accessible to all Americans, even if some of the actual art (ie, Shakespeare) is somewhat inaccessible (don’t worry, the NEA provides study guides!). As a result of these initiatives and Chairman Gioia’s efforts, and after hearing the reactions from the congressmen on the committee, it seems that most legislators are now in favor of the NEA. Good job, Dana!

- The chairman of the committee, Congressman Norm Dicks, who is a huge arts advocate, asked a question of Chairman Gioia regarding the “arts in every congressional district” initiative. He said that he wanted to make sure that the NEA wasn’t funding organizations that do not deserve funding, simply because they are in a district lacking an NEA grant recipient. Chairman Gioia answered this question very diplomatically, stating that it would be inconceivable for there to be not a single good organization in each district and that, instead of digging to find one, the NEA has had trouble choosing which organizations to fund. I find this hard to believe, but will take Chairman Gioia’s word for it. In the end, Congressman Dicks was basically asking “Is bad art better than no art at all?” The jury is still out on that one, but please feel free to leave comments and discuss.

- Just a thought — to the staunchest of the staunch conservative legislators out there, who still do not believe in the arts in general, I say to them that without the arts, there would be no Christmas pageants, which I’m sure most, if not all, attend annually. As John Legend stated to the committee, his introduction to the arts was most likely as a singing star in the local Christmas pageant. And now he’s racked up multiple Grammy Awards. Speaking of John Legend, I found his background incredible — he skipped two grades, went to the University of Pennsylvania, and was a consultant for Boston Consulting Group, all before laying down his hit singles. He credits the arts for helping build his intelligence and creativity. He also credits the arts for his job at Boston Consulting, who was seeking highly creative professionals at the time.

- Kerry Washington, one of the other celebrities testifying, was a latchkey kid from the Bronx. She credits NEA-sponsored, pay-what-you-can theatrical performances as her introduction to the arts as a child. Now, she’s starring in Academy Award-winning films. Washington made a terrific point — she said we, including Congress, already know about the economic impact of the arts and that discussing this angle has been done to death. Instead, we should be talking about the feel-good moments we’ve had in the arts — our first experiences, etc. Although I realize these touchy-feely moments don’t always play well with legislators — who like to hear about money and votes — personal anecdotes are always good when advocating for the arts, as it makes an emotional connection. However, as Chairman Dicks put it, the government still wants to find out about their return on investment, and the economic impact studies do help.

- Robert Redford took a different stance. “Art can tell the story,” he said, meaning that the arts can be used to connect different areas and issues, ranging from politics to the environment. Just look at some of the latest documentaries, such as An Inconvenient Truth and Sicko. “There’s nothing out there that didn’t start with a creative idea,” said Redford. Then he went on a tirade about his Sundance Institute, which does exceptional work with arts policy as well as with producing art.

- In every speech, I heard people refer to their teachers — and not just their art teachers — as being the ones who got them interested in the arts, or brought out their creative side. I know we’re pushing for arts funding, but I think arts advocates should also consistently push for educational funding as well. If only teachers were paid as well as professional athletes!!

- The NEA has started to push itself into the public eye more and more — NEA logos have to be displayed for all funded projects, Operation Homecoming became a widely published book and a respected documentary, and they have been featured in frequent radio spots. However, I wonder how much of this is just preaching to the choir. People seeing documentaries, going to artistic events, etc. are most likely already going to be in favor of the NEA. What if the NEA really moved itself into the public eye and produced something on MTV, VH1, or even Fox? Wouldn’t it be great to see an NEA logo on one of those 50 dancing shows on the air — or maybe even on something like American Idol? Maybe we can get a Top Artist show going on Bravo? What are your thoughts? Does that diminish the “A great nation deserves great art” motto that the NEA lives by? What if the show was about arts education? Get Yo-Yo Ma to teach a student orchestra, Annie Liebovitz to lead a photography class, Mikhail Barishnikov to choreograph for a young ballet troupe, Steven Spielberg to work with a group of young filmmakers, Patti LaBelle to conduct a school choir (wait, didn’t she do that already??), and have America vote to see which group gets full college scholarships. Would that be any better? (PS: If someone steals my idea, I’m suing!).

- What separates us from the terrorists? Apparently, as stated by Congressman Jim Moran, the arts. He said that studies have shown that while terrorists are highly educated in math and the sciences, they are devoid of any arts education, which would give them much-needed empathy. Interesting.

- Big shout-outs to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and Congressman Chris Shays — two of the biggest arts supporters on the Hill. As Congressman Shays put it, “[The arts are] about as spiritual as going to church and have the same impact.” To show them you support their efforts, donate to their campaigns or send them notes through their respective websites!

Now get out there and advocate!

Hey there Fractured Atlas fans!

Here at Fractured Atlas, we sometimes visit local and regional conferences, arts service organizations, and fairs in New York City and across the country. I thought I’d let you know where we’d be from time to time if you want to drop by and say hello!

Saturday 3/22
Queens Art Connection
Hosts: Queens Council on the Arts, Queens Museum of Art, New York Foundation for the Arts
Place: Queens Museum of Art — Flushing, Queens, NY
Time: 1PM-6:30PM
In Attendance: Alex Gray & Marie Ortiz

Friday 3/28
New York University Boot Camp: Skills to Change the World
**For NYU students only**
Place: NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development — New York, NY
Time: 10:30AM-1:30PM
In Attendance: Dianne Debicella & Adam Natale

Friday 3/28
New York City Celebrates Women in the Arts
**More information & a discount for Fractured Atlas Members can be found by clicking here**
Hosts: Umbrella Arts, A.I.R. Gallery, and The National Women’s History Project
Place: Puck Building — New York, NY
Time: 2PM-8PM
In Attendance: Dianne Debicella & Adam Natale

Sunday 3/30
Managing Director Arwen Lowbridge will be in attendance at an invitation-only panel taking place in Washington, D.C. Look for her blog specifically about this!

Monday 3/31-Tuesday 4/1
Arts Advocacy Day
Host: Americans for the Arts
Place: Capital Hilton & Capitol Hill — Washington, D.C.
In Attendance: Adam Natale
**Please note, there is a reception for emerging arts leaders on Monday 3/31 from 9PM-10:30PM. As I am the head of Americans for the Arts’ Emerging Leader Council, I would love to see Fractured Atlas members and fans there! Anyone, emerging leader or not, can attend. It’s taking place at Mackey’s Public House. Please contact Americans for the Arts for more information.**

Hope to see some of you at these events! Please introduce yourself if you’re in attendance.

A colleague of mine who is currently attending the PolicyLink Summit in New Orleans just sent me a great resource for non-profit organizations who are politically active. A publication of the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network, Nonprofits, Elections, and Voting is

a 15 page guide to permissible, nonpartisan voter participation activities for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. The Guide is specifically tailored to the needs and concerns of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and is updated annually.

I haven’t read the whole thing, but it appears to be chock full of useful, practical guidance on what is and isn’t permitted, both in general and in an election year.

It’s a common misconception that 501(c)(3) charities must remain politically neutral and disengaged at all times. Many of my peers in the field are so afraid of running afoul of the rules that they’re never even willing to state a position on issues that affect their constituencies. This is unfortunate, as it puts a significant artificial limitation on the organization’s ability to carry out its mission. Kudos to the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network for bringing some much needed clarity.