Q I’m a volunteer board member of a nonprofit agency, and the state has run out of money to fund our rape crisis center. We are trying to figure out if we can get involved in a campaign to convince the Governor to find the money elsewhere or submit a supplemental budget to the Legislature. Our lawyer warned us that if we, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, got involved in any lobbying we could lose our nonprofit status and all of our funding from foundations and individual contributors.
A. Find another lawyer or accountant who has read and understands the IRS regulations governing public charities. Your 501(c)3 organization is a public charity. The IRS regulations do impose limitations on lobbying, but do not forbid it. Take a good look at the Alliance for Justice at www.allianceforjustice.org/nonprofit. Their materials spell out very clearly the limitations on how much of a non-profit’s budget (staff time and material resources) may be spent on lobbying activities. Meanwhile, please know that as a volunteer board member you can do all the lobbying you want as long as you avoid threats of bodily harm and bribes.
Who is Hecate?
Hecate is a Greek Goddess who served as a guide and coach at the crossroads of Hades, where after crossing the River Styx, Greek souls found themselves facing three choices: the Elysian Fields, abode of the great and heroic; the Fields of Asphodel, for all who had led a blameless but ordinary life; or to Tartarus, a sunless land of punishment for criminals.
Hecate's best known role in Greek mythology was guiding Persephone, the goddess of spring, on her annual journeys between Hades and Earth. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hecate is portrayed as a nurturing and protective guide for Persephone on those annual journeys.
