Skip to content
The Philanthropist Journal
The Philanthropist Journal Subscribe
The Philanthropist Journal
Search Subscribe

News and Analysis for the Non-Profit Sector

  • Analysis
  • Philanthropy and Funding
  • Public Policy
  • Personalities & Interviews
  • All Articles
The Philanthropist Journal

    About

    About

  • General Info
  • History
  • People
  • Contact
Search Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

    Issues & Sectors

  • Arts and Culture
  • Civic Engagement
  • Community Development
  • Decolonization and Reconciliation
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Economy and Workforce
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Human Rights
  • Immigration and Settlement
  • International Development
  • Poverty
  • Youth

    Sections

  • Analysis
  • Announcements
  • Book Reviews
  • Case Studies & Guides
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Personalities & Interviews

    Series

  • Arctic Inspiration Prize
  • Arts and Culture
  • Charity Law Reform
  • COVID-19
  • Mission Transition
  • Narrative Change
  • Policy Advocacy
  • Policy Matters
  • Reimagining Philanthropy in Canada
  • Rethinking Philanthropy
  • Work in Progress

    Topics

  • Accounting
  • Collaboration
  • Communications
  • Governance
  • Human Resources
  • Leadership
  • Legal and Regulatory
  • Organizational Development
  • Outcomes and Impact
  • Philanthropy and Funding
  • Public Policy
  • Social Finance
  • Social Innovation

    For Contributors

    Contribute to the Journal

  • Contributors’ guidelines

    Legal

  • Our values
  • Accessibility statement
  • Privacy statement
  • Republishing guidelines
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
Opinion

Let’s not conflate advocacy and political activities

Martha Rans, a lawyer who specializes in the legal needs of non-profits and charities, objects to the word “lobbying” to describe the sector’s advocacy. “We are not advocating for our own bottom line,” she says. “We are advocating for the public benefit.”

Published November 30, 2021

Written by

Martha Rans Martha Rans is a lawyer who for almost 40 years has worked with and for non-profits and charities in Ontario, BC, and Zimbabwe. In 2022, the charity she founded, the Pacific Legal Education and Outreach Society, will launch a pilot legal clinic, Pacific Legal Outreach, dedicated to the non-profit sector.

Share Twitter Facebook Linkedin Email

Sections Opinions

Issues & Sectors Civic Engagement

Topics Legal and Regulatory

ISSN 2562-1491

Original Link https://thephilanthropist.ca/2021/11/lets-not-conflate-advocacy-and-political-activities/

Download Choose Print or Save to PDF in the print dialogue and turn off “Header and Footers”

Read more

Case Studies & Guides

Maison Mère : Accelérateur d’initiatives citoyennes

People picnicking in the field behind Maison Mère

Case Studies & Guides

Solon: Citizen-led action for mobility, energy, and ‘third places’

People gathering outdoors on a sunny day talking..

Case Studies & Guides

Solon : L’action citoyenne autour de la mobilité, de l’énergie, et des tiers-lieux

People gathering outdoors on a sunny day talking..
Explore More Articles

Martha Rans, a lawyer who specializes in the legal needs of non-profits and charities, objects to the word “lobbying” to describe the sector’s advocacy. “We are not advocating for our own bottom line,” she says. “We are advocating for the public benefit.”


I completely agree with John Lorinc’s point, in his February 2021 column, that the last federal budget is likely a groundbreaking moment for the non-profit sector. He is quite right to point out that the non-profit sector should be front and centre in the budget. We need a funded home for the sector federally, and we need one in every province. BC has begun this process with the appointment of Nikki Sharma as Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits. (We look forward to the day when such a position comes with a budgetary allocation to support the capacity of the non-profit sector.)

However, I think other factors have a critical role to play in the platforming of the non-profit sector. Yes, the “political purposes” issue for charities has been a disincentive for some groups. But charities represent only part of the broader non-profit sector. In BC, for example, there are now 30,000 non-profits. It’s fair to say that every citizen of the province is affected by the work of the non-profit sector. By extension, every citizen in Canada has been affected by the non-profit sector. We are the grassroots organizers in local communities, working in the public interest.

We are not advocating for policies for our own bottom line. Rather, we are advocating for the public benefit.

Most non-profits that I work with are not charities and pay little attention to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). They are too busy doing public interest work. In many areas, members of the non-profit sector are the experts on day-to-day issues, from child- and after-school care to housing and hospice care. We take care of people from the cradle to the grave. Our working reality, however, is that we are stretched thin, limited in many cases to spending only 10% of our budget on “administration” funds that barely keep the doors open. The pandemic has only made that worse. So when we do participate in advocacy, it is difficult to do so on a sustained basis. To be required to register as lobbyists undermines our ability to continue to do this work.

Advocating for our work is not lobbying as you, and many others, appear to be using the term. We are not advocating for policies for our own bottom line. Rather, we are advocating for the public benefit. Charities have already been found to be operating for the public benefit. However, the government does not recognize that what most of us do when we advocate is work to benefit others, not ourselves. (Here is more analysis on the difference between public benefit and member benefit.) Non-profit sector advocacy builds awareness and provides vital information to governments about our work. Calling what we do “lobbying” changes the public’s perception of our work and, for those who fear repercussions as a consequence of registering as lobbyists, denies government the chance to learn from these very important voices.

Applying the word ‘lobbying’ to a sector that puts the ‘public’ in public policy is simply wrong.

For this reason, in BC, a number of us have been actively seeking a review of the requirements of the BC Lobbyists Transparency Act, and ultimately, I hope, an exemption from it so that non-profits and charities can get on with our work without the added burden and chilling effects of registration. We are not the same as companies lobbying to increase dividends to shareholders. Applying the word “lobbying” to a sector that puts the “public” in public policy is simply wrong. Civil society – another term for the non-profit sector – upholds democracy.

The media has a critical role to play in supporting the sector. Lorinc’s article describes the Canadian Federation of Independent Business as an “organization … not afraid of being strident, getting its spokespeople in front of the media, and making sure it can mobilize its members. CFIB spokespeople are stingy with their praise for governments; they know how to keep the pot boiling.”

So, too, does the non-profit sector. However, the coverage by the media of us is almost uniformly focused on the likes of WE Charity. It was the media that slathered its focus on WE when they were pretty (celebrities!) – and so too when they fell into disrepute. They do not reflect the reality of most non-profits. We are unseen and largely unheard by much of the media.

Read more

Case Studies & Guides

Maison Mère : Accelérateur d’initiatives citoyennes

People picnicking in the field behind Maison Mère

Case Studies & Guides

Solon: Citizen-led action for mobility, energy, and ‘third places’

People gathering outdoors on a sunny day talking..

Case Studies & Guides

Solon : L’action citoyenne autour de la mobilité, de l’énergie, et des tiers-lieux

People gathering outdoors on a sunny day talking..
Explore More Articles

Subscribe

Weekly news & analysis

Staying current on the Canadian non-profit sector has never been easier

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Share Twitter Facebook Linkedin Email

Sections Opinions

Issues & Sectors Civic Engagement

Topics Legal and Regulatory

Explore More Articles

Analysis

Investment powers for charities in Canada

Terrance S. Carter and Kate Lazier and Lynne Westerhof

Analysis

Consistently inconsistent: Unincorporated associations owning real property in Canada

Ryan Prendergast

Analysis

New pathway to partnership opens with CRA draft guidance on qualifying disbursements

Tim Harper

A collage of two photos. On the left is a person in front of a table of cooked dishes outside. On the right is someone holding freshing picked radishes or turnips in a field and smiling.

Opinions

Systemic Islamophobia by the CRA that targets the heart of the community is the worst kind of all

Memona Hossain

Abstract, overlapping head profiles pattern.

Most Popular

Analysis

Volunteerism: In crisis or at a crossroads?

Yvonne Rodney

Illustration of two hands above and below an open door.

Analysis

Building the charitable sector’s policy muscle

Tim Harper

Illustration of four people in different colours. One is in a wheelchair and holding a striped flag. Another is standing with their hands on their hips. Two are facing each other and one is holding a clipboard.

Opinions

Building authentic, non-oppressive relationships with grantees: An invitation for funders

Tanya Rumble and Nicole McVan

Vibrant abstract alcohol ink painting in cheerful pink, teal, white and yellow colours.

Opinions

Gender-based philanthropy: Where did we go wrong?

Nicola Hives

    About

    About

  • General Info
  • History
  • People
  • Contact

    For Contributors

    Contribute to the Journal

  • Contributors’ guidelines

Get Weekly Email Newsletters

News and analysis by and for the Canadian non-profit sector directly in your inbox

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

© Copyright 2023 The Philanthropist Journal. All rights reserved.

    Legal

  • Our values
  • Accessibility statement
  • Privacy statement
  • Republishing guidelines
The Philanthropist Journal.