Mission & Message: Clarity in Advocacy

Learn how to advocate effectively while staying true to your mission.

This webinar covers the importance of the Johnson Amendment in maintaining nonprofit integrity and nonpartisanship and offers practical messaging strategies and tools to communicate with clarity and impact. Gain insights on advocating while remaining nonpartisan, crafting compelling narratives, using digital platforms, and building trust through authentic engagement.

Participants will learn why the Johnson Amendment, a longstanding provision in the U.S. tax code remains vital for protecting nonprofit integrity, nonpartisanship, and public trust by ensuring organizations stay nonpartisan. We’ll discuss current legal challenges, potential implications for the sector, and practical steps your organization can take to uphold its mission while engaging in advocacy responsibly.

The session will also equip you with practical approaches and tools to strengthen your communication. From building compelling narratives that resonate with your audience to leveraging digital platforms and visual storytelling, you’ll gain actionable tips to amplify your voice without compromising your values.

Topics include:

• Crafting concise, values-based messages that inspire action
• Using storytelling and data effectively
• Selecting the right tools for advocacy campaigns
• Building trust through authentic engagement and listening practices

Sarah Owsley is a people lover from Kansas City, MO. She is passionate about ending poverty, and knows that the Missouri state legislature must do more to ease the experience of our neighbors who struggle to meet their basic needs. That can’t happen without lawmakers hearing from the people who know the most about struggle. She spends her day as Empower Missouri’s Advocacy Director providing individual advocates and direct service staff with the training they need to practice legislative advocacy, share their stories, and plan strategies for systems change. She earned degrees from Avila University and the University of Kansas.

Tiffany Gourley Carter is the Public Policy Director and Counsel at the National Council of Nonprofits and works to advance the public policy priorities for the nation’s largest network of nonprofits. She is a national thought leader on issues impacting nonprofit advocacy, policy, and sector sustainability. Working in all three levels of government and all three branches of government, she tracks and spots trends of policy threats and opportunities for nonprofits. Tiffany covers a broad range of issue areas, including taxation, budget and spending, employment, government grants and contracts, advocacy rights, and regulations.

Prior to joining the Council of Nonprofits in 2016, Tiffany worked with a state association of nonprofits at the Hawai`i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations, nonprofit law enforcement at the Hawai`i Office of the Attorney General, and policymaking in the Hawai`i State Legislature as a Legislative Attorney. A native of small-town Western Pennsylvania, she earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Colorado and her law degree at the University of Hawai`i, receiving the CALI Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Organizations. She is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

In her free time, Tiffany loves surfing, skiing, traveling the world, and chasing after adventure. She serves on the Leadership Council of Nonprofit Vote and the Board of Directors of Impact Fund.

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