Should Nonprofits Care About Whether Their Beneficiaries Vote?

Should Nonprofits Care About Whether Their Beneficiaries Vote?

Your social services nonprofit’s mission statement may not expressly include engaging beneficiaries in exercising their political rights. Perhaps this is a result of the misinformed belief t that I noted a few posts ago – that 501(c)(3) charities should avoid any involvement in political activities.

I urge you to reconsider. The beneficiaries of social services nonprofits, including the poor, minorities, and other disadvantaged groups, are those potential voters most often excluded from our political process. That needs to change, and nonprofits should be a vehicle for driving that change.

The statistics about voting behaviors of different groups are compelling:

• In the 2020 presidential election, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 81% of citizens with family incomes of $100,000 or more voted, compared to only 63% of those with family incomes between $30,000 and $39,999.
• In the same election, 74% of individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher voted, compared to 51% of those with a high school diploma or GED, 35% with only some high school but no diploma, and 21% with less than 9th grade education.
• The same data shows that 76% of citizens aged 65 and older voted in the 2020 election, compared to 51% of those aged 18-29.
• In the 2020 election, 70% of non-Hispanic Whites voted compared to 59% of Blacks, 43% of Asians, and 39% of Hispanics.
• “City voters across the country vote at rates about 5 to 15 percent lower than their surrounding suburbs”, and
• Disabled voters “were roughly 7 percentage points less likely than nondisabled people to participate in the” 2020 vote.

Under-participation in elections correlates with seeking nonprofit support:

• Many social service recipients are from low-income households, often below the poverty line.
• Lower educational attainment is linked with higher dependency on social services, as those without a high school diploma are more likely to be unemployed and need assistance.
• Many social service programs, such as those addressing homelessness and unemployment, particularly target young adults, who are more likely to experience economic instability.
• Reports from organizations like the Urban Institute highlight that racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately rely on social services due to systemic inequalities in education, employment, and healthcare.
• Many nonprofits operate in urban areas to address the higher concentration of poverty and need, serving populations that often face additional barriers to voting.
• The National Disability Institute reports that individuals with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty and rely on social services.

These correlations should come as no surprise. Social service nonprofit beneficiaries are often under substantial stress, sometimes carrying two or more jobs. It is challenging to take the time to vote. They often perceive themselves as the repeat losers in our communities. It is hard to get motivated to cast a ballot when most politics is done to you, rather than by you. Nonprofit participants may not understand the issues being addressed in the political process, and unfortunately, they almost never have a chance to set the agenda. They often feel hopeless, and hopeless people don’t vote.

Given this context, does it surprise anyone that most politics engage higher-income people protecting their own, higher-income lifestyles and interests? If public policy in the United States is going to shift to address the needs of those who are less fortunate, those who are less fortunate will need to become more involved.

If we take this point to heart, it puts new strategies on the table: changing mission statements, voter registration drives, beneficiary education about voting, community education initiatives, and even fundraising off the election cycle to raise public awareness of the stakes of an election on one’s nonprofit and its beneficiaries. Our next few posts will address those issues.

Risk Alternatives provides training and support for organizations that want to improve their resilience, sustainability, and growth. For more information, email info@riskalts.com or call 608-709-0793.