Democracy North Carolina works with many nonprofits whose interests intersect with our own. Some of our partners include national or statewide organizations such as the AARP, Common Cause, NC Council of Churches, NAACP, Generation Engage, NC Women United, NC Voters for Clean Elections, League of Women Voters and NC Lobby Reform Coalition.

 

We also partner with nonprofits that focus their activities on local communities. All of these partners share Democracy NC’s commitment to increased voter participation and a desire to implement reforms in North Carolina that will bring us closer to a truly representative democracy, open to all.

 

When we work with other nonprofits, our activities can include:

• Grassroots Organizing: Our field organizers help educate and mobilize members of our partner groups, “train the trainers” and provide technical assistance for local issue education campaigns, voter registration and turnout efforts.
• Advocacy Outreach: Democracy NC staff members speak to dozens of organizations every year about pro-democracy issues. We provide flyers and research reports and help connect organizations that advocate for pro-democracy issues, like those on our legislative Democracy Agenda.
• Coalition Building: We often connect local groups with one another as well as with national and statewide partners, uniting these organizations to work around shared goals. We provide administrative and organizational support so coalition members can concentrate on taking action.
• Leadership Development:  We help our partner groups develop new civic leaders through on-site training, workshops, and initiatives like our popular Democracy Summer program for young adults. In fact, some of our nonprofit partners value Democracy Summer so highly, they sponsor program internships. If your organization is interested in sponsoring an intern, please call Molly Beacham at 919-286-6000 or email her at mollybeacham@democracy-nc.org.
• Issues Education: We provide a regular flow of information to our email newsletter participants and Democracy Advocates on developments that affect our goals. Sign up for our email newsletter here.

 

We also offer a library of materials on key issues that groups can use to inform their members, including:

1. Our Voter Registration Guide.
2. A Voter's Bill of Rights.
3. A brochure on voting rights featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes.
4. Felon re-enfranchisement brochures that outline the voting rights of former felons and misdemeanants in North Carolina. 
5. Public Campaign Fund check-off reminder inserts for member mailings, meetings, and community distribution.
6. Research reports on a variety of topics that may affect the ability of nonprofit groups to be heard by their government representatives. Please visit our Research Library for a list of available research reports.

 

An Intersection of Interests

Sometimes the link between Democracy NC and nonprofit organizations is not always obvious. For example, we work with many conservation groups because they understand that the key to eliminating the influence of wealthy special interests on state environmental legislation is to reduce the dependency of politicians on the political money of those special interests – and Democracy NC’s focus on public campaign financing takes a huge step in that direction. We also work with organizations that represent the LGBT community and other underrepresented sectors of North Carolina’s population because we believe that all Americans have the right to take part in our government.

 

When It’s Time for GOTV

There are several things nonprofit groups can do when election time rolls around to promote voter participation:

1. Register new voters: You can start by downloading our Voter Registration Guide, which provides advice on conducting a successful drive. You can also obtain voter registration forms and instructions from your local board of elections or call us at 919-286-6000 for more information. Remember that all forms must be postmarked or turned into the Board of Elections at least 25 days before the election. After that deadline has passed, you can still encourage new voter registrations by steering people toward Same Day Registration & Voting during the Early Voting period. And if you are affiliated with a nonprofit subject to 501(c)(3) regulations, there is an excellent on-line voter registration resource you can visit for  guidance on permissible voter registration activities and ideas for conducting successful drives: http://www.nonprofitvote.org/.
2. Join a local Get-Out-the-Vote coalition and help other nonprofit groups in your area register and motivate voters to go to the polls. Democracy NC coalitions are active in such areas as Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Salisbury, Wilson and Winston-Salem. We may be able to connect you to others in your area.
3. Ask your members to fill out and return commitment cards, which are simply signed pledges to vote. You can download a sheet with several commitment cards, which you can then reproduce. These cards also serve as contact forms: Your volunteers can call the card signers and remind them to vote.
4. Stay updated on Democracy NC’s activities and action alerts in case you see one that your organization would like to take part in. Email us at info@democracy-nc.org to join our email list and learn of volunteer opportunities.