The power to advocate for Wisconsin libraries

This toolkit gives you the words and ideas you need to empower your staff, board, and community to advocate for Wisconsin libraries. It's a dynamic website, so check back for updates. On this page you'll find:

• weekly actions
• key talking points
• social media and communication resource hub
• examples from libraries and systems

Everything on this page is here for you to use. You have the power to advocate for our libraries.

Click on the information to see full text and image, and links to images.

Your library probably receives public funding from your municipality, the state, and the federal government. Organizations receiving tax dollars may not engage in partisan political activity of any kind, so libraries need to be extremely careful when discussing specific ballot measures or candidates.  

Your Friends of the Library group is probably organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. These organizations are also prohibited from directly or indirectly engaging in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate, making public statements for or against a candidate, or making contributions to political campaign funds. Any organization that does so risks the revocation of their tax-exempt status. Friends groups should be aware of this when assisting with any ballot measures or elections related to the library.  

You can:

• participate in activities like voter education, voter registration, and get-out-the-vote drives as long as they are conducted in a non-partisan manner; 
• educate the public about library issues, and the impact they will have on them and their library;
• encourage people to vote (but you cannot tell people how to vote);
• encourage people to contact their elected officials (but not tell them what to say).

For more general information about nonprofit advocacy, the National Council of Nonprofits put together an updated and thorough page related to the the impact of executive orders on nonprofits.