At Foundations on the Hill, an annual event held in March in Washington, D.C., foundations from across the country inform and educate Congress about philanthropy, create visibility for the sector on Capitol Hill, and advocate.

This year's event was especially important because the new Congress will be making decisions about which tax provisions — including simplifying the Foundation Excise Tax, making the IRA Charitable Rollover permanent, and protecting Donor Advised Funds and the Charitable Deduction — will survive the upcoming tax reform process.

This year's Donors Forum delegation included Kate Coughlin, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Crown Family Philanthropies; Joshua Gibb, Executive Director, Galesburg Community Foundation; Jim Parsons, President, The Brinson Foundation; Jodi Pellettiere, Partner, Quarles & Brady, LLP; Mary Pounder, Program Officer, Comer Family Foundation; and Benna Wilde, Program Director, Arts and Culture, Prince Charitable Trusts. Donors Forum staff who attended were Eric Weinheimer, President and CEO; Doug Schenkelberg, Vice President, Strategy and Policy; and Caroline Staerk, Manager, Public Policy.

Here, two of our delegates share their thoughts and reflect on the event.

Mary Pounder, Program Officer, Comer Family Foundation (located in Chicago)

"I stepped onto the airplane, clicked my seat beat, and thought 'what a ride this will be,' as I prepared for my first official visit to meet and advocate with legislators on philanthropic tax policy. Being new to philanthropic tax policy I was nervous; it didn’t help that upon arrival I was handed a name tag with a giant blue ribbon that stated 'First Time Attendee' (that I discretely removed).

In preparation of our Foundations on the Hill meetings, Donors Forum had provided us with talking points covering areas we were most concerned about. I quickly became at ease after our first visit with Senator Mark Kirk’s staff. Our tag-team approach in each meeting worked well, as each foundation leader stepped up as expert on their subject — providing real examples of how each proposed law change would impact foundation giving, and in turn, impact our communities. The simple art of storytelling, what each of us sees day to day in our communities, was the lynchpin to our success. It was how we turned 'tax reform' into 'real people at home.'

I was proud to see nonprofits — both from Chicago and those national in scope — in action, working with our legislators. We were all in D.C. advocating for the people we care about back at home.    

The relationships established with legislators and their staff were invaluable. With continued follow up locally, I will strive to become a trusted source for examples to help them made the best decisions for our communities. Those in our delegation were fighting for the coveted status to be remembered as 'the best tour of a nonprofit ever,' where we can help highlight the work of nonprofits at home."

Joshua Gibb, Executive Director, Galesburg Community Foundation (located in Galesburg)

"I have been participating in Foundations on the Hill for the past four years, and one major takeaway from my visit is the importance of cultivating and developing relationships with our elected officials.  

Not every foundation has the budget to travel to D.C. regularly; but that is okay because we, as delegates, can tell their story for them. I would argue that success starts at home. You see, I think our job is to make what we do for nonprofits relevant to our elected officials. The trip to D.C is important and I am glad we have the budget to allow me to attend Foundations on the Hill, but the relationships we can develop in-District is critical to the understanding of the way policy affects the work we all do.

A great way to start has been taking our elected officials on tours of nonprofits, similar to grantee site visits. Congresswoman Cheri Bustos was invited to join us for a tour of our nonprofit grantees. Those tours ended with a discussion with heads of nonprofits who fight food insecurity. That started a fabulous relationship which now lets us call her about our issues and her interest and understanding are high.  Doing this builds the relationship and illustrates which organizations are making a difference in the district, who our partners are, and why our problem solving matters. The lesson is: Whether you make your presence known locally or nationally -– just make it known!

It also demonstrates how 'wonky' policy can potentially limit or expand foundation and nonprofit work. The more we can paint a picture and share stories when we visit legislators, the more impact we have.

While we were in D.C., I shared a story about a local retirees who expanded their original $10,000 donation in 2013 after they realized that they could maximize their giving through the IRA Charitable Rollover. The donor was not able to do that in 2014 because this is not a permanent tax provision and has to be renewed annually by Congress. Because Congress didn’t vote unti late December to extend the provision, the dollars didn’t go back into the community as the donor couldn’t effectively plan."

Leverage your Donors Forum Membership by helping us make connections with relevant elected officials and staff. We are also happy to share your stories — for instance, how simplifying the foundation excise tax would positively affect your foundation or work with you to get up to speed on the latest tax policies.

— Caroline Staerk, Public Policy Manager, [email protected]