Advocacy Agenda

Each year, in consultation with Together SC's Advocacy Allies peer network and its leadership team, Together SC's board of directors reviews and adopts an Advocacy Agenda. Issues are separated in to areas where Together SC will lead, support, and monitor - helping Together SC allocate appropriate resources behind various issues based on its impact to the sector.

As South Carolina’s only statewide nonprofit membership organization, Together SC supports the nonprofits within the state through a variety of program offerings, including advocacy. Together SC’s Board of Directors has approved a Public Policy & Advocacy Policy (Policy 4.A.3), giving the organization the ability and charge to conduct advocacy.

Furthermore, the Together SC Board of Directors has also approved a set of Advocacy Principles which provide a clear and concise metric to guide on what issues Together SC will advocate for, or against. Those principles are as follows: 

1. Whole Sector Impact - Does the legislative issue have the potential to impact the entire nonprofit or charitable industry, either uniquely as a sector, or collectively as a member of the business community at-large?

2. Charitable Status / Tax Impact - Does the legislative issue have the potential to alter existing tax codes, reporting requirements, or other related filings specific to the charitable sector?

3. Equity & Social Justice - Does the legislative issue have the potential to strengthen or impede nonprofit organizations’ ability to advance equity and breakdown systems of racial and social injustice within their community? Does it help strengthen, or does it weaken, their ability to operate and /or deliver services equitably within their community?

4. Democratic Processes - Does the legislative issue have the potential to impact a nonprofit’s ability to navigate, or participate in, election law or related matters?

5. Together SC Impact - Does the legislative issue have the potential to impact Together SC’s specific and unique operations?

^{(TOGETHER SC BOARD REVISED AND ADOPTED FEBRUARY 2025)}

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Advocacy Agenda Structure

This Advocacy Agenda is broken into three categories: Monitor, Support, and Lead. Every legislative issue will fall into one of those three categories, each of which relates to the level of resources Together SC plans to, or is willing to, commit towards the issue. While there will be a large number of issues being “monitored”, they will not require many resources from Together SC. Conversely, “lead” issues will require the most amount of resources, but will be limited in the number of issues in that category. 

These issues have the potential to impact the field, but may not provide sweeping changes to the entire sector. These issues may impact sub-sectors of Together SC’s membership, may not have a strong likelihood of being adopted by lawmakers, or may simply be of interest to Together SC. These issues would not require a significant amount of resources.

For this category, Together SC would consider the following actions:

• Track Legislation

• Alert Impacted Together SC Members

• Include Issue Status in Full Legislative Updates

• Include Issues Submitted by Advocacy Allies Network

These issues could have a material impact on the field and fit within the Advocacy Principles, but either another organization is taking the lead on advocacy around any related legislation, or they could also be issues which Together SC sees as vital to provide resources to, but the issue has not yet become a fully-formed legislative issue.

For this category, Together SC would consider the following actions:

• All “Monitoring” Actions

• Work with “Lead” Organization

• Offer Letters of Support

• Connect “Lead” Organization to Together SC Members

• Issue Action Alerts to Together SC Members from “Lead” Organization

• Highlight the Issue with Digital Content (newsletter, blog, webinar, etc)

On issues of great importance, and where there is a justification for use of a large amount of resources, Together SC can choose to lead the advocacy effort around an issue or legislation. For this category, Together SC leads in every aspect of advocacy, and asks its members to also consider using their resources to assist in the advocacy effort.

For this category, Together SC would consider the following actions:

• All “Monitoring” and “Support” Actions

• Ask All Together SC Members to Take Action

• Contact and Work with Legislators

• Implement Targeted and Grassroots Advocacy Strategies

• Commit to Full Marketing Push

• Draft and/or Advise Legislative Language

• Commit Considerable Staff Time

• Hire a Lobbyist

All issues have the potential to move along the spectrum of categories as legislative trends and priorities emerge and change. New issues may also emerge. Together SC’s staff will maintain this agenda and the issues listed herein. Inclusion in the Agenda does not necessarily commit Together SC to taking action. This Agenda, rather, is a forecast statement, laying out on which fronts Together SC is monitoring for legislative momentum, and where the organization is willing to take action when necessary, and to what degree it will take such action.