November 21, 2011 - A recent birddogging discovery is that Governor Perry's proposed plan for a 20% flat tax rate would maintain the itemized charitable deduction. At a recent campaign stop event, the Governor pulled out from his pocket an example of what an IRS tax filing form would look like.  Michelline Dufort, the Center's Advocacy Director, was on hand in the Center's continuing birddogging efforts.  By being present, Dufort was able to directly ask the governor if there was a line to deduct charitable contributions.  "Yes Ma’am,", the Governor replied, "right there near the mortgage deduction line."

November 21, 2011 - “Clarity and confidence,” presidential candidate Herman Cain told an audience "is how he would rule by as Commander in Chief." The candidate stressed that is how he would approach domestic and foreign policy. When asked about his knowledge of nonprofits, the candidate stressed his alliance to his church, and the importance of faith.

November 3, 2011 - At a recent Candidate Café event, Josh Robinson of Checkmate Payroll (a member of the NH Center for Nonprofits) asked Republican Presidential Candidate Jon Huntsman about his stand on current conservative ideologies that would eliminate or reduce the role of government for certain entitlement programs. Josh further asked Huntsman, "How would you ensure that our society does not suffer as a result of decreasing the government’s role in protecting and ensuring the quality of life for women, families and their children, for the disabled and for those who hope someday to retire?"

The former Utah Governor put a lot of emphasis on states’ rights in his answer and stated that the "local communities know best how to help those who are disenfranchised." He stressed how the role of the federal government should be to provide the states with resources to meet the needs of those who at no fault of their own are unable to make ends meet and enjoy some quality of life, and that it should be up to each state to determine where and how those resources are best utilized.

October 21, 2011 - When asked how he would partner with the nonprofit sector if elected President, republican candidate for president, and former Utah Governor, Jon Huntsman remarked “As Governor, whenever cuts were made that would affect the people of Utah at the most fundamental level, I had a top advisor who would bring to vision the faces of the people that would be affected to me before any decisions were made.” Michelline Dufort , The Center’s Advocacy Director who asked the question during a recent candidate Hall meeting in Marlow adds, “Governor Huntsman pointed out that by that having someone with expertise on the nonprofit sector as a resource, he was able to find the balance of information needed.

Dufort and other nonprofit leaders are fanning out across NH to talk with Presidential Candidates about the Nonprofit Sector to help raise awareness of the vital importance of the sector and explore the candidates’ views on several issues which will impact the sector as part of the Nonprofit Candidates Education Project.

October 14, 2011 - Presidential candidate Rick Santorum, the former Senator of Pennsylvania, was recently hosted by the NH House Business Coalition and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. Michelline Dufort, the Center’s Advocacy Director, was able to speak with the Senator briefly before he addressed the crowd. “The Senator has called himself a ‘Compassionate Conservative’ and I asked him to elaborate on his experience both as a citizen and an elected official with the nonprofit sector.” The former Senator replied that he was a prime sponsor of the 2003 CARE Act (Charity Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment Act) which provided incentives for charitable contributions. “I was able to use that as a jump off point to voice concern over the current threat to the charitable contributions tax incentive”, says Dufort, “There is simply no lack of opportunity to bring up the charitable deduction in conversation with these candidates.”

October 7, 2011 - Monica Zulauf, the Executive Director of the NH YWCA, and active participant in the Nonprofit Primary Project spent time with Governor Jon Huntsman at a recent house party in the seacoast. Zulauf notes that "As with all of the candidates whom I encounter, I asked Governor Huntsman what role he feels that government should play in supporting our non-profits and our most vulnerable citizens." While Huntsman did not elaborate on the issue of the role of government, he did share his awareness of the role a nonprofit can play in a family’s life, noting that his family has long been connected with the YWCA in Utah; in fact a shelter in the state is named after his grandmother.

October 7, 2011 - At the recent Town Hall meeting in Salem, presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke on subjects ranging from foreign policy, illegal immigration and the creation of jobs. Responding to a question regarding essential social service programs, Governor Romney declared, "We need to protect the safety net." He further stated that he believes, however, that government does need to "reform its many systems that create undue costs to the American people and bureaucracy that stalls productivity."

October 7, 2011 - During a recent NH Politics & Eggs candidate event, hosted at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, The Center’s Advocacy Director, Michelline Dufort, urged former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich to seriously consider the impact of services to people and communities when deliberating over cuts to government programs which nonprofit implement.

"Since a portion of Speaker Gingrich’s speech directly addressed cuts to government programs, it was the perfect opportunity for me to bring the nonprofit sector’s vital role into a discussion with Speaker Gingrich," explains Dufort.

September 13, 2011 - Michelline Dufort, advocacy director for the NH Center for Nonprofits, participated recently  in the WMUR  Channel 9 discussion session with Presidential Candidate, Governor Jon Huntsman of Utah and questioned him on the proposal for Tax Code Reform. Dufort pointed out how essential  itemized charitable tax deductions were to the nonprofit sector.

"I was fortunate to be able to seize the opportunity to educate not only Governor Huntsman about  nonprofits and the threat to the itemized tax deduction but all of the audience.  The loss of the tax deduction would drastically impact nonprofit services, jobs and life in every community . This is why taking part in these events is so important," states Dufort.
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August 15, 2011 - New Hampshire Institute of Politics and WMUR-TV, with partner AARP, continue the “Conversation with the Candidates” tapings with Presidential Primary candidates Governor Tim Pawlenty, Ambassador Jon Huntsman, U.S. Rep Thaddeus McCotter.
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