The views reported on in the Nov. 15 story regarding the Johnson Amendment miss the existential concern among charitable nonprofits about the possibility of having partisan politics thrust upon us.

Habitat for Humanity-Spokane believes that nonpartisanship is vital to the work we do in addition to the work of the charitable community as a whole. This should not be viewed as a restriction of what we can or cannot do, but as a fundamental asset that protects nonprofits from political influence. This ensures transparency, and that all money donated to Habitat and other 501(c)(3) organizations will not be used for partisan purposes. It’s crucial to ensuring the trust and confidence of the communities we serve.

As an ecumenical Christian ministry, we live our values everyday by serving as a safe space for people to come together as one with a common purpose of improving the lives of those in our community and around the world through affordable, decent housing. Habitat encourages you to reach out to your representative and senators to let them know that you stand with nonprofits and want to keep them nonpartisan by retaining the Johnson Amendment.

Michelle M. Girardot, CEO, Habitat for Humanity

Spokane