As the 2008 election nears, one topic of warning is becoming all the rage, nonprofits that use the campaign season to bring attention to their issues, such as education or healthcare. As the Chronicle of Philanthropy notes, "Nonprofit organizations are stepping up their political activity and becoming more aggressive lobbyists as the presidential primaries draw near, though they must be careful to follow the complex laws governing their tax-exempt status." A Time magazine article highlights many nonprofits that are doing great work to promote the needs of the nonprofit sector to candidates. We have noted here before foundations that are becoming more involved with independent campaigns that seek candidates' stance on issues, and investing in new advocacy campaigns to accomplish its policy goals. The example of Ed in '08 and many others are mentioned in the Times article. The routine question arises, how involved should charities get in politics. However, "[Robert] Egger says bring it on. 'Nonprofits have for too long been complacent to let others tell us what we can and can't do." Egger is not the only nonprofit leader using next year's early primaries to thrust his agenda into the national spotlight. Bill Gates, whose foundation is the world's largest philanthropy, last month called on presidential contenders to commit to expanding the President's Malaria Initiative, a $1.2 billion effort started by President Bush in 2005 to cut malaria deaths by 50% in 15 African nations. Naturally the promising work of these foundations and charities detailed in the article had to paired with the warning; "Egger and his comrades are walking a tightrope." One very impressive example of nonprofits using the election to raise political awareness of the sector is the Primary Project. This time around, New Hampshire nonprofit leaders are learning the art of bird-dogging. One, Cynthia Mills, CEO of the Manchester-based Tree Care Industry Association, has met 11 candidates at house parties and town hall meetings, peppering them with questions on how they envision a future partnership with the nonprofit sector. The Nonprofit Primary Project hopes to meet with all the presidential hopefuls one-on-one before the January primary