Articles
A new book, Seen but not Heard: Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy, paints a clear picture of just how frequently nonprofits actively engage in public policy. In addition to documenting the frequency of nonprofit advocacy, Seen but not Heard also provides a detailed analysis of the current barriers and incentives for nonprofits engaging in various types of policy activities. Co-authored by OMB Watch's Gary D. Bass and Kay Guinane, along with David Arons and Matthew Carter, assisted by Susan Rees, Seen but not Heard offers several recommendations on how the nonprofit sector can increase its participation in public policy and specific recommendations for staff within nonprofits to strengthen advocacy. With a comprehensive justification for nonprofit advocacy, Seen but not Heard inspires readers to move from contemplation to action. Read More
Are you ready to engage in public policy or take on a large scale advocacy campaign? The National Council of Nonprofit Associations' (NCNA) toolkit for building advocacy capacity reveals the key factors you'll need to engage in public policy. NCNA's toolkit summarizes the lessons learned by various state associations so that nonprofits can gain better insight on how to spend their time, efforts and resources to maximize results and minimize failure. Read More
Advocacy trainer extraordinaire Nancy Amidei has advice for public employees that want to be involved in advocacy and lobbying campaigns, including five ways to participate and cautions about when and when not to speak up. See more.... Read More
Nonprofits that are primarily dedicated to service delivery but also engage in advocacy often face the challenge of organizing populations unaccustomed to participation in the political process. Mobilization of these highly underrepresented groups into effective agents for policy change can be aided through collaboration with like-minded organizations. The DC Language Access Coalition - whose member organizations serve mainly low-income immigrants with little-to-no English skills - convinced the District of Columbia (DC) government to pass the Language Access Act, which requires all DC government agencies to develop and provide language services for DC's non-English speaking populations. The Coalition successfully wrote itself into the law to monitor implementation, ensuring that their legislative victory translates into real changes in people's lives. Read More
After over 100 years providing mental health services to California youth, the Edgewood Center for Children and Families determined that sustaining its quality of care was dependent upon getting involved in public policy. The agency’s leadership brought in a wide range of stakeholders, including board, staff, and local community members, to help redefine the mission to allow greater emphasis on advocacy. Through hard work with other nonprofits, construction of relationships with elected officials, and involvement of staff members, Edgewood quickly established itself as an important team player in California’s mental health community. The organization’s success demonstrates the power of advocacy and coalition building to increase government funding streams and generate public support for nonprofit organizations’ key service-delivery activities. Read More
Tool kits can provide nonprofits with concrete, how-to information to make advocacy more effective. The range of information available is broad, covering everything from legal rules to mobilizing members. With new and evolving advocacy techniques, tool kits are not only informative, but also provide examples of what other groups have done.
Here are a few tool kits that are featured on our site: Read More
Community organizations often try to do too many things at once. During retreats, board meetings and strategic planning sessions, many groups fail to make a connection between the resources that are available and what the group can actually accomplish. Read More
Local and statewide organizations often overlook the need to build the power of their own organizations while struggling to win on public issues. For example, if a local group sets a goal to force the county government to build 50 new units of affordable rental housing, the group might move right into action without taking stock of its resources and making a plan to expand resources while working on the issue. Read More
Just because somebody has a lot of fancy degrees or titles doesn't mean that they will be able to help you. Experts are useful when they work for you and with you. Read More
The updated guide The Connection: Strategies for Creating and Operating 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, and Political Organizations from the Alliance for Justice sets out the legal lay of the land for nonprofits seeking to expand their advocacy activities. It covers different kinds of tax-exempt organizations, detailing what advocacy activities each can do and how they can be affiliated under rules in federal tax and election statutes. This article briefly summarizes the topics in the book. It is available to purchase for $35 from Alliance for Justice. Read More