NPAction Update
Vol 2, Issue 15
7/20/2004

Welcome to this week's edition of the NPAction Update.

You are receiving this newsletter as requested during your registration with NPAction.org. To unsubscribe, send an email to npaction@npaction.org.


In this issue:
*What's New- Election Law Training and User Survey*
*Current Poll- Staffing for Advocacy*
*Featured Article- Private Foundations and Lobbying*
*Featured Forum- Advocacy Stories*
*Featured Resource Links- Candidate Briefings and National Issues Forums*


*What's New*

Online Election Law Trainings

The Alliance for Justice will be hosting an online training on election year activities for nonprofits. The training will be held at 2 PM (EDT) on Monday, July 26th. The cost for the training is , and all you need is a working computer with speakers.

For more information, see:
http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/484/1/221/


NPAction User Survey- LAST CHANCE!!!!

Just a reminder, this is your last chance to let us know your opinion on NPAction by filling out the NPAction User Survey, which will be closed at the end of the day on Thursday. You might even win a T-Shirt. Find a link to the survey on the homepage, or go directly to it at:
http://www.ombwatch.org/php/phpESP/public/survey.php?name=npasurvey1



*Current Poll*

The poll on staffing for advocacy is still open. We're interested in seeing how many users' organizations have staff specifically charged with advocacy work as part of their duties. Vote in this month's poll, continuously displayed on the right hand side of the site (just don't try to vote twice!!)

Here's your chance to ask a question you've wanted to ask other nonprofits, but couldn't figure out how. Send your idea for a poll to npaction@npaction.org.

Past Poll Results
http://www.npaction.org/article/archive/207



*Featured Article*

One of the constant complaints that we hear from nonprofits is that their advocacy and lobbying activities are hindered by skittish foundations that feel nonprofits shouldn't be doing advocacy work. Foundations are subject to stricter rules than other charities, in that they face a strict ban on lobbying, and this may work its way into some foundations' attitudes about lobbying. What many nonprofits don't know is that private foundations themselves can still have an impact on policymaking.

"Private Foundations and Policymaking: Basic Rules"
http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/406/1/212/

Remember that you can rate and comment on most NPAction articles by clicking the "New Comment" button at the end of an article.



*Featured Forum*

NPAction tries to give you all the tools you need to be a successful advocate, and we'd like you to share your stories of success or failure so that others can learn from your experience. Recently, a user posted a message seeking advice about keeping people mobilized when impending legislation gets put on the back burner. What techniques have you used in similar situations? Don't be shy, let everybody know about the interesting method you've developed to get your message across, or the strategy that didn't work at all!

Advocacy Stories
http://www.npaction.org/forum/messagelist/179/


NPAction Forums
http://www.npaction.org/forum/categorylist



*Featured Resource Links*

The NPAction Resource Links Directory is a human-edited compendium of tools and references, contributed by nonprofits for nonprofits.


While many nonprofits think of advocacy in terms of working with those already in office, candidate briefings can be a way to bring your issues to the attention of the candidates vying to be next in that office. Princeton New Jersey's Coalition for Peace Action has put together a handbook on non-partisan candidate briefings. The guide is specifically targeted to gun violence prevention groups, but is applicable to all nonprofits.

Handbook for Nonpartisan Candidate Briefings:
http://www.peacecoalition.org/action/handbook/index.shtml


While critical to a healthy democracy, genuine debate of issues is often difficult today. We hear a lot of yelling on television or endless arguing on the Internet. The National Issues Forums brings the tradition of the Salon into the new century by setting up a framework for organizations to sponsor real, live debates on issues they are concerned about. Those interested in participating in a forum can find a calendar of upcoming fora, and those interested in organizing a forum can find everything they need to host.

National Issues Forums
http://www.nifi.org/


Suggest a Resource Link
http://www.npaction.org/link/suggestlink



*"Steal This Code": Put NPAction on Your Site*

NPAction invites organizations to share our tools on their websites. Choose a logo that best meets your needs, whether you want to link to our site, incorporate our search engine with results from a range of nonprofit sources, add the ability to connect to federal lawmakers and national media, or state-level policymakers and media. Just copy the HTML code from our site, and you're ready to go (but when you steal the code, just let us know!).

"Steal the Code" today
http://www.npaction.org/article/archive/208


*NPAction Update Archives*
http://www.npaction.org/article/archive/210/


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http://www.npaction.org/user/login

NPAction, an online resource hosted by OMB Watch, provides access to tools and information for nonprofit advocacy from a wide range of organizational partners and sources in order to encourage greater participation by nonprofits in the policy arena. Funding for this project was provided by Atlantic Philanthropies, the Ford Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation.

For more information, contact:

NPAction
1742 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.,
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(202) 234-8494
E-mail: npaction@npaction.org
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å© 2004 NPAction