NPAction Update
Vol 2, Issue 17
8/31/2004

Welcome back from vacation for this week's edition of the NPAction Update. Not only are we full of useful information, when printed and pureed we're also a great source of sunburn relief.

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- Power and Influence*
*Current Poll- Recess Visits*
*Featured Article- Provisions of HAVA*
*Featured Resource Links- Wellstone Action and Conducting Research*




*What's New*

The Nonprofit Times has released its annual "Power and Influence" top 50 list of people that the nonprofit sector should be paying attention to. Ranging from Senators to directors of small nonprofits, to the richest man in the world, the list is full of people that the Nonprofit times feels are the real movers and shakers in politics.

"Power and Influence Top 50"
http://www.nptimes.com/Aug04/Aug04_NPT_Top50.pdf



*Current Poll*

The results of last month's poll, where we asked if your organization has ever hired a professional lobbyist, are in. 56% of you have hired a professional lobbyist, 17% have never hired one, and 28% would if they could afford one.

This month, we ask if you've ever visited a member of Congress at their district office during a congressional recess, such as the one this past month. Stop by and vote in our poll, continuously displayed on the right 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*

After the fiasco that was the 2000 election, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), to help make sure that the confusion that followed the voting would never happen again. NPAction has a whole section devoted to how nonprofits can help with elections under HAVA, but this issue's featured article will teach you the basic provisions of HAVA.

"Provisions of The Help America Vote Act (HAVA)"
http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/441/1/217/

"Nonprofits Can Help America Vote"
http://www.npaction.org/helpUSvote


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



*Featured Resource Links*

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

This issue's first resource link is Wellstone Action, a group started in the memory of Senator Paul Wellstone, and his wife Sheila. Wellstone Action conducts advocacy camps to teach the "Wellstone Approach" to political engagement, serves to organize Wellstone supporters for change, and continue the Wellstone's work against domestic violence.

"Wellstone Action"
http://www.wellstoneaction.org/


There are many reasons for a nonprofit organization to conduct survey research, especially when working on policy issues, but conducting a survey can be extremely difficult. Our second featured resource link will help organizations put together an effective survey.

"A Tutorial on Survey Research: From Constructs to Theory:"
http://dmsweb.badm.sc.edu/grover/survey/MIS-SUVY.html

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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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
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