NPAction Update
Vol 3, Issue
05/10/2005

Welcome to this edition of the NPAction Update!

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

In this issue:
*What's New- NPAction, and HAVA Grant Opportunities*
*Featured Article- Meeting With Elected Officials*
*Featured Resource Links- Link Integration*


*What's New*

This issue, what's new is us! NPAction has undergone a major redesign based on the results of last fall's user survey. We listened to your comments and improved the areas that you liked, and removed the areas that you didn't find useful. The result is a cleaner, leaner site that is much easier to navigate (and we like to think that it's a lot prettier too). Make sure to stop by and check out the redesign, and drop us a line at npaction@npaction.org to let us know what you think.


The Department of Health and Human Services has announced a training and technical assistance grant opportunity for organizations helping with disabled voting access. Activities funded by the grants include training in voting systems used by the disabled, evaluating voting systems for their utility to the disabled, and providing training in non-visual voting access. Letters of intent are due by June 8th, and applications are due by June 23, 2005.

Read the Federal Register Announcement for complete details.



*Featured Article*

The most basic advocacy activity is writing a letter (either paper or electronic) to a Legislator, but actually meeting with a policymaker can be a much more effective lobbying tool. The only problem is that most people are intimidated by setting up a face to face meeting with a legislator or a staff member. Lobbying meetings are easer to conduct then you might think, especially if you read this issue's featured article which gives great advice on setting up and conducting a visit.

"Guide to Meeting with Elected Officials"
http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/588/1/228



*Featured Resource Links*

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

As part of NPAction's redesign, the Link Directory has been integrated with the articles, so when you're looking at a topic of articles, the links for that topic will be displayed at the bottom of the same page. This will make it much easier to find additional information, or best-practice organizations. The next issue of the Update will feature two links, as usual, but we encourage you to take note of resource links while you're navigating the site.



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

NPAction invites organizations to share our tools on their websites. 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/articleview/600/1/1988


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

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NPAction Update is a service for NPAction subscribers. If you received this message from another party, and wish to subscribe, send an email to join-npaction@lyris.ombwatch.org.

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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(202) 234-8494
E-mail: npaction@npaction.org
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