Advocacy (which does not necessarily include lobbying!) is one of the most effective tactics a nonprofit can use to serve its mission. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, advocacy expert Brenda Gadd from Rethink Public Strategies is here to share some examples of how nonprofits can engage in public policy advocacy. She also gives us a quick recap about the difference between advocacy and lobbying.
What is Public Policy Advocacy?
In our interview, Brenda explains that public policy is the “system of laws, regulatory measures, and funding priorities at the federal, state, and local levels of government.” When nonprofits engage in public policy advocacy, they take action to influence governmental bodies and their funding decisions.
Examples of How Nonprofits Can Engage in Public Policy Advocacy
If you want to engage in public policy advocacy at your nonprofit, you could lobby for or against a specific bill or piece of legislation. However, 501c3 nonprofit leaders often want to steer clear of lobbying activities because nonprofits that engage in lobbying must navigate IRS regulations on these actions.
To avoid lobbying, Brenda recommends that all advocacy activities fall short of actually asking someone to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on a specific piece of legislation. Your nonprofit can avoid lobbying and still engage in advocacy by:
Educating the community — Help community members understand that a particular issue (such as hunger) is present, what circumstances create and impact this issue, and how your nonprofit is providing a solution.
Monitoring the issue — Become a trusted source of information by researching and monitoring legislative activities that impact your cause.
Organizing support — Brenda shares that you can “build a grassroots team of folks that understand your mission and go out to educate others on your behalf.”
Meeting with legislators — Invite elected officials to meet and learn about how their actions impact your organization and the population/environment you serve.
Learn more about the difference between lobbying and advocacy from Episode #75 in my podcast archives.
3 Actionable Steps to Get Your Nonprofit Involved in Advocacy
Brenda offers some tips for nonprofit leaders who want to start getting involved in advocacy efforts:
Become deeply familiar with your organization’s mission and values. You can only become a trusted source of information once you’ve become informed about the research that supports your mission and programs.
Get to know your community’s leaders. Brenda says, “Get to know those elected officials, just like you would get to know any other stakeholder. Prepare for that meeting as you would any other meeting so they can get to know who you are and why what you do matters.”
Train volunteers to become ambassadors of your message. Teach your supporters how to talk about your cause and become individual advocates of your mission.
You can contact Brenda for more information about building a robust advocacy program.
Listen to the Full Episode
Listen to my full conversation with Brenda to learn more about how nonprofits can engage in public policy advocacy:
Listen now on Apple Podcasts
Listen now on Spotify
Listen now on Google Podcasts
Jenni’s Favorite Resources This Week
How Nonprofit Advocacy Works — In episode #75, my interview guests share an overview of how nonprofit advocacy can work to drive change for systemic issues and for individuals. Search for episode #75 wherever you get your podcasts to listen!
Little Green Light’s Fundraising Resources — Check out LGL’s free library of fundraising resources for nonprofit leaders.
Visionary Accounting Group’s free webinar — Learn to build a healthy financial foundation for your nonprofit.
My once-per-week email newsletter — Get a short summary of every podcast episode plus free marketing and fundraising resources!
Personal Update + Connect With Jenni
A little over a week ago, Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. As someone who has been a victim of rape, reading that headline caused anguish for me.
We may never know with 100% certainty whether he committed sexual assault or rape… But we do know that about one in six women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape, and many others have been the victim of sexual assault.
In response to the Cosby news, I posted a video with three tips for nonprofit leaders to care for team members who have been impacted by sexual assault. Remember that you probably have colleagues who have experienced an assault even if they’ve never told you about the incident.
Friend, if you've been a victim of sexual assault or rape, I am so sorry. THAT'S NOT OKAY.
But also, that's your story. You decide whether/when you want to share it. Choose safe people to share it with. And know that you can stop sharing whenever you want. You can go get a rape test, and then choose to do nothing with it for as long as you want. You can open up to a trusted friend, and then end the conversation if you start to feel unsafe. You can't control everything that happens to you, but you absolutely own that story. And if you feel like you need to tell someone who doesn't know you at all, you can talk to RAINN: https://rainn.org/
Much love to you all,
Jenni