Advocacy Outreach to Policymakers, Public Vital for Nonprofits
Getting your message out to policymakers and the public is vital to the sustainability of your nonprofit. Yet many nonprofits are unsure as to how to effectively advocate and lobby, even though most list “advocacy” in their mission statement.
At the Advanced Advocacy Planning workshop, Roy S. Mitchell, director of advocacy for Sisters of Mercy Health System in St. Louis , Mo., and a training fellow for the Center of Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI), presented the key components of advocacy and lobbying. Topics included: why nonprofits should advocate; lobbying, advocacy and the law; planning for public policy; media advocacy; coalition building; and how to evaluate your lobbyist.
“Nonprofits should advocate because policymakers have a desire and need for your expertise,” began Mitchell. To that end, it is a nonprofit’s responsibility to identify and promote its cause. “But it takes courage to engage in advocacy,” said Mitchell.
Attendees then debated and discussed myths and facts of advocacy, direct lobbying, grassroots lobbying, and election-related activities. Mitchell offered CLPI as a resource, though he urged participants to rely on attorneys and to check with state and federal lobbying laws in order to avoid penalties.
Next, attendees learned how to craft a “comprehensive, flexible and salient” advocacy plan. A defined agenda and dogged persistence is often necessary to get your “board on board,” which is a crucial when creating the plan.
Nonprofits can also reach policymakers and the public through careful preparation and the ability to respond quickly to the media. Workshop moderator Monette Goodrich, the Connecticut Health Foundation’s vice president of communications and public affairs, advised participants to “never tell a reporter you can’t help them. If you don’t have an answer, call the Foundation.”
Mitchell illustrated the importance of coalition building through a quote from noted community activist Saul Alinsky: “A person working alone has all the power of social dust.” He cautioned, however, that a large organization often will monopolize a coalition, so be sure to “monitor the gorilla.”
Laurie Julian, staff associate for the Health Care Initiative of the GrowJobsCT coalition, shares these thoughts on the workshop, “Roy Mitchell laid out in understandable terms what advocacy is and when lobbying is permissible. He also brought insight on how to handle difficult situations when working with coalitions.”
For more information and resources on advanced advocacy planning, please visit www.clpi.org or call 202.387.5048.
