Integrating Advocacy into your Direct Service Organization Using Your Whole Team

What do we mean by ‘advocacy’?  Advocare: “to call to aid”  Rally around a cause  Engage stakeholders  Promote social change  Address root causes

Building Movement Project’s 5% Shift  Modest changes that can have big impact  Building Community from the Inside Out  Developing the Leadership of Recipients  Asking Powerful Questions  Advancing Community-level Impact  Crossing Organizational Boundaries to Build New Partnerships  Building Movement Project Building Movement Project

Advocacy and the 501(c)3—Non- legal Advice to Get Started  Advocacy v. lobbying  Advocacy that does not include a ‘call to action’ is not lobbying: educating, tracking bills, leadership development, nonpartisan voter work  501(c)3 organizations are allowed to lobby.  For “non-electing” organizations, lobbying must be “no substantial part of a charity’s activities.”  This includes expenditures, time and energy devoted by staff and volunteers.  The 501(h) election allows nonprofit organizations to lobby with greater clarity and less worry.  These nonprofits have no limits on their volunteer lobbying activities and can spend up to 20% of the first $500,000 of their annual budget on lobbying (no more than 25% of this can be grassroots lobbying).  Resources to help:  Bolder Advocacy Bolder Advocacy  Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest

“Here’s what we can and can’t do”  Safe Activities  Public education about policy issues (with a ‘call to action’, it counts as lobbying)  Nonpartisan voter registration drives  Candidate surveys (with guidance)  Lobbying within legal limits  Policy analysis without a “call to action”  Unsafe Activities  Candidate endorsements  Campaign contributions  Candidate pledges  Partisan GOTV  Exceeding lobbying limits, or failing to keep track of lobbying activities  Failing to distinguish between “grassroots” and “direct” lobbying

AUDIENCES OUTCOMES ACTION WILL AWARENESS Voter Outreach Public EducationPolicymaker Education Influencer Education Political Will Campaigns Litigation Media Advocacy Regulatory Feedback Public Forums Champion Development Model Legislation Policy Analysis/Research Demonstration Programs PUBLIC INFLUENCERS A Broad Advocacy Landscape: One Framework Community Mobilization Coalition Building Community Organizing Public Will Campaigns Communications and Messaging Leadership Development Advocacy Capacity Building Public Awareness Campaigns Public Polling Lobbying 7 DECISION MAKERS

AUDIENCES OUTCOMES ACTION WILL AWARENESS Voter Outreach Public EducationPolicymaker Education Influencer Education Political Will Campaigns Litigation Media Advocacy Regulatory Feedback Public Forums Champion Development Model Legislation Policy Analysis/Research Demonstration Programs PUBLIC INFLUENCERS Where are you working? Where could you, if you used your whole team? Community Mobilization Coalition Building Community Organizing Public Will Campaigns Communications and Messaging Leadership Development Advocacy Capacity Building Public Awareness Campaigns Public Polling Lobbying 8 DECISION MAKERS

Examples: Building Capacity with your Whole Team  Service Participants  Direct-Service Staff  Volunteers  Donors

What do you need to make these shifts?  Board buy-in and how to get it  Technical assistance—around what?  Staff capacity—to do what? How to cultivate it?  Partnerships/mentorships—where are there organizations positioned to guide you?