Archive for January, 2008

Turning Tables on Gov’t - Sunshine on Data

January 22, 2008 at 11:43 am · Filed under Uncategorized

Seems like there is a lot of secret government information collected in Washington, the country and the world with no apologies or compunction to share.  At the same time, there are calls for more openness and transparency for charities and nonprofit organizations.  Obviously, there is a need to collect sensitive data that can contribute to true national security.  And, as part of good nonprofit governance, information should be shared with donors and the public.  However, governments should also be obligated to provide the public with information and data on government activities.  While some federal government agencies do a decent job of providing program information, until recently, it has been difficult to obtain and decipher data on government budgets and spending.  Fortunately, thanks to several nonprofit government watchdogs, Internet resources are now available to shed “sunshine” on all parts of the federal government.

What does all this information have to do with advocacy?  A lot, according to Alan Rosenblatt, founder of the Internet Advocacy Roundtable, which helps the advocacy community use digital technology more effectively.  “Advocacy depends on knowing what the government is doing,” Rosenblatt told his Roundtable colleagues recently.  Learning about the inner workings of government can assist groups in formulating public policy positions, proposing funding recommendations and keeping tabs on government rhetoric versus action.  It’s also helpful to know who is funding political campaigns and therefore, who might have the ear of elected officials.

Helpful web resources include the following:

www.governmentdocs.org – users can browse, search and review documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other public disclosures.

www.maplight.org – provides a sophisticated analysis using three data sets: bill texts and legislative voting records; bill supporters and opponents and campaign contributions data to connect the dots between money and politics.

www.fedspending.org – includes a free, searchable database on federal government spending from FY 2000 through FY 2007.

www.louisdb.org – aims to provide comprehensive, cross-referenced documents from the executive and legislative branches.  The Library of Unified Information Services (LOUIS) website, launched by the Sunlight Foundation, has a fully searchable format of several sets of federal documents, including Congressional Record, Federal Register, presidential documents, GAO Reports, etc.

www.opensecrets.org – allows users to track contributions to political candidates by industry, major donors, 527 committees and other categories.

www.opencongress.org – provides information from a variety of official government sites, along with news and blog coverage.

Comments

Resolve to Advance Advocacy

January 10, 2008 at 1:39 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

It’s not too late to make another resolution – to make your government relations and lobbying program more active in 2008.

While most of the media attention is focused on the upcoming presidential election, lots of other activity is also happening in the public policy arena.  Given the many serious issues facing the federal government, states and local communities, it is critical that nonprofit organizations monitor and get actively engaged in helping shape public policy.  Regardless of what issues are important to your mission – health, education, environment, jobs, immigration, etc – they will be looked at in many jurisdictions from budgetary and policy perspectives.  The voices of those who care about these issues and who are knowledgeable need to be heard.

Not sure how to move your advocacy forward?  Several national organizations sponsor excellent training seminars and provide guidance materials to make advocacy easy.  One group, the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI) provides in-person training and “webinars.”  CLPI has a cadre of training fellows throughout the country available to work with your group or coalition.   Visit CLPI’s website www.clpi.org for more information.  In the spirit of disclosure, I am the current CLPI board chair and actively support CLPI’s mission and activities.  Other groups, such as the Alliance for Justice (www.afj.org) also provide helpful advocacy information, including the legalities of nonprofit lobbying at the federal and state levels. 

There’s no excuse -  make 2008 your organizations year to take action.

Comments

New Year, New Opportunities for Leadership

January 3, 2008 at 5:17 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Happy 2008 to all readers.  With all the media coverage, polls and pundits, it’s hard to miss that the new year is off to a fast start with the first wave of presidential caucuses and primaries.  We’ll have 10 more months to hear about presidential candidates and the experience, views and agendas each person would bring to the job.  While late night talk show visits, clips on You Tube and celebrity endorsements may have their place, how do we know how each candidate would fare as a “leader”?  What qualifications and traits would help our new president rise above campaign funders, congressional leaders, political party bosses and other interests to truly lead our country?  Must a good leader have run a small state, a large city, a company or helped run the country with a staff of 20?  What of traits like inclusive decision-making, business acumen and not being afraid to take an unpopular stance?  And, what of skills like careful listening, diplomacy and compromise?  Should we also consider the “kitchen cabinets” of presidential candidates – those likely to be named to key White House positions?  How can we get a more complete picture of the candidates beyond 30 second ads, headline news and staged debates?

As you read news clips and view footage from other parts of the world, it is apparent that the United States is not alone in its quest for leadership.  Witness the killing of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and post-election rioting in Kenya.  Those with the power and votes are not always the true leaders.

And, what about the continuing war and rebuilding efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan? Will it be possible for indigenous leaders to emerge who can gain the trust of differing tribes and factions?     

Even in the newness of the year, events are unfolding that will influence in-country rulers and worldwide relations.   To what we were often told as children – “winning isn’t everything,” I’ll now add that “leadership is”.  Let us hope that 2008 brings wise leadership committed to meeting local needs and promoting world-wide harmony.

Diane

Comments