Resolve to Advance Advocacy
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.
