Chapter 14: Advocacy and Lobbying
Stages in the Life Cycle of a Social
Change Issue (Andreasen, 2006)

 Stage 1: Inattention to the problem
 Stage 2: Discovery of the problem
 Stage 3: Climbing the agenda
 Stage 4: Outlining the choices
 Stage 5: Choosing courses of action
 Stage 6: Launching initial interventions
 Stage 7: Reassessing and redirecting efforts
 Stage 8: Achieving success, failure, or neglect
Terminology

 Advocacy -- action taken to support a general cause
 Lobbying -- action taken to support or oppose
specific legislation
 Political campaign activity -- action taken in support
of or opposition to specific candidates for office
Nonprofit Ambivalence
about Lobbying

 Less than two percent of nonprofit organizations
engage in lobbying
 Larger, national organizations
 Organizations in fields that are significantly regulated
 Reasons for ambivalence





Belief that lobbying is irrelevant to the mission
Belief that lobbying is inappropriate
Inadequate staff or resources
Concern about alienating current or potential funders
Lack of clarity about the law
Overview of Lobbying
Law for Nonprofits

 501(c)(4) -- can engage in lobbying essentially without
restriction
 501(c)(3) -- limited in lobbying activity and prohibited
from political campaign activity
 Tax deductibility of gifts as public subsidies
 Private foundations versus public charities
 Sections 4911 and 501 of the Internal Revenue Code
 Substantial part test
 501(h) expenditure test
 Other laws related to lobbying practice
 Lobbying Disclosure Act
 Gift rule
Political Campaign
Activity

 Charitable nonprofits are prohibited from engaging
in campaigns and from endorsing candidates, either
implicitly or explicitly
 Coordinating their activities with those of a candidate
or a campaign
 Contributing money or time to work for a candidate
 Contributing the use of their facilities for a candidate
or campaign
Citizens United v. FEC
(2010)

 Applies to business corporations and nonprofits exempt
under Section 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6)
 Constants
 Cannot make monetary or in-kind contributions directly to
candidates for federal office
 Cannot coordinate their communication with candidates’
campaigns
 Key change
 Can make independent expenditures from their general
treasury to expressly support or oppose candidates for
federal office
Best Practices for
Advocacy and Lobbying

 Determine the reason for lobbying and how it advances
the nonprofit’s mission
 Understand the legislative process
 Identify the sources of funds
 Undertake research
 Develop an understanding of relevant public policy issues
 Obtain data needed to make the case with legislators
 Develop an infrastructure to support the lobbying
program
 Inventory existing relationships and identify decision
makers
 Use a strategic mix of tactics
Debate About Nonprofit
Advocacy

 Push for increased involvement by nonprofits in electoral
politics
 Virtuous cycle between advocacy and program delivery
(Crutchfield and Grant, 2008)
 Efforts to obtain legislative action but ignore political
realities are naïve (Hessenius, 2007)
 Reasons for concern
 Potential for unethical use of nonprofit organizations
 Jack Abramoff and the Capital Athletic Foundation
 Unwillingness of taxpayers to subsidize partisan political
activities by nonprofits
FORCES FOR GOOD

 Advocate and Serve
 Make Markets Work
 Inspire Evangelist
 Nurture Nonprofit Networks
 Master the Art of Adaptation
 Share Leadership