Lobbying & Advocacy

Alliance For Justice

Alliance for Justice (AFJ) is a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's, and consumer advocacy organizations. Since its inception in 1979, AFJ has worked to advance the cause of justice for all Americans, strengthen the public interest community's ability to influence public policy, and foster the next generation of advocates.

http://www.afj.org/

Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI)

CLPI promotes, supports and protects 501(c)3 nonprofit advocacy and lobbying in order to strengthen participation in our democratic society and advance charitable missions. Citizen participation is the essence of democracy, and nonproift organizations are one of the most effective vehicles for engaging people in the democratic process. Lobbying is an important activity that nonprofits can undertake to achieve their missions and foster democracy. Through lobbying, nonprofit volunteers and staff provide vital expertise and perspectives to federal, state and local government decision-makers, resulting in better law and policy. These beliefs and the need to preserve them led to CLPI's founding in 1998.

http://www.clpi.org/

Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest

Lobbying and advocacy resources and training for nonprofits.

http://www.clpi.org/

Feel Confident About Advocating for Legislation and Lobbying Government Officials

from the Alliance for Justice

Feel Confident About Advocating

Independent Sector

Independent Sector is the leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world. This nonpartisan coalition of approximately 600 organizations leads, strengthens, and mobilizes the charitable community in order to fulfill the vision of a just and inclusive society and a healthy democracy of active citizens, effective institutions, and vibrant communities.

http://www.independentsector.org/

National Association of Counties

This site allows you to select the state in which you are interested and call up links to all the counties within that state with web sites.

http://www.naco.org/

National Council on Nonprofit Associations

The National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA) is the network of state and regional nonprofit associations serving over 20,000 members in 41 states and the District of Columbia. NCNA links local organizations to a national audience through state associations and helps small and midsize nonprofits: manage and lead more effectively; collaborate and exchange solutions; engage in critical policy issues affecting the sector; and achieve greater impact in their communities.

http://www.ncna.org/

Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network (NVEN)

NVEN -is dedicated to expanding the role of America’s nonprofits in voting and elections. NVEN works with state nonprofit VOTE initiatives and its national website to provide resources and tools for 501(c)(3) nonprofits to help their communities participate and vote
http://www.nonprofitvote.org/

OMB Watch

OMB Watch exists to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy.

http://www.ombwatch.org/

Political & Lobbying Activities

per the Internal Revenue Service.

http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=120703,00.html

Public Technology

This site offers PTILinks, which connect to state, county, and city sites.

http://www.pti.nw.dc.us/

State and Local Government on the Net

a directory of official state, county, and city government web sites.

http://www.statelocalgov.net/

State Law Resources

Launched by Alliance for Justice to provide information on ballot measure activities, campaign finance laws, lobbying disclosur, and voter registration drives. Available free of charge.

http://www.allianceforjustice.org/stateresources

The Library of Congress

is the oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.

http://www.loc.gov/

The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations: Shaping Public Policy at the State and Local Level

by Marcia Avner
Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations: Shaping Public Policy at the State and Local Level

The National Council of State Legislatures

This site provides links to state legislatures' web sites.

http://ncsl.org/public/leglinks.cfm

The National League of Cities

This site provides a list of states and for each state links to state-level Leagues of Cities. These, in turn, can help you identify your particular city.

http://www.nlc.org/

The Nonprofit Lobbying Guide: Second Edition

Written in 1999 by Bob Smucker and published by Independent Sector, The Nonprofit Lobbying Guide demonstrates the many ways charitable organizations can use lobbying to advance their causes in federal, state, and local legislatures. This definitive guide to advocacy is essential for organizations already engaged in policy work and an invaluable resource for those that want to get started. The guide is now out of print, but can be downloaded at this site.


http://www.independentsector.org/programs/gr/lobbyguide.html

What's Working: Advocacy on the 'Net

an online tool kit from the Benton Foundation, Washington, D.C.

http://www.benton.org/publibrary/practice/best/advoc.html