Beyond the Cause: The Art and Science of Advocacy gives an analysis of issues facing the nonprofit sector and provides surprising insights
(WASHINGTON, September 19, 2012) — Today, Independent Sector releases Beyond the Cause: The Art and Science of Advocacy, a comprehensive study that identifies five essential approaches to successful advocacy and analyzes the effectiveness of advocacy on issues facing the entire nonprofit and philanthropic sector.
It takes more than a worthy cause to advance a public policy objective. Given the fierce competition for how public dollars will be spent, a Congress and Administration committed to reducing the federal budget deficit by cutting spending, a weak economic recovery that continues to leave millions of people without sufficient support, a deeply divided partisan Washington D.C., and a Supreme Court decision in 2010 that lowered the barriers to participation in the political area for business and trade unions, nonprofits face great challenges getting their voices heard. And yet through this study we see that some very enterprising organizations have broken through the barriers and have developed winning formulas for successful policy gains.
“We want to learn from the best so that our organizations are able to achieve their missions and in so doing help the people and causes they serve,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “We hope the data-driven recommendations in this study will help sector leaders, advocates, funders, and stakeholders better understand that advocacy is an ongoing process and also is an art and a science.”
Based on more than 100 interviews, three surveys, three case studies, and four coalition profiles, Independent Sector has identified these five essential approaches of a successful advocacy framework:
- Sustain a laser-like focus on long-term goals;
- Prioritize “building” the elements for an effective advocacy campaign;
- Consider the motivations of public officials;
- Galvanize coalitions to achieve short-term goals; and
- Ensure strong, high-integrity leadership.
The insights provided by the case studies of Human Rights Campaign, Americans for Tax Reform, and General Electric show how these organizations have been successful over time in attaining their public policy agenda. The study found that each of these groups had an effective long-term goal, often with a 20- to 25-year time horizon, and worked backwards to shape their strategy.
The second part of Beyond the Cause offers a detailed examination of the sector’s track record and approach to public policy advocacy on sector-wide issues. It found notable gaps between its strategies and those of the organizations that achieved their public policy goals on a consistent basis. Of the 50 sector-wide issues identified, the report offers a deeper analysis of six that represent a variety of issues and range of activities. These include tax related issues, rules governing lobbying, and government-nonprofit contracting. The recommendations included in the report of how the sector as a whole might improve its practices draw from the essential approaches of successful advocacy.
Based on this study, Independent Sector will be launching an ongoing educational initiative to share the findings at IS member events and conferences across the country, starting with Detroit, Denver, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and at the IS Public Policy Action Institute and 2012 IS Annual Conference Nov. 10-12 in San Francisco.
To read the full report, visit IndependentSector.org/Beyond_The_Cause
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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of more than 600 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community. Learn more at IndependentSector.org.
