Knowledge is power, and nonprofits certainly have a lot of knowledge. The trick is to get that knowledge to the people who need it to make good policy decisions. How can a nonprofit communicate what they know to policymakers? How can they use advocacy to grow their mission?
Washington Nonprofits has launched a new resource to help nonprofits use policy to achieve their goals. Build a Movement: Tools to Use Public Policy to Achieve Your Nonprofit’s Mission uses the metaphor of a house to explain the ways to engage advocacy in the life of your organization. There is Everyday Advocacy, which is basic good practice and upkeep that every organization should consider to be nimble, resilient, and ready to serve. Urgent Advocacy responds to the reality that it is sometimes a crisis or sudden opportunity that brings nonprofits to policy work. Finally, Step-It-Up Advocacy is that extra step to take advantage of the benefits that lobbying provides a nonprofit organization.
Build a Movement! is the first comprehensive resource for nonprofits on lobbying in Washington state. Most advocacy resources cover federal compliance law. Washington law adds an element of disclosure if your lobbying activities focus on Washington state government. Washington Nonprofits sleuthed through the fine print and its implications on nonprofits to develop a set of resources designed to give nonprofits the information you need to be compliant while using the power of policy to achieve your mission.
What can you expect from Build a Movement? First, there is well-vetted information designed for people who are ready to engage in advocacy work but need to know more and have concrete steps to move forward. There is a document vault of templates and tools to have you move quickly forward. There is a Build A Movement! Poster to help you bring board members and others into the conversation. Stay tuned as we develop videos to support your DIY learning.
Build A Movement! Workshop coming to Seattle on June 13, 2019. Join us as we cover the three main chapters of BAM!.
- Foundations: Important definitions and principles
- Everyday advocacy: Tools, people, and systems that nonprofits can engage everyday to ensure their organizations are strong, connected, and nimble.
- Step-it-up advocacy: Lobbying and the rules, opportunities, and limitations associated with it