Nonprofit Leaders and Experts Examine Lobbying and Advocacy

While supporting a particular cause may be central to most nonprofit organizations, a lack of resources is forcing lobbying and advocacy efforts to the sidelines at most nonprofit groups, according to the findings of a meeting held by the Nonprofit Listening Post Project.

The project is dedicated to examining how nonprofit organizations are responding to pressures and challenges unique to this era, and is part of the Center for Civil Society Studies at the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies, in Baltimore.

Last summer a group of nonprofit leaders and experts gathered at the institute to explore ways to increase support for nonprofit advocacy, and what they found revealed that although nonprofit leaders are seeking increased support for advocacy, most worry that taking a strong stance on an issue will offend donors and board members.

The university has published a report of the group’s many findings on the Institute’s Web site.