A Survey Finds Infrequent Lobbying Efforts From Nonprofit Groups

NEW BOOKS

Seen but Not Heard: Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy
by Gary D. Bass, David F. Arons, Kay Guinane, and Matthew F. Carter, with Susan Rees

To learn more about how nonprofit groups undertake public-policy advocacy, the authors, researchers at OMB Watch, Tufts University, and the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, surveyed 1,730 charities — excluding universities, hospitals, religious congregations, and very small charities — and spoke with many of the groups’ leaders, board members, and staff members.

The researchers hoped to encourage more nonprofit groups to participate in advocacy and to remedy the “disenchantment” many charity officials and board members say they feel about lobbying.

Among the book’s key findings: Three of four nonprofit groups report having participated in some type of effort to influence public policy, though few groups do so frequently and most shy away from using the word “lobbying” to describe their actions: “The perception is that somehow the words ‘lobbyist’ and ‘corruption’ go together,” the authors write.

The researchers also found that, although executive directors insisted that advocacy was an important part of their organization’s mission, “the rhetoric is not matched by action,” for reasons such as limited resources, lack of staff members skilled in lobbying, and complex tax laws.

The book discusses the history of nonprofit lobbying, analyzes the survey data in detail, and offers recommendations for executive directors and other charity officials to engage them in public-policy advocacy.

Publisher: Aspen Institute, One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036-1133; (202) 736-5800; fax (202) 467-0790; http://www.aspeninstitute.org; 271 pages; $15.