Navigating the Advocacy Landscape
Contributed by Joshua De Leon
If you are engaged in the work of social change, then Martin Luther King, Jr.'s “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” is one of the most common adages you will hear.
Yet too often the quote has become decontextualized from the rest of the content in his Oberlin address – becoming a source of comfort alone, rather than a call to action. Elsewhere in the speech, he shares that “Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals. Without this hard work, time becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation.”
The truth is that no lasting, structural, pro-people change has occurred in the United States without grassroots action, collective power, and steady work before, during, after, and beyond elections. And advocacy is a toolset to drive that change.
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is the work of influencing policy change – and it takes many forms.
Types of Advocacy Organizations
Nonprofit Organizations
Within nonprofit organizations, there are two types of legal entities, 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 organizations, which are both able to lobby around specific policy and issue areas.
501(c)3 nonprofits: can carry out limited lobbying on legislation or ballot measures (a common rule of thumb is no more than 10% of your budget or stafftime dedicated to lobbying); is legally a charity and thus contributions are tax-deductible. Cannot endorse specific candidates or parties.
501(c)4 nonprofits: can endorse candidates, spend money in support of/opposition to a candidate, share a guide highlighting where candidates do and don’t align with the 501(c)4’s policy stances, and conduct voter registration drives on a party basis.
Both: can carry out (nonpartisan) voter registration and get out the vote efforts; can share broad voter guides on issues in an upcoming election; can sponsor candidate debates; and can educate the public and candidates on issues related to the nonprofit’s mission.
Many political organizations will form both a (c)3 and a (c)4 – commonly appending “Action” to the end of the original (c)3’s name – and may even have employees staffed in both bodies. Consult an attorney if you are planning to form one or both types of nonprofit entities, to determine which is the better fit for your work, and how to avoid running afoul of the law.
Lobbying Groups
Lobbyists are also a major influence on policy direction. Some operate as lobbying firms; there can also be individual lobbyists or in-house lobbying teams within a larger organization.
Most major corporations and special interests have a dedicated lobbying arm, often narrowly focused on specific issue areas directly related to the business.
The role of lobbyists is highly controversial – the “revolving door” from congress to K street, for example, sees legislators taking well-paying lobbyist roles that leverage their network after their government term ends.
To address this, a range of existing and proposed legislation attempts to put limits (such as waiting periods between a public servant’s tenure and their eligibility to become a lobbyist) on what can be an opaque and high-dollar process.
Grassroots Organizations
Perhaps most important of all of these, however, is grassroots advocacy, in the form of community organizations and coalitions. Some forms these can take:
National organizations with local chapters: think Sunrise Movement or Black Lives Matter. The level of standardization across chapters varies considerably from organization to organization; in some, chapters operate mostly independently, following general issue areas and organizing principles of the larger network, while in other cases local chapters operate in lockstep with national’s priorities.
Local organizations: think neighborhood, city, or even regional groups. Often convening around a specific set of policy priorities, social identities, or shared values, local organizations tend to focus their advocacy on institutions like city councils and school boards.
Individual advocacy: while not the most effective form of advocacy, individuals certainly can and do take up causes, such as through letter-writing campaigns, public comment at city meetings, and the like.
How can I get engaged in Advocacy?
While everyone can participate in advocacy, not all advocacy journeys look alike. One tool you can apply to identify ways to get started is an advocacy “self-inventory”:
Self Inventory Questions:
What people do I have access to?
Who in your community shares your values and would come through for you when you need it? Who in your personal and professional career is in, or has access to, roles with positional power affecting the causes you care about?
Often we underrate the value of the networks we already have. If you are trusted by your neighbors when issues affecting your block come up, or if you have a large faith congregation you volunteer actively with, then you have a potential base of community members who can join you in your advocacy.
What resources do I have access to?
These can look like personal or organizational funds, digital tools like a PDI account, or physical resources like convening spaces or poster-making tools.
What skills do I carry?
Since advocacy is such a dynamic and expansive field, everyone can contribute in their own way.
Transferable skills from your career can make a significant impact in the often resource-scare world of advocacy. One of my closest friends used to be a tech worker before pivoting to activism. Her data analysis and visualization skills were incredibly valuable in the advocacy space, which often lacks the funding to compete with large companies for technical talent.
Where do I have no idea what to do?
Most advocates do not have skills in every facet of advocacy work. From communications to public speaking to policy expertise to data analysis to visual design: an advocacy effort will draw upon a range of skill sets, and the most effective advocacies will deploy a multidisciplinary, intergenerational, and intersectional team.
Humility and self-awareness is essential in the advocacy space. It is better to “pass the mic” than to be the “voice for the voiceless,” and if your advocacy movement lacks people who have lived experience with the very issues you advocate for, this is likely a signal that you need to broaden the perspectives involved.
A great resource is Deepa Iyer’s “Social Change Ecosystem Map.” Lyer outlines a range of (equally important) roles that individuals can play within a movement towards social change, and provides prompt questions to help you identify where and how you can contribute.
What to do next
Once you’ve carried out the above self-reflection, it’s time to get involved – especially since so much of advocacy is in learning by doing. Three of the most common pathways I recommend for people I work with are to:
Get involved in grassroots organizations in your community
Create or strengthen advocacy within/alongside your own organization
Contribute to advocacy organizations that align with your values
Getting involved in grassroots organizations in your community
Almost every locality has organizations that are involved in advocacy – and too often, a focus on national issues can obscure the urgency of issues in your backyard. Some ways to find local groups if you don’t know where to start:
Look up national chapter-based organizations to see if they have a hub in your area.
Have “one-on-ones” with activists you meet, to learn more about the issues they face and the organizations or individuals they suggest you meet next.
Attend teach-ins, community events, and protests in your area – often you will see your local movers and shakers speaking and collaborating on these programs.
Attend city council meetings when agenda items interest you. Often, stakeholder groups will join and give public comments at these meetings, so you can quickly see if there are organized people connected to the topics you also care about.
Follow grassroots organizations you align with on social media - and see who else they are following and promoting.
Create or strengthen advocacy within/alongside your own organization
Many of us carry influence within our own organizations, whether it be a foundation, nonprofit, private company, or otherwise. Most organizations are also legally able to engage in some form of advocacy, though the type and degree of those efforts vary depending on the entity (see above for more details). Once you have established an advocacy portfolio within your organization, be sure to:
Lead with your organization’s mission and values. Any new advocacy focus would have to be in line with the preexisting work of your organization.
Review the landscape of advocacy work in your proposed focus area. Are there organizations already addressing this topic? If so, how is your organization best positioned to contribute in an additive, not duplicative, way?
Identify who “is not in the room” when crafting your advocacy plan. Do you lack policy wonks, subject matter experts, and/or individuals from directly impacted communities? If so, consider partnering with another organization or bringing in consultative talent to ensure you are carrying out meaningful and thoughtful efforts.
Create key performance indicators for how your advocacy impact will be tracked and held accountable for efficacy.
Cultivate a formal or informal “executive sponsor” for your advocacy work, so that your efforts have support and visibility up to the senior levels of your organization.
Maintain a partnership with your organization’s legal team, to ensure your activities are within bounds.
Contribute to advocacy organizations that align with your values
Not everyone has the capacity to commit their time to the day-to-day labor of advocacy work. Since many advocacy organizations operate primarily on grants and donations, your financial contributions can go a long way towards amplifying and accelerating their work (especially for smaller or community-based organizations, that drive needed impact but may lack access to substantial funding). Think of advocacy organizations as a long-term investment in shifting conditions on the ground, and as such a meaningful supplement to your mutual aid or charity contributions that are supporting the immediate needs of communities.
While this resource is by no means exhaustive, I hope this has been a useful starting point as you begin your advocacy journey. Remember that social change is a collective project, powered by people who decided, every day, to stand together and march forward.
Board of Directors at Rising Organizers (support us here)
Community Organizer, Activist, and Equity and Inclusion Consultant
