Overview

Board members’ voices are heard when others are ignored. The Nonprofit Board Member’s Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy spells out how board members can use their power to move an organization’s work forward. Inside you’ll find

  • an eight-step process that enables you to plan for advocacy — to be proactive instead of reactive
  • first-person success stories and from-the-field advice from board members across the U.S.
  • 20 frequently asked questions about lobbying — with clear, reassuring answers
  • five detailed worksheets that lead you through critical processes — from creating a readiness profile to drafting a work plan
  • an appendix of lobbying tips and tactics
  • encouragement to make advocacy and lobbying core to your leadership — to get out there and just do it!

Learn more about the Stand for Your Mission campaign

The Stand for Your Mission campaign is a challenge to all nonprofit decision-makers to stand up for the organizations they believe in by actively representing their organization’s mission and values, and creating public will for positive social change. Initiated by BoardSource — together with the Alliance for Justice, the Campion Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the National Council of Nonprofits, and the United Philanthropy Forum — this campaign seeks to unleash the full potential of the nonprofit sector to create positive impact by engaging board leaders more directly in the advocacy work of their organizations.

Campaign Vision: An active, engaged, nonprofit and philanthropic sector will result in greater mission impact, thriving communities, and a more vibrant country. We envision a reality where nonprofit and philanthropic missions are fully realized because community leaders hear our voices, understand our arguments, and see our causes as worthy of their best efforts. How do we get there? Advocacy. 20 million board members standing for the mission of their organizations and helping set priorities in partnership with government rather than waiting for the outcome.

Campaign Goals: The goals of the Stand for Your Mission campaign are to change the “norms” of nonprofit and philanthropic culture and firmly establish advocacy as an expectation for engaged and effective board leadership. To do so, we need leadership and collaboration within and beyond the nonprofit sector that will:

  • bring about a sustainable shift in the understanding and expectations around board engagement in advocacy
  • move advocacy from an ancillary to an essential role for all board members
  • strengthen our collective ability to advance the public good

Learn more at standforyourmission.org

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