How nonprofits can engage in policy advocacy now 

In June 2024, Florida governor Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million in state funding for nonprofit arts organizations. As I discussed next steps with a nonprofit partner—like educating their community about the impact of this loss of funding—concerns about engaging in “political talk” emerged. Discussing budgets and policy was uncomfortable for the partner—and not something her nonprofit typically does. 

Resilia partners with grantmakers to provide impact intelligence and capacity-building software to more than 3,500 U.S. nonprofits across the country. Despite working in diverse geographies and issue areas—from environmental justice to workforce development, arts education to grief support—these nonprofits share similar concerns about the risk of engaging in policy advocacy. They fear alienating supporters, drawing the ire of social media trolls, and jeopardizing their 501(c)(3) status. Given all the risk and stress they already face as part of their critical work, most leaders are opting out of advocacy efforts entirely. But they don’t have to. 

The decline in nonprofit policy advocacy 

Nonprofit leaders know the potential benefits of policy advocacy efforts: It can steer  communities toward systemic changes, create opportunities to educate the public about a policy or legislation, and inform critical decisions including how tax dollars are spent. Yet one partner recently told me that while she understood the case for advocacy work, she couldn’t allocate her organization’s stretched resources to it. Most nonprofits make the same choice. 

As a 2023 Independent Sector study noted, only 31% of nonprofits surveyed in 2022 reported engaging in advocacy or lobbying or both in the last five years, and only 25% reported ever lobbying, down from 74% in 2000. The study found that limited understanding of what a 501(c)(3) organization is allowed to do—for example, support or oppose federal legislation or sponsor a nonpartisan forum or candidate debate—was a significant factor behind this decline. 

Empowering nonprofit leaders with the knowledge to take on policy advocacy 

Addressing the information gap in what nonprofits are allowed to do is key to bolstering their policy advocacy efforts and impact. Here are three recommendations for empowering nonprofit leaders with the knowledge they need to conduct policy advocacy: 

1. Meet leaders where they are with accessible advocacy training

There are numerous helpful resources about policy advocacy across the sector: there are trainings, seminars, and other resources on compliance, voter registration, the Johnson Amendment, expenditure tests, and when leaders need to register as lobbyists. Nearly every nonprofit state association offers information and guidance to their members about advocacy work. A steady stream of webinars offers compelling guidance from respected leaders in the field. These are important and commendable resources that offer tremendous benefits for the sector and leaders. But if these trainings aren’t having the desired impact—and fewer nonprofits are putting these resources to practice or absorbing the same knowledge than 20 years ago—then they need to be drastically modified. 

For leaders who are already balancing full plates, we need to make it easy to add policy advocacy to their work. Practical trainings focused on implementation instead of theory and are available 24/7—instead of multi-hour Zoom calls—would give leaders the time and space they need. Customizable templates, sample email copy, and examples of how to engage in activities like voter registration and issue education will go a long way helping clarify the dos and don’ts of advocacy work. 

2. Fund, renew funding, and create new funding for policy advocacy 

Grantmakers who recognize the value of advocacy could add percentage increases, or flat amounts, to every award to incentivize advocacy work and make it clear that they believe this is a valuable activity, even if it doesn’t produce immediate results that can be reported. Funders could also provide their grantees with practical, impactful training resources on advocacy or offer to pay for a certain number of legal hours if organizations have compliance concerns. Highlighting advocacy work within existing funding areas and grant recipients is another simple, low-cost way to demonstrate that advocacy is not only permitted but also important. 

3. Small efforts can make a big difference for civic engagement 

When big issues are at stake, nonprofits may feel they need to take big actions to address them meaningfully. While large-scale actions matter, that mindset can be overwhelming for nonprofits that haven’t made policy advocacy a part of their work. Low-cost and easy activities like encouraging e-newsletter subscribers to register to vote and sharing where to find polling places can make a critical difference in increasing voter turnout. Distributing impact reports to local lawmakers can demonstrate the essential work the organization is doing in the community. Providing expert testimony on a bill or inviting local officials to community events can also help advance policy advocacy. 

Advocacy enables nonprofits to influence policy, amplify community voices, and create lasting impact. But to increase policy advocacy efforts by nonprofits, we need to invest in accessible learning, fund advocacy work, and build an understanding that compliant advocacy work can take many forms.  

Photo credit: LeoPatrizi via Getty Images