Nonprofit Advocacy Resources
While many nonprofits are wary of “advocacy,” the Collaborative believes strongly in harnessing the collective power of its partner organizations — and their deep understanding of the communities they serve — to make an impact.
Done correctly, nonprofit advocacy is legal, ethical, and effective. Learn more about nonprofit advocacy (and how it differs from lobbying) via the Collaborative’s one-pager here.
Advocacy Resources
This glossary consists of frequently used terms and phrases in the advocacy world.
Why Should Your Nonprofit Advocate
Advocacy is vital for a nonprofit to advance its mission. Find out why.
This factsheet provides a quick rundown on how effective advocacy enables nonprofits to shape the public debate on important social issues and ultimately, ensures that underserved communities have a voice in the policies that impact their lives.
When it comes to advocacy, knowing what type of organization you are is the first step. Depending on your tax exempt status, the laws surrounding advocacy differ and directly impact what you can (or can’t) do through advocacy.
For nonprofits, coalitions, and groups engaged in advocacy, it’s important to understand your advocacy capacity so that you are ready to take action when opportunities arise. The Advocacy Capacity Tool (ACT!) is designed to help your organization become more effective at advocacy.
Practical Guidance: What Nonprofits Need to Know About Lobbying in Pennsylvania
This Practical Guidance resource is designed to help your nonprofit organization determine if lobbying rules in Pennsylvania might apply to your state or local work. It includes:
- Summary of registration and reporting triggers
- Key takeaways for nonprofit organizations
- FAQs
- Case study for a hypothetical small student voting rights organization
- List of helpful additional resources
Core Components of Community Organizing Evaluation
Designed to save the valuable time of organizing groups and others, this document synthesizes the results of this research by outlining seven key components to consider when evaluating organizing work.
Transition Advocacy: Is it Lobbying?
One of the more frequent questions we get about transition team advocacy is whether it counts as lobbying for 501(c)(3) public charities.1 The short answer is: sometimes, but usually not. As with everything, it depends on the details.
Nonprofits Can Influence the Budget Process
This fact sheet offers tips on how your nonprofit can get involved in budget advocacy and explains whether the organization would need to track each activity as lobbying against its lobbying limits.
Advocacy Resources for Allegheny County Budget Discussions
Email and Call Script
DHS Spending and Clients Served by Council District
Social Media Toolkit
Council Testimony Toolkit
