Many industries and associations historically shied away from involvement in lobbying, advocacy or public policy work, prompted in large part by strict federal laws; however, the tide appears to be changing, as a growing number of foundations across the country have become more engaged in elevating the public dialogue on issues integral to their missions. Here are some terms you should know about advocacy and public policy.
Terms Defined
Public Policy: There is no single definition of "public policy." In this document, public policy refers to the principles guiding any level of government or its representatives on a given topic, as expressed in laws, administrative practices, regulations, funding priorities and executive or judicial orders.
Lobbying: Lobbying is one specific form of public policy engagement that is often a key strategy for making and changing laws. Lobbying is defined by federal tax law as any attempt to influence specific legislation. More specifically, lobbying is any attempt to influence public officials in support of, or in opposition to, any legislation that has been introduced, or any legislation that may be introduced, in any legislative body, such as a city council, state legislature or Congress. Lobbying includes communicating with legislators and their staff directly, and encouraging others to contact their legislators.
Direct Lobbying: Direct lobbying is a communication with a member or employee of a legislative body (or certain other government officials) that both (a) refers to specific legislation, and (b) reflects a view on the legislation.
Grassroots Lobbying: Grassroots lobbying is any attempt to influence the opinions of the general public about specific legislation. In order to be grassroots lobbying, a communication must (a) refer to specific legislation, (b) reflect a view on the legislation, and (c) encourage the recipient to take action, such as contacting his or her legislator.
Advocacy: The term "advocacy" covers a much broader range of activities to push for changes in public policy, and these activities may or may not include lobbying. One way of differentiating between lobbying and advocacy is to understand that lobbying always involves advocacy, but advocacy does not necessarily involve lobbying.
We can assist in building and fortifying bridges that span the gap to successful lobbying and advocacy within state and municipal government along with providing representation to local boards and authorities as it relates to your organization. Provide analysis of legislation, regulations and related documents and recommendations for action.
• Present testimony on your behalf before legislative and municipal board and authorities.
• Arrange meetings with key legislators and government staff as needed.
• Maintain contact with those key individuals and organizations to advance the goals and objectives.
We provide a full range of support services for strategic planning. These services include:
• Research and analyze issues that impact your organization
• Assess resources available to address current issues
• Determine the most feasible strategies to maximize resources and address issues as well as needs