This document provides guidance on arts advocacy and building advocacy structures within an organization. It discusses setting advocacy goals and priorities, including identifying key audiences and determining how to influence them. It also discusses building internal advocacy structures, such as designating advocacy staff or integrating responsibilities into existing roles. The document outlines potential advocacy strategies like creating policy briefs or identifying champions. It provides tips on evaluating advocacy progress and overviews rules for 501(c)(3) organizations' lobbying within specified limits. The overall aim is to help organizations achieve lasting policy changes through public funding and directives.
2. ARTS ADVOCACY:
BUILDING FROM WITHIN
1. Setting Advocacy Goals and
Priorities
2. Building Internal Advocacy
Structures
3. Developing Strategies/Tactics
4. Evaluating Progress
5. Rules for 501(c)(3) Organizations
3. WHY BE INVOLVED IN
ADVOCACY
Achieving large-scale and lasting results
for individuals or communities –
typically cannot be accomplished with
private resources alone. Often, it
requires public investments and
government directives. While an
organization might identify and
implement effective interventions, larger
and more sustainable funding sources
are needed to scale up those
interventions and broaden their impacts.
Securing such commitments requires
4. SETTING ADVOCACY GOALS
AND PRIORITIES
Five essential steps for developing
public policy
Choosing the public policy goal
Understanding the challenges
Identifying influential audiences
Determining how far those audiences
must move
Deciding how to move them
5. SETTING ADVOCACY GOALS
AND PRIORITES
Some Questions to Ask
At what level of government does the policy
goal need to change
How long a time commitment is required
What is the likelihood of success
What are the opposing forces or potential
threats
Who is the primary audience and what will it
take to move them
6. BUILDING INTERNAL
ADVOCACY STRUCTURES
Staffing Models
Designated GR Staff
GR Responsibilities Integrated Into
Existing Staff
Executive Director
Volunteer
Board Roles
GR Committee
Incorporate into Agendas
8. POSSIBLE STRATEGIES
Conduct board member “who do you know” exercise
Create a board government relations committee or
incorporate into another committee
Create a policy one pager
Conduct special outreach to freshmen legislators
Create a legislative arts caucus
Host a briefing for legislative staff
Identify champions
Identify, educate, and involve key influencers
10. RULES FOR 501(C)(3)
LOBBYING
Federal laws actually exist to encourage
charities to lobby within certain
specified limits.
Knowing what constitutes lobbying
under the law, and what the limits are, is
the key to being able to lobby legally
and safely.
The laws have some detail, so consult
your attorney or accountant for
professional advice.
11. RULES FOR 501(C)(3)
LOBBYING
“Lobbying” does not include the following
activities:
providing technical assistance or advice to legislative
body or committee in response to a written request;
making available nonpartisan analysis, study or
research; providing examinations and discussions of
broad, social, economic and similar problems;
communicating with a legislative body regarding
matters which might affect the existence of the
organization, its powers and duties, its tax-exempt
status, or the deduction of contributions to the
organization (the "self-defense" exception);
and, updating the members of your own organization
on the status of legislation, without a call to action.
12. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Charities are expressly prohibited from
intervening in a political campaign of any
candidate for public office, and from
engaging in partisan activity of any kind.
Charities may not use government
funds, such as government grants or
contracts, to lobby, including the use of
federal funds to lobby for federal grants
or contracts.