C06 Session: Meeting Mission through Advocacy

Meeting Mission through Advocacy: A Road Map for Building Nonprofit Capacity to Engage in Legislative Advocacy

Thursday, August 3, 2:15pm - 5:30pm

Track:  Advocacy and Social Change

Presenters

Gita Gulati-Partee and Jim Hudson, Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest

Description

Nonprofit organizations excel at providing direct services that address immediate needs.  Advocacy on public policy helps address the systemic causes that perpetuate those needs, leading to greater and more sustainable impact on the most pressing social issues of our time.  In this interactive workshop, learn how to use the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest's Roadmap to build nonprofits' organizational capacity and strategic ability to engage effectively in legislative advocacy.

About the Presenters

Gita Gulati-Partee, Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest

Gita Gulati-Partee is president and founder of OpenSource Leadership Strategies, Inc., a national consulting practice based in Durham, North Carolina. Gita has extensive experience in asset-based methods of inquiry, engagement, and change with a range of groups – from small grassroots operations to national networks, infrastructure organizations, and grantmaking institutions. As senior consultant to the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, Gita works with the CLPI staff to weave the CLPI Action Network by developing Strategic Partnerships with national infrastructure groups and networks; Training Fellows who extend CLPI's capacity to deliver trainings to nonprofits across the country; the annual Network Retreat for strategizing and relationship building; and an interactive curriculum available through CLPI's online Training Resource Center. Gita brings a strong and diverse portfolio of experience and training to OpenSource and CLPI. She is on the core faculty of Duke University's annual Institute in Nonprofit Leadership. Gita has also published books and articles on advocacy, grantmaking, service-learning, and internships. She was recently the program director for public policy at the NC Center for Nonprofits – the statewide network, resource center, and advocate for nonprofits in NC – and editor of the Center's bimonthly Common Ground. Previously, Gita served as a program officer with The Cleveland Foundation, where she conducted strategic grantmaking in arts and education and directed a technology capacity-building project. Earlier, Gita managed special projects for the National Society for Experiential Education and educational programs for the Duke University Talent Identification Program. Gita holds an MBA with concentrations in entrepreneurship and organizational behavior as well as a Certificate in Public Policy from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Gita received her B.A. and Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. She is a 2001-2003 William C. Friday Fellow for Human Relations through the Wildacres Leadership Initiative.

James Hudson, Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest

James M. Hudson, Esq., is the Program Director for the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI). Jim's experience and background lie in state and congressional legislation and nonprofit program management. As CLPI's Program Director, Jim manages CLPI's training programs, the CLPI Action Network, and the Knight Foundation Communities grant program. Before joining CLPI, Jim served as a staff attorney with the U.S. Coast Guard Judge Advocate's Office, a senior program officer for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and a public policy programs director at the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA). At NFHA, he created and developed the organization's national public policy and advocacy program and successfully lobbied for an increase in the annual Department of Housing and Urban Development's appropriation for housing civil rights work and the removal of a number of appropriation riders and earmarks. Jim's extensive experience in lobbying and public policy also come from his time as a legislative aide to Congressman Matthew Martinez (D-CA) and Senator Jimmy D. Cudaback of the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature, and as legal counsel to Congressman Robert C. Scott (D-VA). Jim received his law degree from the David Clark School of Law in Washington, D.C. and his Bachelor's degree from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A member of the Nebraska bar association, Jim is also 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps and an adjunct professor at Parks College, Arlington.