C05 Session: Meeting Mission Through Advocacy

Advocacy and public policy work are critical elements in achieving the missions of all nonprofit organizations.  A 2002 study conducted by Tufts University, Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI), and OMBWatch found that nonprofits are involved in lobbying and advocacy work, but that they are involved on an inconsistent basis.  The study found that consistent engagement in public policy is often linked to organizational structure and decision-making processes.  The study authors identified organizational capacity building for public policy and effective advocacy skills as key training needs, in addition to a need for more training in the rules and regulations regarding nonprofit advocacy.  This session will address the former, focusing on

1. Why and how to encourage nonprofit organizations to make advocacy an integral part of their organization, and
2. How to teach specific advocacy techniques including effective lobbying, advocacy messaging, and media campaigns.

The workshop format will include information and models of planning tools for advocacy, engaging participants  in a brainstorm of what has worked (and not worked) in selling the concept of nonprofit advocacy, roleplays and an interactive slide show of effective nonprofit message campaigns. 

About the Presenters

Katherine Long, Vermont Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (VANPO)

Katherine Long is the Director of Public Policy for the Vermont Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (VANPO). VANPO’s mission is to increase the influence and organizational capacity of nonprofit organizations in Vermont through education, collaboration and advocacy. As the first VANPO staff person dedicated to public policy, Katherine has developed VANPO's advocacy infrastructure and has raised the profile of the nonprofit sector at the Vermont Statehouse. She directed Vermont’s first “State of the Sector” study, co-authoring the publication, Not the Non-Sector: The Facts About the Charitable Nonprofit Community in Vermont. She teaches and coordinates various advocacy workshops for VANPO's TAP-VT management training program and teaches a course on public policy and nonprofit sector as an adjunct instructor in St. Michael’s College graduate program in management.  Katherine holds an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from Cornell University.  Prior to joining VANPO, Katherine conducted research on affordable housing financing, sustainable economic development initiatives and technical assistance in rural communities.  She has experience in nonprofit human services organizations, education and international development.

Julia Fabris McBride, Community Collaborations

Julia Fabris McBride is the founder of Community Collaborations, a consulting firm specializing in planning and leadership development for the arts, environment and community. Among her clients are the James P. Shannon Leadership Institute (St. Paul, MN); the Donors Forum of Chicago; the Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation; Scrap Mettle SOUL (Chicago, IL); Friends of the Chicago River; the American Association of Theatre in Education; and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. Prior to founding Community Collaborations, Julia served as deputy director for programming at the Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation (IAAF) where she was responsible for the education, research and outreach programs of Illinois’ primary multi-disciplinary arts advocacy organization. Julia worked closely with IAAF executive director Alene Valkanas, author Alton Miller and a committee of the board to develop The Advocacy Project: Democracy in Action, a nonprofit lobbying training program. In her five years with IAAF, Julia trained hundreds of nonprofit lobbyists, planned and coordinated statewide conferences and forums, managed and conducted research for the Arts Leadership for the 21 st Century and Working Together programs, and oversaw the Local Arts Network, providing information and services to community arts agencies throughout the state. Julia is on the part-time faculty of Columbia College Chicago’s Arts Entertainment and Media Management Department, teaching Advocacy for Arts Mangers and Making a Living (and a Good Life) in the Arts. She holds a BA in Theatre from Case Western Reserve University and is a graduate of the 3-year acting program at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She is an avid organic vegetable gardener.

Erin Skene, Michigan Nonprofit Association

Erin Skene serves as Director of the Michigan Public Policy Initiative (MPPI). The Initiative is a program of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, affiliated with the Council of Michigan Foundations. The vision of MPPI is to promote involvement of Michigan’s nonprofit community in public policy by training its leaders, building the capacity of its organizations and encouraging collaboration with public policy makers. With MPPI, Erin authored the Michigan’s Public Policy Handbook: A Lobbying Guide for 501(c)(3) Nonprofits and edited the publications Setting the Record Straight on Michigan’s Nonprofit Community and Guide to Getting Good Media Coverage. Erin previously acted as the Associate Director of MPPI and has worked with the Michigan Nonprofit Association for over five years. Erin previously held the position of Statewide Project Coordinator on Campaign Finance Reform for the League of Women Voters of Michigan. As project coordinator, she was responsible for educating legislators, developing and implementing a media campaign, recruiting volunteers and designing trainings to educate volunteers on grassroots advocacy techniques. The year-long project culminated with an interactive event, linking seven sites across the state, to discuss whether campaign finance reform is needed in Michigan. Erin graduated in May 2000 from Michigan State University (MSU) with degrees in English and Journalism.  She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Boarshead Theater – a regional equity theater in Lansing, MI and is pursuing her Masters in Public Administration at Western Michigan University.