Advocacy, Organizing and the Special Role of Philanthropy
posted on: Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Advocacy, Organizing and the Special Role of Philanthropy
By Niki Jagpal
In a recent blog post, Drummond Pike, founder and CEO of the Tides Foundation, Center and Shared Spaces, makes an excellent point about the role of nonprofits engaged in advocacy.
I couldn’t agree more with Pike’s strong support of advocacy, which demonstrates broad impact and a high return on investment for institutional philanthropy. Moreover, engaging in advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement are some of the most effective strategies to bring the authentic voices of ordinary citizens directly into policymaking that impact communities. If more foundations and institutional grantmakers adopt these strategies, the net benefit ripples across the U.S. society, advancing opportunities for all and making positive contributions that move us toward an inclusive and participatory democracy.
In the coming weeks, NCRP will release a report on the impacts of this work in New Mexico. The first in a series of reports that documents the impacts of advocacy, organizing and civic engagement across different parts of the country, the New Mexico report found a high aggregate return on investments associated with such work. Importantly, the benefits have already contributed to advancing state-wide opportunities for all citizens of New Mexico. NCRP found impacts in myriad issue areas, including living wages; immigrant rights; healthcare; and leadership development.
NCRP looks forward to contributing to these important discussions about the unique role of advocacy and organizing as tools for the civil society sector to increase its impact and maintain a civically engaged population. As Pike notes in his post, “NOW is the time to make clear what we hold to be critical, and the ideas we have been working on for how best to address those things.” I couldn’t agree more and hope that our reports documenting the impacts of advocacy help the nonprofit sector as a whole to work on the critical issues that strengthen communities nationwide.
Niki Jagpal is the research director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
By Niki Jagpal
In a recent blog post, Drummond Pike, founder and CEO of the Tides Foundation, Center and Shared Spaces, makes an excellent point about the role of nonprofits engaged in advocacy.
I couldn’t agree more with Pike’s strong support of advocacy, which demonstrates broad impact and a high return on investment for institutional philanthropy. Moreover, engaging in advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement are some of the most effective strategies to bring the authentic voices of ordinary citizens directly into policymaking that impact communities. If more foundations and institutional grantmakers adopt these strategies, the net benefit ripples across the U.S. society, advancing opportunities for all and making positive contributions that move us toward an inclusive and participatory democracy.
In the coming weeks, NCRP will release a report on the impacts of this work in New Mexico. The first in a series of reports that documents the impacts of advocacy, organizing and civic engagement across different parts of the country, the New Mexico report found a high aggregate return on investments associated with such work. Importantly, the benefits have already contributed to advancing state-wide opportunities for all citizens of New Mexico. NCRP found impacts in myriad issue areas, including living wages; immigrant rights; healthcare; and leadership development.
NCRP looks forward to contributing to these important discussions about the unique role of advocacy and organizing as tools for the civil society sector to increase its impact and maintain a civically engaged population. As Pike notes in his post, “NOW is the time to make clear what we hold to be critical, and the ideas we have been working on for how best to address those things.” I couldn’t agree more and hope that our reports documenting the impacts of advocacy help the nonprofit sector as a whole to work on the critical issues that strengthen communities nationwide.
Niki Jagpal is the research director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
posted by NCRP at
12:34 PM
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