Volume Up In Charity Advocacy

Volume Up In Charity Advocacy
By Christopher Gergen
The Washington Times
December 2, 2009

... According to the Internal Revenue Service, more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations are classified as working to change public opinion and public policy and more than 75 percent were formed after 1970. Those organizations strive to monitor government decisions proactively, educate the public and develop policy solutions based on research. A recent study by the National Committee for Responsible Philanthropy, using return-on-investment calculations, showed that advocacy efforts pay off - for every $1 spent on advocacy, organizing and community engagement, constituents received $89 in benefits.

To establish these results, the study evaluated a number of organizations in North Carolina engaged in advocacy efforts, including Senior PharmAssist, which helps low-income seniors get access to affordable medications. Following the passage of Medicare Part D, Senior PharmAssist led efforts to create a statewide coalition that appealed to North Carolina legislators to provide Medicare Part D premium assistance for low-income seniors. Through their efforts, they created NCRx and helped more than 5,325 low-income seniors afford prescription drugs.

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