How Public Policy Can Strengthen Our Sector

by Carol E. Hickman, Director of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon

In a provocative essay in the April 20, 2009 New Yorker, James Surowiecki draws on academic studies and stories from the for-profit world to suggest that a recession is no time to be a shrinking violet. For example, Post cereals hasn't dominated the supermarket aisles ever since they cut back on product development and advertising during the Depression—the very same time that rival Kellogg's created soaring profits by promoting its new Rice Krispies cereal with the clever Snap, Crackle, and Pop characters. Surowiecki postulates that "Recessions make the strong stronger and the weak weaker, since the strong can afford to keep investing while the weak have to devote all their energies to staying afloat. But although deep pockets help in a downturn, recessions nonetheless create more opportunity for challengers, not less."

I'm not proposing that nonprofits rush out to create tasty breakfast cereals with zippy jingles, but this may be the time for us to make a little more noise for our own organizations and for the sector by engaging in public policy work. If you think about it, public policy work is really just another way for a nonprofit to tell its story—something you already know how to do when you're writing grants, speaking with funders, or orienting new board members. When it comes to advocacy and direct or grassroots lobbying, there are important rules and prohibitions that nonprofits must follow in order to protect their tax exempt status. But once you're informed you'll find that public policy work offers a tangible way to demonstrate how fundamental your nonprofit's work is to the life and health of your community and our state.

In economically uncertain times it seems intuitive to go into survival mode and focus internally, but public policy work encourages us to reach out—and not just to our boards, or donors, or clients. Imagine what would happen if the historical society and the hospital board, the friends of the library and legal aid, the community ballet and the free clinic all worked together in their community. Picture the impact at the city council meeting or park clean-up or neighborhood association event with the participation of all of those nonprofits. Public policy involvement is the very definition of the proposition that the whole is larger than the parts.

NAO's public policy program works to strengthen the partnership between nonprofit organizations and public policy makers on behalf of all Oregonians.

We seek to build a statewide organization of nonprofits that are engaged in public policy debates and the expression of diverse points of view and opinions on issues through three strategies:

• Educating and informing nonprofit organizations and elected officials regarding public policy issues that affect the nonprofit sector as a whole
• Educating and informing nonprofits of their rights and responsibilities as advocates and provide the skills needed to engage in effective advocacy
• Developing tools and mechanisms that create a voice for nonprofits by encouraging NAO members to weigh in on significant local, state, and national policy issues.

NAO has online resources to help our members learn about nonprofit advocacy and lobbying, including information to encourage nonprofits to build relationships with their federal and state legislators. Just as you would get to know and cultivate a donor before asking for a gift, we believe that it's incumbent on nonprofits to cultivate relationships with their elected officials. It stands to reason that if they know us and our stories, we'll be better positioned to defend and to advocate for our rights and interests.

These tumultuous times afford nonprofits the opportunity to redefine and even grow and develop services that are more affordable, accessible, and sustainable—and that's a story worth telling to the public we serve and the public officials who serve us. Simply hunkering down and holding steady may well be the way to lose ground in the end. We invite you to join NAO to add your voice and your story to our work to elevate the profile of Oregon's nonprofit community.

Carol E. Hickman is the director of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon (NAO). Learn more about NAO.