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Article 1
Advocacy Activities in Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: Implications for Policy.
Schmid, H., Bar, M., Nirel, R. (2008)
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 37: 581-602.

Discussion Questions

• Discuss the levels of advocacy or lobbying by human service organizations with large percentages of revenue from government sources. Explain why you believe that is the case.
• Discuss the levels of advocacy by organizations with a large percentage of volunteers. Does the size of the organization or the age of the nonprofit make a difference? Why or why not?
• How can US nonprofit organizations use this research in their advocacy and lobbying efforts?

Article 2
Civic Engagement and Nonprofit Lobbying in California, 1998–2003.
Suarez, D., Hwang, H. (2008)
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 37: 93-112.

Discussion Questions

• Are nonprofits in mission-driven fields more or less likely to lobby than nonprofit in other fields? Why or why not?
• Discuss at least two (2) types of civic engagement and explain their place in an advocacy program.
• Discuss some of the reasons that rights organizations and environmental organizations might engage in civic activism including lobbying.
• What impact did membership or affiliation with a state or national organization have on a local nonprofit’s advocacy or lobbying efforts?

Article 3
The Emerging Role of Nonprofit Associations in Advocacy and Public Policy: Trends, Issues, and Prospects.
Balassiano, K., Chandler, S. (2010)
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 39: 946-955.

Discussion Questions

• List two of the alternative terms many nonprofit organizations use instead of the word lobbying and discuss why they make those substitutions.
• Do state or national associations increase the role of nonprofits in advocacy? Why or why not?
• Describe the National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA) and the role it plays. What benefit can it provide to the nonprofit sector?

Article 4
Advocating for Policy Change in Nonprofit Coalitions 
Fyall, R., McGuire, M. (2015) 
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 44(6): 1274–1291.

Discussion Questions

• According to the authors, what themes are emerging in the research regarding nonprofit advocacy?
• What did the authors’ research reveal about the relationship between coalitions and policy change?

Article 5
Tweeting Social Change: How Social Media Are Changing Nonprofit Advocacy 
Guo, C., Saxton, G. (2014) 
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(1): 57–79.

Discussion Questions

• According to the authors, how do nonprofit organizations use social media to advocate for social causes?
• What is the authors’ three-stage pyramid model of social media-based advocacy?