As noted in chapter 13 of The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management, as a former community-organizer, President Obama once stated that “organizing begins with the premise that (1) the problems facing inner-city communities do not result from a lack of effective solutions, but from a lack of power to implement these solutions(Avner,367)”. Based upon my experience in Buffalo, New York, I find this to be true. I have come across a couple of innovative programs that have produced an impact in the inner-city. However, the programs lack of power has made some short-term. The difference between failed innovative programs and the high-impact nonprofits discussed in Forces for Good is power. If the failed innovative program organized their efforts and attempted to balance both direct service and advocacy, than possibly the program could have expanded to become an actual effective nonprofit.
In order for an innovative nonprofit to exist, advocacy must be implemented. Nonprofit advocacy brings awareness to the general public of an organization’s solution to societal problems. Awareness can generate power by encouraging funders, providers and even beneficiaries to participate in a nonprofit. What good is it of an innovative idea when people are not aware of it? Implementation of innovative public service ideas are often linked to the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. As noted by Crutchfield and Grant in Forces for Good, 11 of the 12 high-impact nonprofits they studied have a strong D.C. presence (50). Based on this fact, a potentially effective innovative nonprofit should engage in advocacy. If a nonprofit is clear about its mission and vision, than there should not be any discrepancies on advocating on the beneficiaries behalf. For instance, National Council of La Raza (NCLR) has existed for several decades. The nonprofit has always been clear to funders particularly corporate partners that they only take positions that make sense for the Latino community. As former senior vice president Emily Gantz McCay stated “we are always clear about being an advocacy group first” (Crutchfield and Grant, 45). Such advocacy efforts have allowed the organization to continue to provide direct service to their beneficiaries. Without such efforts, the organization would have simply been another short-term nonprofit.
Most of the organizations in Forces for Good emphasize national advocacy--they have Washington DC offices as you point out. Many of the organizations for which BU MPA graduates will work will be local, community-based nonprofits. Should they focus their advocacy at the local or state level? What would their advocacy efforts look like? What kind of capacity do you think they should have? Imagine what kind of advocacy effort you would recommend for any of the Buffalo organizations you refer to in your post. Would they target their efforts to Buffalo? Erie County? Albany? Washington DC?
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