This morning I discovered my inner lobbyist.

I was a speaker at the Nonprofit Leadership Series on Advocacy: Lobbying 101: Yes You Can! with three wonderful colleagues – Katherine DeFoyd, Founding Partner of Growth for Good,  Tom Shanahan, President of The Shanahan Group, and Sabrina Shulman, Political Director of NARAL Pro-Choice New York.   All seasoned and skilled lobbyists.  Me, I was the token nonprofit who rounded out the picture.

Over the three hours we covered some basics such as the overall process, legislative calendars, rules and requirements for what one may and may not do and the difference between advocacy and lobbying.  Here is a great site that covers a lot of this.

Many groups shy away or are afraid of registering as lobbyists.  Sabrina made a great point about reframing how a nonprofit should think about lobbying.  Let’s say your organization’s budget is $1m.  According to the 20% rule, you are allowed to spend up to $200,000 on lobbying.  So, create a programmatic approach to lobbying efforts and budget this amount in a proactive way.  The energy and consistency of your lobbying activities will make a remarkable difference.

Tom and Katherine did a tag team on asking for advice, not for money and asking for money , not advice.  The essence of both of these topics was echoed throughout everything we spoke about – listening.  Talking to staff members and remembering their names.  Presenting your issue and listening to the legislator.  Making your ask and listening for the answer.  Listening for ways to be helpful in ways that are mission based and mutually beneficial.

I spoke about cultivation and the power of generous behaviors.  Tom referred to information as a kind of currency.  If you go into a meeting and do all the talking, you will have given away all of your information, or currency.  It is much better to speak briefly and let the legislator talk more so that you can gain the information you need, their currency.  Relationship building is a long term, everyday effort.

Over lunch, we talked about the session and it was then I realized that I do many of these things that we spoke of.  I am a lobbyist.  Only now I know the difference between lobbying and advocacy and I am proud to be one.

But enough about me, how about you?

According to the Alliance for Justice website:

Most nonprofits can and should lobby!  By NOT lobbying, many 501(c)(3) organizations are not fully exercising their rights under federal tax laws which allow for generous lobbying limits.  Lobbying is one subset of advocacy, and includes both direct and grassroots lobbying.

The amount of lobbying a nonprofit organization can engage in depends on how the nonprofit is classified.   501(c)(3) organizations can engage in a limited amount of lobbying, 501(c)(4) organizations can engage in an unlimited amount of lobbying, and political organizations may make very limited lobbying expenditures, but these expenditures may be subject to tax if not furthering political purpose.

Lobbying is your right.  Exercise it.

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