Independent Sector has released a new report on nonprofit advocacy and civic engagement based on a national survey and interviews with nonprofit institutions. The report, The Retreat of Influence: Exploring the Decline of Nonprofit Advocacy and Public Engagement, explores how advocacy and civic engagement may vary by organization size, geography, communities served, and leadership demographics. 

This research, the first of two reports, explores the current state of nonprofit advocacy and civic engagement. A qualitative study to explore the underlying reasons why organizations do or do not engage in these activities, which are core to the sector's identity and determine the ability of individual organizations to advance their missions, is currently underway.   

Key Takeaways from the Report:   

Nonprofits belonging to collaborative groups advocate at higher rates than those that are not members.   

• Of nonprofits that belong to local, state, or national coalitions, 57% advocate or lobby, compared to only 12% of nonprofits that do not belong to such coalitions.   

Although a majority of nonprofits have a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) statement, only 36% engage in policy activities to create more equitable systems. 

• However, policy-engaged nonprofits’ investment of time and resources in DEI activities is much higher than for non-policy-engaged nonprofits.      

     

13% of nonprofits conduct nonpartisan activities to help people vote.  

• Among nonprofits that advocate, 1 in 5 provide people with nonpartisan voter information.  

Mission plays the largest role in determining nonprofit advocacy and lobbying.   

• Approximately 70% of policy-engaged nonprofits report their mission encourages their policy engagement.  

• Among nonprofits that do not engage in policy, 56% report policy engagement does not apply to their mission. 

A significantly lower proportion of nonprofits report advocating or lobbying compared to 20 years ago. 

• 31% of nonprofits report engaging in advocacy or lobbying over the last five years, which is less than half of the percentage of nonprofits that reported ever lobbying in 2000 (74%). 

Significantly fewer nonprofits know the advocacy activities they can legally conduct, compared to 20 years ago. 

• In 2000, 54% of 501(c)(3) public charities knew they could support or oppose federal legislation. Today, only 32% of nonprofits are aware of that fact. 

This research complements the only other nationally representative survey on nonprofit advocacy conducted more than 20 years ago, the 2000 Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy Project (SNAP) Assessment. It also establishes a new baseline for nonprofit advocacy and civic engagement that includes three new metrics of nonprofit activity: (1) nonpartisan civic engagement, (2) support of social movements, and (3) level of investment in equity work. 

The second report, which includes qualitative research, will be released this fall. 

Want more?  

Read the full report here.