By Liza Andrews, MSW, Public Policy Director
Countless issues affecting nonprofits are currently being debated on both the state and federal level, including the state budget and bonding, healthcare, federal funding for capacity building, etc. Yet nonprofits often feel like their voice is not being heard. When you consider the state budget, nonprofits have been on the same merry-go-round for years while seeking cost-of-living adjustments (COLA). Sometimes we get one, sometimes we don’t. Providers will get a 4% COLA one year, and nothing the next. We take one step forward, only to take two steps back. The only guarantee seems to be uncertainty. How can we change this?
In August, CT Nonprofits held a Healthcare Forum that included an expert panel consisting of Congressman Chris Murphy, State Comptroller Nancy Wyman and Frances Padilla, Vice President for Program, Policy & Administration at the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut. This forum gave members a wonderful opportunity to discuss what is going on at the state level with the new SustiNet program, as well as learn the facts about the various federal proposals. Several members commented on their disbelief that numerous myths about federal healthcare reform seem to have so effectively permeated the news media in recent weeks. All we see and hear is the shouting and it drowns out not only the thoughtful, respectful discussions that are occurring, but also the facts. Members asked for insight on how to change the tone and direction of the debate. The answer from the panel was quite simple – organize!
Good old fashioned grassroots community organizing, the very tenet at the heart of the nonprofit community, is the key. In terms of the federal healthcare debate, one side has been very well organized, quickly getting their message out to perceived supporters. They tell their side of the story in a very dramatic fashion and ask supports to contact their elected officials. Suddenly elected officials are inundated with emails and phone calls for that side of the debate. Now, some will say that they trust their elected official to do the right thing. Trust in those you elect is a good thing, but remember, this is a numbers game. If an elected official is looking at 100 phone calls from one side of the debate, and 10 from the other, he or she may think the side taken by 100 callers is the right thing to do. After all, these are his or her constituents, too, and this is what they want. Do not assume that your elected official will instinctively know which side of the debate you are on without expressing it. We, too, need to be getting our message out to supporters and making sure they’re conveying that message to lawmakers so that the debate does not appear one-sided.
In an article for the Nonprofit Quarterly, Tim Delaney captured the true roadblock to nonprofit advocacy efforts: ourselves. “Although it’s tempting to say policymakers just don’t care, or that nonprofits don’t make political contributions, or countless other excuses, in truth they ignored nonprofits because we let them. Nonprofits don't speak up about policies and issues that clearly impact us and the communities we serve. Our sector tends to be overly polite, wanting policymakers to simply invite us to the policy table because we do good work. And too often we self-censor what needs to be said in fear of retribution for speaking the truth. Our communities’ needs are too great for us to continue sitting quietly on the sidelines.”The benefit to being a member of CT Nonprofits is the collective voice provided by our over 500 members. But paying your dues is not where the responsibility ends. It’s great if every member contacts their elected official on any given issue; that’s 500 emails or phone calls. But what if every employee of every member contacted their elected official? What if every consumer of every member contacted their elected official? That’s thousands of voices in support of one issue, be it the COLA or healthcare reform. Again, the collective voice is where the power lies.
CT Nonprofits will provide you with up-to-date information. We’ll provide you with the tools and training necessary to feel confident advocating on behalf of your services and consumers. For instance, you can check out our new Center for Professional Development training, Advocacy 101: Call it lobbying, Call it education, Call it outreach, Call it advocacy..., or an exciting workshop, Making Our Voices Heard: Grassroots Advocacy for All of Us, at our upcoming Annual Conference on November 23rd. All you need to bring with you is the desire to seek change!
