Nonprofits in Policy Advocacy

Policy advocacy is an increasingly important function of many nonprofit organizations, as they seek broad social changes in their concerning issues. Their advocacy practices, however, have often been guided by their own past experiences, anecdotes from peer networks, and consultant advice. Most of their practices have largely escaped empirical and theoretical grounding that could better root their work in established theories of policy change. The first book of its kind, Nonprofits in Policy Advocacy bridges this gap by connecting real practices of on-the-ground policy advocates with the burgeoning academic literature in policy studies. In the process, it empirically identifies six distinct policy advocacy strategies, and their accompanying tactics, used by nonprofits. Case studies tell the stories of how advocates apply these strategies in a wide variety of issues including civil rights, criminal justice, education, energy, environment, public health, public infrastructure, and youth. This book will appeal to both practitioners and academicians, as each gains insights into the other’s views of policy change and the actions that produce it.

“Sheldon Gen and Amy Conley Wright have written both a solid academic work, which includes a great deal of original research, and a valuable supplementary text for classroom use. … they also frame advocacy behavior within the theories of public policy scholarship, making Nonprofits in Policy Advocacy a useful supplementary text for graduate classes in nonprofit management or advocacy, but equally valuable for graduate or upper level undergraduate public policy classes, as well as political science classes that focus on interest groups, lobbying, and advocacy.” (Shelly Arsneault, Nonprofit Policy Forum, May 7, 2021)

Sheldon Gen is Associate Professor in the Public Administration Program at San Francisco State University, USA. He teaches courses on policy processes and civic engagement as part of the MPA curriculum, and studies public engagement in policy making processes with a focus on environmental and education policy issues. These interests stem from his prior employment and consultancies with many public and nonprofit organizations in the areas of environment, education, transportation, and development.Amy Conley Wright is Associate Professor in Social Work at the University of Sydney, Australia. She received her PhD from University of California, Berkeley. She studies effective advocacy for creating policy change for children and families and her publications include peer-reviewed journal articles on the topics of child maltreatment prevention, parent peer support, social investment, and policy advocacy.