How to Get Your Board Fully on Board with Advocacy - Episode 08

I hear from so many nonprofit leaders who struggle to get their board fully on board with their advocacy work.  In that situation, the best case scenario is you’re missing out on a ton of potential.  The worst case is you have one or more board members who are actively hindering the organization’s involvement in advocacy work.  The good news is you can fix that.  

In this episode, we’ll reveal:

• The root cause of board members’ resistance to advocacy
• The most common misconceptions board members have about advocacy
• Two key framing shifts to make with your board before you do anything else
• A simple process for taking board members from reluctance to investment in advocacy
• How to deal with a conservative board member who’s  resistant to advocacy
• How to make advocacy part of your board culture 

I would love to hear from you if there are other challenges with respect to Board members and advocacy that you’d like to hear addressed on a future episode, or if you have a success story you’d like to share.

You can connect with me on LinkedIn @The Nonprofit Power Podcast, or you can go to the Nonprofit Power Podcast website and send me a message there.  Both are great ways to reach me, and I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Resources:   Links to info on lobbying rules for 501(c)(3) nonprofits

Lobbying: Important Legal Considerations for Individuals and 501(c)(3) Organizations
Quick read, straightforward, explains the basics well and references more detailed resources

Knowing the Rules for Nonprofit Lobbying
Medium-length read, provides helpful examples for illustration

Public Charities Can Lobby
Easy instructions for 501(h) election to maximize your lobbying options

Lobbying Rules and 501(c)3 Organizations
Very comprehensive and well-explained, but may be TMI for most orgs