Competency 5: Public Policy

Competency 5: "I have the ability to participate in and contribute to the policy process while functioning in the nonprofit sector."

Public Policy

Due to the nature of the work many nonprofit organizations are involved in, oftentimes these organizations work alongside the government, which means that an understanding of how public policy operates and impacts their work would be beneficial. Some organizations develop work groups that are focused exclusively on addressing public policy, sorting out issues involved, advising the executive board and leadership on recommended positions and alerting the board and staff on any possible changes in public policy that could have an impact on the organization (Boardsource, 2010). This also means understanding how advocacy and lobbying can be useful tools in a nonprofit manager/leader’s toolbox, in order to speak up on behalf of their clients and on behalf of their organizations (Worth, 2020). This is where the benefits of earning a degree in nonprofit management and public administration comes into play. Having the knowledge of how the nonprofit sector works and how to lead organizations function, and being able to enter the public sector on behalf of nonprofit organizations, would provide any organization an advantage when it comes to addressing and speaking up for or against any public policies that may have an impact on the organization.

PAD 6142 Policy Advocacy Plan

This assignment was part of an overall assignment to create a nonprofit organization that would address a social concern that our group chose (please see page 25 of Nonprofit Organization assignment). We decided to address homelessness and housing by creating “Hearts in the Home” an organization that serves to advocate and solve homelessness in the community. One component of developing a nonprofit organization was to consider how to build a policy advocacy plan into the fabric of the organization. With this assignment, it highlighted the importance of having public policy and advocacy components integrated in the organization. This policy advocacy plan focused on building a team that would be solely dedicated to working on advocating for the homeless community and also speak up for our organization to work with legislators and lobbying for support. Lobbying could mean contacting a member of Congress, a state legislator, or a city councilperson to request sponsorship or to vote in favor or against a specific bill that would have an impact on the organization’s work (Worth, 2020). An interesting component that was incorporated into our policy advocacy plan was plans to have the advocacy team work closely with the marketing team, to be able to communicate progress internally and externally. With the rise of social media as a channel of communication, having both teams work together will ensure that the organization is head of the news and sharing the best and most efficient news possible, while educating and engaging people on the topics that impact them most (Worth, 2020).

PAD 5146 Policy Process Assignment

This assignment looked into the importance of the policy process within the context of nonprofit organizations overall. The assignment looked into what advocacy is and how advocacy can benefit the organizations. While working on this assignment, it taught me how diverse advocacy can be when it comes to addressing public policy and to see the many nuances of public policy. I learned about the various methods, how beneficial they can be when advocating for an organization, and how these methods can lead an organization toward achieving its overall goal. These are great components to keep in mind when working with an organization in the future, because understanding how to advocate and address public policy will prove to be a key to success in any nonprofit organization.

References

Boardsource. (2010) The Handbook of Nonprofit Governance. Jossey-Bass.

Pearce, J. & Soaw, J. (2019) Organizational Behavior: Real Research for Public and Nonprofit Managers. Melvin & Leigh, Publishers.

Rowe, W. G. & Dato-On, M. C. (2013). Introduction to Nonprofit Management. SAGE Publishing.

Worth, M. J. (2020) Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practice. 6th edition. SAGE Publishing.