What is the difference between advocacy and lobbying?
Lobbying usually attempts to influence legislation at the federal and state level, whereas advocacy is a much broader range of activities which may or may not include lobbying.
The Internal Revenue Service identifies two kinds of lobbying: direct lobbying and grassroots lobbying.
A. Direct Lobbying
Direct lobbying is intentional advocacy directed toward a legislator, staffer or other government employee who may participate in the formulation of the legislation if the principal purpose of the communication is to influence legislation. Two criteria must be met in order for the communication to be considered lobbying:
- the communication must refer to specific legislation; and
- the communication must reflect a view on such legislation.
For example, it is not lobbying to sit in your Senator's office and discuss a specific piece of legislation, as long as you don't advocate a specific view on that legislation. Similarly, it is not considered lobbying to sit in that office and discuss your position on a policy issue as long as the discussion is not about a specific bill. It is not lobbying if you are meeting with your Senator to discuss the need for more funding for prevention programs; it would be lobbying if you had the same discussion with that Senator and asked her to vote in favor of a pending bill or to introduce legislation that would increase funding.
B. Grassroots Lobbying
Grassroots lobbying as defined by the IRS, refers to the many types of indirect attempts to communicate with and influence legislators, such as communication aimed at legislators' constituents.
A communication is treated as a grassroots lobbying communication if all three of the following elements are present:
- the communication must refer to specific legislation;
- the communication reflects a view on such legislation; and
- the communication encourages the recipient of the communication to take action with respect to such legislation.
For example, it is not grassroots lobbying to include an article in a newsletter that discusses a specific bill pending before the legislature even though the article may state that the organization supports or opposes the legislation. It would be considered grassroots lobbying if that same article urged readers to contact their legislator to ask them to vote for or against that bill (call to action). All three elements must be present to be considered as grassroots lobbying.
Guidelines for Advocacy: Changing Policies & Laws to Create Safer Environments for Youth. CADCA Strategizer #31. .
C. Advocacy
Advocacy is a much broader range of activities designed to change public opinion. Advocacy is most effective when done on an ongoing basis over a period of time.
For example, suppose your non profit organization was in danger of closing it's doors because of a series of budget cuts from the federal and state government over the past few years. This would mean that clients would no longer be able to receive your services. Your organization decides that it must build community support for its services so that the public views the agency's programs as a valuable, indispensable part of the community. If the organization doesn't start this process until six months before the doors close, the likelihood of obtaining public support of sufficient magnitude to save the program is minimal. However, if advocacy activities have been an ongoing part of the organization's strategic plan, the public will already know, understand, and support the agency's services.
Some of the advocacy activities that organizations might use as a part of their ongoing strategy could include:
- Regular human interest articles in local newspapers that showcase the organization's services.
- Feature stories that illustrate how an individual or family was helped through the organization's services.
- Wide distribution of the organization's annual report to local public officials (county commissioners, judges, mayors, police chiefs, superintendents, etc.), newspapers, and state and federal legislators.
- At least annually, inviting your district's legislators to visit your organization.
- At least annually, visiting your legislators in their district or state office.
- Editorials in the local newspaper that explain in human terms why your services are valuable to the community.
