Advocacy Spotlight Series
Nonprofit Mission: Leveraging Power Through Purpose
For many nonprofits, reluctance to engage in policy, advocacy, and elections is not so much a question of interest, but rather, insufficient knowledge about “what” civic activities are permissible, inability to recognize “why” advocacy is integral to nonprofit operations, and inadequate training on “how” to easily integrate these activities with their services. In fact, research confirms that one of the many factors that deter engagement is a dissonance between civic engagement and their organization’s mission, making it difficult for nonprofits to understand how advocacy benefits their work, and by extension, fail to inform the polices that regulate their subsector.
To address this, Independent Sector launched “Leave No Power on the Table,” an educational series and nonpartisan pledge campaign that equips nonprofits with resources and support to strengthen their influence and better serve their constituents through advocacy, civic engagement, and voter participation. As an initiative of the Leave No Power on the Table campaign, the “Advocacy Spotlight Series” features inspiring case studies that allow nonprofits to “learn by doing” through everyday examples of nonprofit advocacy.
Independent Sector developed the following case study in partnership with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM):
Q: When was the American Alliance of Museum’s nonprofit voter and civic engagement programming launched? Who were your targeted audiences and/or partners?
“The American Alliance of Museums’ mission is to champion equitable and impactful museums by connecting people, fostering learning and community, and nurturing museum excellence. Our vision is a just and sustainable world informed and enriched by thriving museums that contribute to the resiliency and equity of their communities. AAM consistently provides our members and the museum field with information about how 501(c)(3) organizations, including museums, can participate in allowable nonpartisan voter engagement.”
Q: How do nonpartisan advocacy and civic engagement intersect with your mission? What inspired your organization to participate in voter participation?
“As other nonprofit organizations across the sector know, it’s an ongoing effort to resolve questions nonprofits may have about whether or not they can participate. Additionally, AAM has partnered on National Voter Registration Day and other related initiatives for several years.
Museums are essential community infrastructure, and we encourage museums of all types and sizes to join us in encouraging the communities we serve to become informed about voting and voting registration — to ensure our constituents are #VoteReady! — every year. Nonprofit VOTES’s Engaging New Voters and Nonprofit Power, and other compelling reports, provide powerful insights and information underscoring the importance of nonpartisan voter education across the nonprofit sector.”
Q: How are nonpartisan advocacy, voter, and civic engagement activities, products, resources, etc. integrated into AAM’s existing services and programming?
“First and foremost, we consider nonprofit voter engagement an important element of our museums’ year-round advocacy work. While there’s always additional focus and we pay particular attention during larger election seasons and around Nonprofit Voter Registration Day, they certainly aren’t the only times that local, state, and federal elections take place, or when nonprofits should engage voters in the communities they serve to ensure they’re registered, informed, and actively engaged.
We develop and publish Nonprofit Voter Resources, including a related Guide, and partnership opportunities to share important information with our members and followers across our multi-channel communications platforms throughout the year. In addition to AAM resources such as Yes, You Can Advocate!, How Museums Can Help Increase Voter Registration, Advocate from Anywhere, and Get Out the Vote (from our Museum magazine), several museums across the country serve as polling places in their communities, and we look to amplify and share those examples as well.”
Q: What benefits has your nonprofit gained from engaging in nonpartisan advocacy, civic, and voter engagement?
“Over time, we are seeing increased awareness within the museum field that this work is important and permissible, raising the visibility of nonpartisan voter engagement and the visibility of museums in their communities and among the larger nonprofit sector. Participation in nonpartisan voter engagement can help museums reach new audiences and ensure that more community voices are in the democratic process. It’s one of many valuable ways AAM and the museum field can help legislators, funders, and other community partners and stakeholders understand the many and varied ways museums of all types and sizes contribute to their local economies, communities and our democracy.”
Q: What tips and recommendations would you give to nonprofit organizations that are new to nonprofit advocacy and voter engagement and/or looking to expand their current civic engagement programming?
“You are not alone in these efforts, and you don’t have to start from scratch. Start with asking for your leadership’s buy-in to gain insight and direction. Share your organization’s voter engagement plan with staff and stakeholders to ensure they’re aware of how the organization is participating in nonpartisan advocacy, voter, and civic engagement.
AAM’s leadership has consistently supported and encouraged this work, which aligns so well with our mission and the work of museums as essential educational and community infrastructure. There are many available resources from Independent Sector, Nonprofit Vote, the Bolder Advocacy Program of the Alliance for Justice, and other fellow nonprofits to help your members understand how they can participate in nonpartisan voter engagement, and how their participation helps all voices engage in the democratic process. Gathering and sharing materials, in a context and format that is particularly relevant to your members, can be a powerful resource for you, your members, and our democracy.”
NOTE: This interview was conducted in 2022 with Ember Farber, AAM’s Director of Advocacy and Government Relations in support of the Nonprofit Voter Empowerment Project, a nonpartisan campaign developed by Independent Sector in partnership with Nonprofit VOTE to support nonprofits as they work to increase voter participation among their staff, grantees, volunteers, and constituents. Visit https://www.aam-us.org/ to learn how your organization can Engage in Year-Round Advocacy for Museums.
