About the Interviews

The Public Engagement Nonprofit Survey (PENS) revealed key recent trends and statistics on the state of advocacy in the U.S. nonprofit sector. PENS is the first national survey of nonprofit advocacy in 20 years. A striking finding is that only 31% of nonprofits report engaging in advocacy or lobbying over the last five years, which is less than half of the percentage of nonprofits that reported ever lobbying in 2000. The findings from the survey project are available in a report: The Retreat of Influence: Exploring the Decline of Nonprofit Advocacy and Public Engagement.

The Independent Sector has commissioned a series of interviews to delve deeper into the survey findings to discover answers to questions such as:

• Why are nonprofits engaging in advocacy at lower rates than two decades ago?  
• How do nonprofits view the relationship between their missions and advocacy work?  
• What is the relationship between nonprofits and government and how does it shape nonprofit advocacy? 
• How do nonprofits learn about issues and strategies to address public policy concerns?

The researchers are:  

• Dr. Heather MacIndoe at University of Massachusetts Boston (a public university in Massachusetts) 
• Dr. Lewis Faulk at American University (a private university in Washington, DC)  
• Dr. Mirae Kim at George Mason University (a public university in Virginia)

CONFIDENTIALITY: The project reports will not include the names of participants or their organizations. The identity of individual respondents and their organizations will be confidential, with pseudonyms used to protect identity. The information that interviewees provide will be housed in a secure database. Identifiable data files will be protected in a secure database and made available only to researchers who can demonstrate they are able to maintain the same standards of confidentiality as the project team.

INCENTIVES: As a token of our appreciation, interview respondents will receive a $100 e-gift card for Amazon.com upon completion of the interview.

BENEFITS: There is no direct personal benefit to participants. However, there may be a benefit to their organization or the nonprofit sector. This study will contribute to the field by providing a nuanced portrayal of nonprofit public and civic engagement activities, and findings will help inform organizational strategies and best practices. 

RISKS: We do not anticipate any risks to respondents or their organization from participation in this study. 

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION: Participation in interviews is entirely voluntary. If your nonprofit is invited, your nonprofit is free to choose not to participate.  Should your nonprofit choose to participate, you can withdraw from the study at any time without consequences of any kind. You may also refuse to answer any individual question without consequences. 

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS: Contact us at pens@umb.edu if you have questions or concerns about this project. You can also contact us if you think you have been harmed by the study or if you have concerns about your rights in this project.