IT'S ABOUT THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN THE

WORLD OF CHARITY AND PUBLIC POLICY

I am a management consultant specializing in non-profits, elected officials and public agencies, with a focus on such things as:

• Public affairs, public policy and advocacy
• Leveraging connections and building civic capital
• Government and community relations
• Strategic visioning, visibility, messaging and communications
• Board and fund development

Between one third and half of funding for non-profits in America comes from public sources, and those sources are being seriously challenged by the Great Recession.

My specialty is public affairs---how non-profits and public agencies can use governmental and community relations to advance their missions, build their financial sustainability and generate critical financial resources.

In addition, I provide “coaching” for executive directors and senior level staff. I have recognized management expertise for a variety of organizations and companies operating in challenging environments.  I bring a thorough knowledge of how communities and their leaders work, along with a wealth of relationships extending across all of Southern California's communities, constituencies and leaders.

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    ---LATEST NEWS AND LINKS---

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/nonprofit-organization-warily-eyeing-scranton-s-feud-with-tax-exempt-institutions-1.1382714

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Non-Profit Advocacy Matters---but do it right; this study from Independent Sector says that there are five essential approaches of a successful advocacy campaign:

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Sometimes I write about social and political trends---this latest essay, published in LA's City Watch, has been rumbling around my head for several years:

Economist Nouriel Roubini ("Dr. Doom") is at it again---predicting another economic collapse (he was right the last time!), and offering advice specifically to non-profits that rely on philanthropy and public funding; for me, the money quote in this article is from Arlene Spencer: "If our regional, state, and national leadership does not hear from our sector about what we achieve, how, and what we are being challenged by right now and why - how can we expect them to know how nonprofit organizations operate, what their unique challenges are, and what we accomplish?" Yes, Non-Profit Advocacy Matters!

http://nonprofitquarterly.org/management/20679-nonprofit-strategies-in-case-of-another-economic-collapse.html

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"Working to improve public policy is often the best way to address the underlying problems facing the people many nonprofit agencies serve. It has been compared to “going upstream” to fix the railings on a bridge to prevent people from falling into a river, rather than only pulling them out after they’ve fallen in. In an ideal world we would do both. "
                                                                                                                  (Cause Planet)

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Small Local Organizations Can Become High-Impact Non-Profits

High-impact nonprofits focus on mobilizing forces beyond their four walls, rather than worrying only about internal management or scaling up their organizations. The most successful nonprofits spend most of their time trying to change entire systems by advocating for government policies, tapping into the power of free markets, nurturing nonprofit networks, building movements of evangelists, sharing leadership internally and adapting quickly to changing conditions.

These are the findings of a study by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, well worth the read and linked below.  If you want to learn more about how advocacy and engagement in public policy can help your non-profit advance your cause and fulfill your mission, contact me:

http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/local_forces_for_good

What Patterns Do You See In Your Non-Profit's Quilt?

Recently, the National Association of Non-Profits, an important advocacy group for charities across America, sent an email outlining some very challenging issues for non-profit leaders.

It said that "rosey reports of a rebound in philanthropic giving in 2010 simply didn’t play-out on the ground" and "in light of the many policy threats that nonprofits face at the state and local levels, every nonprofit must consider advocacy to be a core capacity," something I can help you with. 

Here’s a link to the full message, with some really good links to relevant information:

http://e2.ma/message/5r4hb/96iiuc

 Half of L.A. human-services nonprofits are struggling, new UCLA report shows

Roughly half of Los Angeles County's human-services nonprofits — which provide such services as emergency shelter, food, hospice care, and support for foster children, at-risk youth and the elderly — are struggling in the wake of the deep recession, according to a new study by UCLA (Jan 2012).

It reveals the nonprofits' capacity has been significantly diminished by cutbacks in government funding, delays in reimbursement, decreases in private giving and a corresponding increase in demand that came with rising unemployment and poverty during the Recession. Nonprofits serving the lowest income neighborhoods, and those serving African Americans in particular, have been hardest hit.  Highlights from the report's findings include:

• 15 percent of the human-services nonprofits surveyed in 2002 no longer exist.
• 81 percent reported significant staff turnover in the past three years.
• 41 percent had cut programs.
• 10–20 percent of the surviving nonprofits surveyed in 2002 were so understaffed and stressed that they had trouble finding the time and the data needed to complete the current survey.

The report makes a number of recommendations for the sector and region, including strengthening the capacity of nonprofits for advocacy:

 “What is needed now is more attention to effective messaging, framing, organizing, mobilizing nonprofits who serve similar clients. Nonprofits need to be better informed on the law, the feasibility of [the] 501(c)4  . . . . . designation, and to be more aggressive in employing [it] for advocacy.”

Stressed and Stretched: The Recession, Poverty,
and Human Services NonProfits in Los Angeles
The Annual State of the Sector Report, 2002 - 2012
UCLA Center for Civil Society (Jan 2012)

Here’s a link the the full study:  http://civilsociety.ucla.edu/practitioners/publications/stressed-and-stretched-recession-poverty-and-human-services-nonprofits-lo

http://www.planningreport.com/2011/10/10/larry-kaplan-redistricting-reflects-state-s-demographic-and-economic-new-realities

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Funding advocacy, organizing and civic engagement gives voice to under-served communities and achieves beneficial policies when politicians and government fail to lead. The philanthropic community is getting this truth and has begun documenting the return on investment for funding these strategies---it's getting some attention.  Here’s a link to a national study, and another one to a study of how non-profits lead in Los Angeles:

Non-profits and public agencies should employ a public affairs strategy in support of their missions.  That means effective governmental and community relations, and advocacy for their causes that advances their missions and provides them with the critical financial resources needed to do so.

I am a volunteer for the Executive Service Corps of Southern California, which helps local non-profits build capacity.  In February, 2011, ESC's newsletter featured an article by me on the critical importance of public affairs management for any non-profit, large or small.  Here's a link to it:

Fortifying L.A.'s Nonprofit Organizations: Capacity-Building Needs and Services in Los Angeles County

examined the organizational capacity of the region's nonprofits, the types of capacity building needed to enhance their effectiveness, and the types and quality of services available.  It found that the ever-increasing demand for services, coupled with declining resources, have put the governance, management, and sustainability of many nonprofits at risk. Organizations increasingly find themselves competing for funding and have fewer resources to invest in capacity-building measures.

The report identifies shortfalls in a number of capacity-building areas, including high-quality coaching and peer exchange, program evaluation, strategic learning and human resource services, culturally competent services, and geographically targeted services.