Working to influence executive actions and regulations at the federal, state, or local level, like urging an executive to impanel a wage board or speaking at one of its hearings, do not count as lobbying under your annual lobbying limit:  http://bolderadvocacy.org/blog/fight-for-15-advocates-make-progress-through-administrative-advocacy

Philanthropists and foundations can—and should—support their non-profit grantees’ advocacy efforts to achieve systemic change: http://bolderadvocacy.org/act-now-4 http://bolderadvocacy.org/resource/private-and-public-foundations-may-fund-charities-that-lobby

This time here in California to cover the under-covered State Capital:  http://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/calmatters_statehouse_california.php

Non-Profits canvassing in front of the supermarket is banned in some British cities—Unlikely to happen in the US because of the 1st Amendment:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/shopping-and-consumer-news/11650127/Chuggers-banned-from-100th-town.html

Privatization of government services often means outsourcing to non-profit service providers:  https://nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/26242-nonprofit-conundrum-support-government-privatization-or-not.html?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=18139148&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–gpsRA6neiZF-N-eVPIkX8DfO7E2CIS39m1bueSCYLSIuvKo7c2XYDrWKMqzrkyCFKF5m0PVW_aKK5GscU2OiWU_gLW38FBcRPKYEpSVA0MAL6vPg&_hsmi=18139148

What do you do when local politicians say there are “too many” non-profits in town? Educate them and advocate! http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/city-seeks-help-to-slow-growth-of-downtown-social-service/article_72732288-0a5b-11e5-8505-775070a9dbd6.html

Environmental groups sue Huntington Beach for repealing its plastic bag ban:  https://nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/26233-coalition-sues-california-city-for-repealing-plastic-bag-ban.html?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=18109689&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_uE0TuUVZARuYUjuzRzeHZXQYnUqp42WUrkM0V1GQm5ie49S9CyCPJvcjkW2i281Iwj-66Y4Bt7U8tKWXUKNZ9nFJ_N23uWRauU9yB_QW78r2A9Zo&_hsmi=18109689

How would you do it?  Interesting competition:  http://www.bridgespan.org/Publications-and-Tools/Advancing-Philanthropy/Big-Bets-Request-for-Concept-Papers.aspx#.VW9QaEYYz9o

More people are opening advocacy email from non-profits, but fewer are taking action, says Benchmarks 2015: http://www.mrss.com/lab/what-advocacy-campaigners-need-to-know-from-benchmarks-2015/?utm_source=newpost&utm_medium=emaildigest&utm_campaign=Lab

Non-profit advocates too often get lost in the “how” and forget to say “why:” http://gettingattention.org/2015/06/rich-detail-nonprofit-content/?utm_source=Nancy+Schwartz+%26+Co.&utm_campaign=200eb853a3-BLOG_POST_ALERT&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a940cd650c-200eb853a3-70376481

Government relations is a big chunk of non-profit advocacy—so how do you conserve resources and get bang for the buck? http://www.gnowit.com/blog/conserving-resources-government-relations

It’s a last resort—but sometimes non-profits need to threaten legal action in order to influence local government to support their causes, from my Nonprofit Quarterly newswire:...