Influencing Social Policies: Legislators Speak to Nonprofits
By Deborah Sturtevant, Hope College, Holland, Mich. (Sturtevant@hope.edu)
Michigan’s nonprofit organizations have long operated within an increasingly complex public policy environment. This environment was further complicated by devolution in the 1980s and welfare reform in the mid-1990s (devolution refers to the shift away from government’s direct delivery of social services to contracts with private and nonprofit organizations). The enactment of term limits for state legislators added a new dynamic, that combined with devolution, created a dramatically changed political environment. Nonprofit organizations must now evaluate their strategies to maintain an effective advocacy role.

In a 1997 study, “Spectator or Participant? A Study of Charitable Nonprofits’ Political Advocacy,” nonprofit executives were interviewed about their relationship with government policymakers—both elected officials and political appointees. This new study, conducted in 2002, complements the earlier research by asking Michigan legislators about their perceptions of the nonprofit/government relationship. The 1997 study and the current research demonstrate that government and nonprofits are engaged in a public policy partnership.

The goal of this latest research was to answer the broad question, “How can the Michigan nonprofit sector be more effective at influencing social policies?” And, in particular, “What do state legislators recommend?” Click here for article.

   

The Resilient Sector: The State of Nonprofit America (2003)
By Lester M. Salamon, Washington D.C., The Brookings Institution Press, (www.brook.edu/dybdocroot/press/press_hp.htm), 113 pages
Until recently, little research had been done to systematically track development of the nonprofit sector and assess the impact of the sector. Lester Salamon helped close that information gap by compiling a comprehensive 2002 volume titled The State of Nonprofit America (Brookings). The book, The Resilient Sector: The State of Nonprofit America, which grew out of Salamon’s larger project, provides an updated overview of the sector for a primarily non-academic audience of nonprofit practitioners, policymakers, the press, and the general public.

An Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector: A Practical Approach for the Twenty-First Century (2004)
Gary M. Grobman, Harrisburg, PA, White Hat Communications, (www.whitehatcommunications.com), 283 pages
In An Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector: A Practical Approach for the Twenty-First Century, Gary M. Grobman provides basic information about the nonprofit sector for start-up managers and undergraduate/graduate students and discusses the unique role of nonprofit organizations in our society. Grobman has a Ph.D. in public administration and served as executive director of a statewide nonprofit organization for 13 years.

The Ethics of Giving and Receiving: Am I My Foolish Brother’s Keeper? (2000)
Edited by William F. May and A. Lewis Soens, Jr., Dallas, Texas, Southern Methodist University Press, (http://www.tamu.edu/upress/SMU/smugen.html), 228 pages
The Ethics of Giving and Receiving: Am I My Foolish Brother’s Keeper? grew out of two conferences on “Entrusted with Giving and Receiving,” sponsored by the Maguire Center at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1996-97. The first conference focused on grant-making foundations; the second, voluntary communities or the third sector. The book examines the interests in common and conflict of donors, boards, staffs, and beneficiaries and the balancing act between charity, solidarity, and responsibility.

The Best of the Board Café: Hands on Solutions for Nonprofit Boards (2003)
Jan Masaoka, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Amherst H. Wilder Foundations (www.wilder.org/pubs/), 214 pages
Jan Masaoka, executive director of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, provides practical, hands-on advice for board members, executive directors, and others working in the non-profit sector in the book The Best of the Board Café: Hands on Solutions for Nonprofit Boards. The book consists primarily of articles first published in the Board Café, a newsletter for members of nonprofit boards. Each article in the book is short and addresses specific board issues, such as “Seven Things the Board Chair Should Check Before Filing Form 990.”

   

March 27-30
American Society for Public Administration's (ASPA) 65th Annual Conference: "Transforming Governance in a World Without Boundaries," Doubletree Hotel Portland, Portland, Ore.; Contact: ASPA at www.aspanet.org.

May 16-18
2004 Minnesota Conference on Volunteerism: “Leading Volunteers…Building Communities,” Madden’s Resort, Brainerd, Minn.; Contact: Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration at 651-255-0469 or at www.mavanetwork.org.

July 14-17
Association of Leadership Educators 2004 Annual Conference, “The Soul of Leadership,” Peabody Hotel, Memphis, Tenn.; Contact: Association of Leadership Educators at www.leadershipeducators.org

August 12-15
Alliance for Nonprofit Management Annual Conference, “Empowering the Nonprofit Sector,” Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C.; Contact: www.allianceonline.org.

October 20-23
2004 International Conference on Volunteer Administration, “Journey of Discovery: Charting Your Course,” Portland, Ore.; Contact: Association for Volunteer Administration at 804-672-3353; website: www.avaintl.org.

November 18-20
33rd Annual ARNOVA Conference, Omni Los Angeles Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.; Contact: ARNOVA at 317-684-2120; website: www.arnova.org.

   

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