ASF member Jerry McCarthy (left) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)
By Gerald P. McCarthy, Virginia Environmental Endowment
In his previous post on PhilanthroFiles, Jerry McCarthy shared pointers on lobbying. Here he offers ways to inform and influence policymakers without lobbying—all strategies to start now with the new Congress in place.
In conversations with elected representatives in Congress over the years, I have been impressed with how willing they are to learn what foundations do—and how little they know about what we are doing!
If the latter point surprises you, take a look in the mirror: When was the last time you told your Senator or representative a great story about what your grants are doing in your community for their constituents?
Here are some suggestions for how to go about this effectively.
- Initiate contact with elected officials. Perhaps one or more of your board members knows some of them? Use them to reach out to your representatives, to put a human face on philanthropy and your issues.
- Inform lawmakers. Send your annual report and the occasional e-mail announcing your latest grants. And encourage all your grantees to do the same. Elected officials enjoy touting real accomplishments in their districts; give them something to brag about—and help support the role of philanthropy in Congress’ eyes.
- Inspire your community by writing op-ed articles about particular grants and programs that benefit your community. Officials and their staff read the local news.
- Involve the officials or their key staff in your work. Ask what they see as important to their constituents that you might be able to support. As an ancillary benefit, they might begin to see you as a resource for their questions and interests.
- Invite your representative or Senator to lunch or dinner when they are at home in your district, preferably with other foundation colleagues included in the event. Most of them enjoy speaking to constituent groups, especially ones that can help them. You can show them what programs you fund that help their constituents. Have a few grantees make brief presentations too.
- Visit with members of Congress and their staff during Foundations on the Hill, March 19-20 in Washington, DC.
- Invest just a bit of time to think through what you want your elected representatives to know about what your foundation does, what difference it is making in your community, and how those grants and projects reflect positively on the quality of life for the constituents he or she represents. It is time well spent in terms of the eventual payoffs for your work.
If all of this looks to be too much, you don’t have to do it all; start easily by picking just one and get known for that.
Perhaps you enjoy throwing a party, so start an annual community luncheon to which foundation colleagues, grantees, and elected representatives are all invited to share in the celebration of philanthropy in your state or community. Or try writing a story about one of your favorite grant projects, then send it to the editor of your newspaper’s editorial page. Or make an appointment to visit an elected official face to face; they enjoy meeting constituents who bring them good news!
Have a great time, increase your influence, and win friends for your good works.
Additional resources
- Legal Q&A: Foundation Advocacy Demystified, conference call on February 27
- Small Foundations and Public Policy
Related posts
Gerald P. McCarthy serves as executive director of Virginia Environmental Endowment, which he started in 1977 when VEE was established as the result of an unprecedented decision by the federal court in the U.S. v. Allied Chemical water pollution case. The Endowment is a grantmaking foundation whose purpose is to improve the quality of the environment by encouraging the private, nonprofit, and public sectors to work together to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources, and promote environmental literacy.
