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Advocating for Change:


Other resources and links related to Advocating for Change

For other relevant information, see these chapters in the Community Tool Box (CTB: http://ctb.ku.edu/)


These web sites may offer relevant information on advocating for change. You might also find helpful links in the WorkStation to influence policy development.

  • http://www.networkforgood.org/npo/
    Network for Good helps organizations use the web to solicit donations online, find volunteers for your programs, create petitions, distribute electronic newsletters, send action alerts, and more.

  • http://www.afj.org/
    The Alliance for Justice provides information about environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations, plus many links.

  • http://www.independentsector.org/
    Independent Sector educates charities about the role lobbying can play in their mission, with information about how to lobby legally. Some items for sale, but most resources are free.

  • http://www.agoodmanonline.com/bad_ads_good_causes/index.html
    Communications expert Andy Goodman explains the basics of creating public interest print ads in "Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes," which is available for downloading.

  • http://www.kac.org/advtoolkit.html
    Kansas Action for Children provides an excellent Advocacy Toolkit to support people attempting to change or create policy that supports children. Contents include how a bill becomes law, where to get legislative information, questions to ask candidates, working with the media, etc.

  • http://www.trilliumfoundation.org/cms/en/html/grantees/grantees-media_kits.aspx?menuid=91
    A Media Relations Toolkit designed to assist grantees of the Ontario Trillium Foundation has general advice about working with the media.

  • http://democracyctr.org/library/advocacy/index.htm
    The Democracy Center in San Francisco offers advocacy training and resources to strengthen nonprofit and community groups, with materials also in Spanish.


If you'd like to talk with people who are doing work similar to yours, visit the CTB Learning Community. These links to online learning communities or electronic discussion lists may also help.


Electronic discussion lists available through CataList, a clearing house for e-mail groups:


For other potentially relevant information on planning an advocacy campaign, see these books:

  • Rothman, J. & Tropman, J. E. (1987). Models of community organization and macro practice perspectives: Their mixing and phasing. In F. E. Cox et al., (Eds.), Strategies of community organization: Macro practice. (pp. 3-26). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock Publishers.

  • Altman, D. G., Balcazar, F. E., Fawcett, S. B., Seekins, T., and Young, J. Q. (1994). Public health advocacy: Creating community change to improve health. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention.

  • Wallack, L., Dorfman, L., Jernigan, D., and Themba, M. (1993). Media advocacy and public health. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.