The following resources are meant to help community-based organizations build their public policy and advocacy capacity and skills so they can identify their communities’ health needs and potential solutions; effectively communicate these issues to policymakers and opinion leaders; and mobilize their members and leaders to action.

The Advocacy Institute
The Advocacy Institute is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of social justice advocates and movements to influence and change public policy.

Advocacy, Oh, Yes You Can… (Nonprofit Quarterly)
This issue (Volume 7, Issue 2, December 2000) focuses on advocacy for nonprofits. Articles are included on topics such as framing social policy and lobbying and advocating without fear.

Alliance for Justice: The Nonprofit Advocacy Project
Works to strengthen the voice of the nonprofit sector in public policy debates by giving tax-exempt organizations a better understanding of the laws that govern their participation in the policy process.

American Public Health Association Advocacy Section
This site looks at the advocacy work of APHA and offers advocacy tips and reports and fact sheets.

Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest
This Web site is intended to be a public resource for nonprofit organizations to learn about the powerful contributions to society that can come from lobbying in the public interest.

The Democracy Center
Dedicated to strengthening the advocacy work of nonprofit and community groups in California, the center provides advocacy training, counseling, strategy planning and other assistance.

The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations (Amherst H. Wilder Foundation)
This guide will help you understand your role in shaping public policy, assess the benefits of lobbying to fulfill your mission, and show you how to develop and carry out an advocacy plan.

NPAction.org
This online resource is designed to support capacity building for nonprofit advocacy by collecting the best practices of seasoned advocates and engaging newcomers with a wide range of topics and tools.

OMB Watch: So You Want to Make A Difference: Advocacy is the Key
This advocacy manual provides resources to help local leaders and citizens learn more and feel more confident about getting involved in policy advocacy.

Real Clout: A How-To Manual for Community Activists
Real Clout is written to serve as a how-to manual for community activists who need to figure out how their state or county government works. It addresses issues such as how to convince state or county public officials to interpret existing law and regulations differently, and how to work with a state or county public official to design, create and fund a new program.