Networking for Policy Advocacy: Identifying Predictors of Advocacy Success Among Human Service Organizations

Abstract

In previous studies, nonprofit administrators have reported that networking contributes to achieving their organizations’ policy advocacy goals. However, little is known about the relationship between specific networking activities and policy advocacy success. It is also unclear whether commonly reported problems in interorganizational networking inhibit policy advocacy success. This study examined the association between attributes of networking and policy advocacy outcomes. The findings indicate that networking is more successful when communication indicates higher commitment to a two-way partnership. Also, problems with interorganizational collaborations were not found to negatively affect policy advocacy outcomes. Implications for social workers and research are provided.

Keywords:

• advocacy
• coalition
• human services
• lobbying
• management
• nonprofit organizations
• policy practice