If your nonprofit is looking to increase its reach and awareness for your policy asks, you’ll want to consider engaging with media as part of your overall strategy. To help you effectively engage, we asked our trusted contacts in media for their best tips and now we are sharing them with you to help you get started and feel more confident in reaching out to media.  

Consider this: advocacy is a journey, not a destination. An election period may be a great time to reinforce policy advocacy for nonprofits, but advocacy is a long-term commitment that requires persistence and dedication to work towards your desired outcome throughout election cycles. Here are some tips to keep you on track and motivated throughout your advocacy journey. 

If your nonprofit has spent time determining a policy agenda, it’s time to develop an action plan. The development and implementation of an engagement strategy is often when the work becomes publicly visible. Choosing to make your policy priorities visible is a significant step for your nonprofit and should be approached in a coordinated and strategic manner.

Last week, Alexa Briggs, CCVO Manager, Policy & Research, was among 25 leaders in the nonprofit sector in Calgary who had the opportunity to meet with Premier Rachel Notley, the Clerk of the Executive Council, Marcia Nelsom, and senior staff from the Government of Alberta. Attendees were asked to reflect on trends in the sector, as well as the relationship with the government.

There are no step-by-step rules or established set of parameters that nonprofits can follow to ensure success when seeking public policy change. What we can do, though, is develop a policy agenda - a set of issues or problems aimed at gaining the attention of policymakers and decision-makers - sometimes known as the “policy ask”.

Before engaging in public policy advocacy, nonprofits should make sure they understand the rules and regulations around what they can and cannot do, so that they can engage with clarity and confidence. Knowing the rules can empower your nonprofit to lead and provoke important discussions about issues, raising much-needed awareness for these issues with politicians, decision-makers, and the public.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has shared proposed guidance documents that will help charities interpret the legislation related to public policy advocacy. This follows the recent proposed Income Tax Act (ITA) amendments by the Department of Finance. CCVO sees the proposed ITA amendments and accompanying guidance documents as good overall progress towards better supporting charities.

Not sure which government level does what? With the spring 2019 Provincial Election approaching, we’d like to share a refresher on the different levels of government, how the Alberta Government works, and how your nonprofit can effectively engage.

Nonprofits are intrinsically linked to the Alberta Government. Due to the pertinent role the government serves, CCVO has provided a refresher on how the Alberta Government works with the aim to elevate your understanding and assist in your engagement with the provincial government.

In a joint letter with Imagine Canada, CCVO responded to the proposed Income Tax Act amendments from the Department of Finance. While we recognize the significant steps taken to modernize the regulatory regime for registered charities, we note that the changes are only an initial step toward a broader review.