Policy Change for Mission Impact
By Jeff Loomis, Executive Director, Momentum
Follow-up blog post for September 10 webinar
CCVO Capacity Building webinars offer participants further learnings through a follow-up blog post from the webinar speaker. Thank you to the listeners of the recent webinar “Policy Change for Mission Impact”. In the following post, speaker Jeff Loomis delves deeper into tips for organizations who wish to engage in policy change.
Non-profits are mission-driven organizations. However, many non-profits are often hesitant to engage in efforts to influence public policy. Why should non-profit organizations and charities advocate for changes to public policy? At the core of many charities’ missions is to serve and give voice to people who often are under-represented in our communities and political system. An article in The Philanthropist by the Max Bell Foundation Senior Fellow, Roger Gibbons, makes a strong case that advocacy is a necessary obligation of charities to meaningfully advance their mission. Charities and non-profits that effectively invest in policy change will not only better serve their constituents; they can also significantly increase their impact.
Momentum is a Calgary-based non-profit that uses policy change efforts to amplify the work of programs with people living on low-incomes to get better jobs, start a business or manage and save their money. By removing barriers for people to become more financially stable through policy change, we have increased the impact of our money management and savings programs. For example, our policy work with the Government of Alberta to lower the cost of payday loans in our province resulted in Albertans saving over $10M in interest payments annually since the rules changed. Considering that participants in Momentum matched savings programs collectively save about $300K a year, the amount of savings through this policy change was more than 10 times the impact.
Non-profits can use a variety of different approaches to influence policy change. There is not a recipe for the best way to engage in public policy; however, based on Momentum’s experience, a few tips for non-profits engaging in public policy include:
Build a case for policy change based on research – policy recommendations grounded in evidence are less likely to be considered partisan positions. Remember to focus on policy, not politics. It’s critical that your advocacy efforts are non-partisan so avoid party politics and focus on sound policy recommendations that will benefit your constituents. As an example, the recent concern of WE Charity’s engagement with the federal government likely has some non-profits more hesitant to participate in policy change activity right now. In the case of WE, it is important to distinguish between policy change focused on broad community impact and government relations work that primarily has an organizational benefit. There are great resources available to guide policy efforts, such as CCVO’s Everyday Guide to Advocacy for Non-Profits, so you can ensure your work is non-partisan and follows all the rules. By using research – both secondary research from literature and primary research based on your constituents’ experience - to make the case for policy change it is more likely you can position your non-profit organization as a reliable and credible resource to civil servants and elected officials.
Focus on developing relationships and collaborate when necessary – identify champions within government – especially in the civil service – who are willing and able to advance policy recommendations. Find allies in the community who can support your policy recommendations. For example, are there allies in the private sector – who you might not normally work with – who can amplify and increase the credibility of your policy change efforts? Collaborate with other non-profits to create a more collective voice, especially if the policy recommendations address broad, complex issues or require significant financial investments or systemic level change. Remember that community support is critical to mobilize policy change though a collaborative policy effort is not always required, such as when advocating for a very specific issue and the recommendations would face very limited opposition.
Pay attention to policy windows – timing is critical to influence policy change. Keep in mind the election cycle when planning policy recommendations. Governments early in their term tend to be more open to bigger asks and typically as an election approaches, government enters a ‘red zone’ when there is little openness to new policy recommendations. Monitor when regulations are up for review or when government announces a consultation process as these are key opportunities to influence policy change. Developing good relationships with government representatives can help identify potential policy windows. Avoid tone deaf recommendations based on the political climate. For example, the current financial challenges facing the Government of Alberta do not create an opportune time for policy recommendations that require significant new costs to implement. Remember that when trying to influence change, it is much easier to go through a proverbial open window than a door slammed shut.
Prepare for persistence – participating in policy change is a process, not an event. It can often take a long time to successfully influence policy change. It is inevitable that organizations pursuing policy change need to balance persistently pursuing their goals and remaining engaged for the long haul. To find the balance, organizations will need to backburner policy issues when the timing just isn’t right or adjust policy recommendations to make them more feasible based on the political climate. Pragmatism is just a critical part of policy change. Pursing relentless incrementalism can lead to meaningful policy change in the longer-term.
As non-profit organizations are part of a broader civil society, we should all strive to effectively participate in policy change to advance our own mission, while also contributing to a more vibrant society for all citizens.
Report: Creating Change: Momentum’s Contribution to High-Cost Credit Reform in Alberta
As part of Momentum’s systems change planning process that was grounded in both participant and community experience, the issue of payday loans and other forms of high-cost credit (e.g., pawn, installment, rent-to-own, title and car loans) emerged as a priority issue for Momentum to address the financial barriers for people living on low incomes to exit poverty and build sustainable livelihoods.
To evaluate its work for high-cost credit reform in Calgary and Alberta in the period of 2012 to 2019, an outcome harvest was conducted. This evaluation reflects the collective efforts of multiple partners, identifies outcomes achieved as well as Momentum’s contribution to these outcomes.
Learn more about Momentum’s work on high-cost credit reform and read the report here.
Policy Change for Mission Impact is a CCVO Capacity Building webinar. These webinars cover topics of interest to nonprofit professionals, and will include presentations on public policy, leadership, human resources, and technology - all at no cost. Listen in to learn, and build your capacity in the areas you’d like to know more about in order to be more effective in your job, for your clients, and the community. Upcoming webinar topics are listed below, and more topics will be added. Please visit the CCVO website for more information and registration details.
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