Advocacy & Coalition-Building

Alliance for Justice/Bolder Advocacy
Alliance for Justice is a national association of 130 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society.  AFJ’s work is divided into two main programs:  Justice Program and Bolder Advocacy. Bolder Advocacy is the leading authority on the legal framework governing nonprofit advocacy.  Bolder Advocacy promotes active engagement in democratic processes and institutions by giving nonprofits and foundations the confidence to advocate effectively and by protecting their right to do so.  In 2023, Bolder Advocacy published state-by-state Practical Guidance: What Nonprofits Need to Know About Lobbying (click links for Missouri and Illinois guides).

Urban Institute
The Urban Institute is a trusted source for unbiased, authoritative insights that inform consequential choices about the well-being of people and places in the United States. It is a nonprofit research organization that believes decisions shaped by facts, rather than ideology, have the power to improve public policy and practice, strengthen communities, and transform people’s lives for the better. 

Advocacy Strategy Framework
This tool offers a simple one-page tool for thinking about the theories of change that underlie public policy advocacy strategies. It also provides simple, visual ways to think about evaluating advocacy and coalition-building strategies with specific examples of indicators.

Coalition Checklist
This document from Bolder Advocacy is much more than a checklist.  This 16-page guide offers practical tips on how other groups can work in coalition to achieve their goals. It is structured in five sections: Identifying Types of Nonprofits, Structuring a Coalition, Three Principles for 501(c)(3) Coalition Work, Putting It Together, and Coalitions in Action.

Guide for Building a Sustainable and Resilient Collaboration
This guide from the Tamarack Institute is designed to broaden our collective thinking about the factors that contribute to sustainable, resilient, and impactful collaborations.  This nearly 100-page guide is broken into nine sections, each written to provide readers with ideas, questions, and resources that will supplement thinking and action.

Thread STL
Thread STL is The Professional Association of Partnership Leaders in the St. Louis Region.  It is a community of practice that brings together partnership leaders for facilitated peer-to-peer connection, coaching, and problem solving. This community includes over 200 practitioners representing more than 100 partnerships from across the St. Louis region.  The Resources page also has relevant articles, links, and webinars.

Empower Missouri
Empower Missouri works to secure basic human needs and equal justice for every person in our state through coalition-building and advocacy.  They conduct anti-poverty advocacy work, with a special focus on food security, affordable housing, and community justice.  They host coalitions for all three focus areas, provide Advocacy 101 training for nonprofits in the state, and publish weekly anti-poverty legislation updates.