Nonprofit organizations are playing an increasingly important role in delivering basic government services. Yet they are discouraged by federal law from participating in legislative lobbying efforts -even on issues that affect their clients directly. Without the involvement of nonprofits in the governmental process, the vulnerable populations they serve are left without effective representation in the political system. A Voice for Nonprofits analyzes the effect of government restrictions on the participation of nonprofits in the policymaking process and suggests ways to address the problems. The relationship between nonprofits and the government is ideal in many respects, according to Jeffrey M. Berry and David F. Arons. By underwriting operating budgets and subcontracting the administration of programs to nonprofits, governments at all levels are able to take advantage of nonprofits' dedication, imagination, and private fund-raising skills. However, as nonprofits assume greater responsibility for delivering services traditionally provided by government, that responsibility is not matched by a congruous increase in policy influence. Berry and Arons believe the lobbying restrictions should be eased so that nonprofits may become more involved in public policymaking. Their recommendations are designed to ensure that nonprofit organizations -and the constituencies they serve -are effectively represented in the American political system.
Jeffrey M. Berry is John Richard Skuse Class of 1941 Professor of Political Science at Tufts University. His most recent book, The New Liberalism: The Rising Power of Citizen Groups(Brookings, 1999) won the Policy Studies Organization's 1999 best book award. David F. Arons is codirector of Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest.
"The tables and graphs based on the data collected are presented clearly to articulate their arguments.... The Appendix too is a great resource--it includes an elaborate description of the methods used to collect data for the book." -Abhijit Roy, Sellinger Scool of Business, Loyola College in Md., International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 6/1/2004 |"Berry's book is a welcome addition to a growing literature about nonprofit organizations that will be valuable to the managers working to run them and to academics interested in studying them." -Amy K. Donahue, Perspectives on Politics, 9/1/2004 |"This book should be required reading for everyone interested in nonprofit organizations and, more generally, in political voice in American politics. It is important, substantive, and lively." -Doug Imig, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 3/1/2005 |"...thoroughly researched and useful reading..." - Educational Book Review, 1/1/2004 |"... chronicle[s] the distinctive set of conditions that have led nonprofits to accept lobbying restrictions in exchange for tax deductibility of charitable contributions." -Michael Bisesi, Seattle University, International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law, 7/1/2004 |"[The book] offers crucial insight into a very real modern problem. A VOICE FOR NONPROFITS needs to be read by every social activist, as well as every non-profit organization manager, director, and those who serve on board of directors." - The Bookwatch, 2/1/2004 |"This is an important book.... [It] should not only stimulate a wider debate on the way the nonprofit sector should relate to government and the political process but also provoke a more determined efffort to reassert the vital role that advocacy plays in voluntary social service activities." - Social Development Issues
