SSIR Guide to Influencing Public Policy
A list of SSIR articles to help nonprofits, advocates, and other civil society organizations build support for addressing the social issues brought to the fore by the 2020 US presidential election cycle.
Advocacy Innovative ways to influence public policy
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Podcast
Storytelling and Social Change
How do stories work to expand and accelerate impact? A roundtable discussion between four storytellers and leaders of change on narrative's power to reach and inspire new audiences.
How to Build Better Calls to Action
A well-told story can inspire people to engage with social and environmental issues, but how do nonprofits channel that energy into behaviors that make a difference? Behavioral science can help point the way.
Aspirational Communication
Organizations must connect their causes to the personal aspirations of their audiences to transform public attitudes. A feature story from the Winter 2020 issue.
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Reclaiming Civil Society
Organizers renew democracy by building the capacity it requires. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
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The Bias of ‘Professionalism’ Standards
Professionalism has become coded language for white favoritism in workplace practices that more often than not leave behind people of color. This is the fourth of 10 articles in a special series about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Science of What Makes People Care
Five principles based in social science that will help organizations connect their work to what people care most about.
Creating High-Impact Nonprofits
Conventional wisdom says that scaling social innovation starts with strengthening internal management capabilities. This study of 12 high-impact nonprofits, however, shows that real social change happens when organizations go outside their own walls and find creative ways to enlist the help of others.
Stop Raising Awareness Already
It’s time for activists and organizations to adopt a more strategic approach to public interest communications.
How Nonprofits Get Really Big
Since 1970, more than 200,000 nonprofits have opened in the U.S., but only 144 have reached $50 million in annual revenue. They got big by doing two things: They raised the bulk of their money from a single type of funder. And just as importantly, these nonprofits created professional organizations that were tailored to the needs of their primary funding sources.