Giving Compass' Take:
- Neisha McGee explains the purpose of advocacy and encourages engaging with it as a form of volunteerism.
- Is there value in philanthropists participating directly in advocacy and volunteerism? What resources - including skills and social networks - might you be able to tap into in order to contribute to an advocacy effort?
- Read about the role of advocacy in philanthropy.
What is Giving Compass?
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Among the legacies that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. left was an unrelenting dedication to serving others. As we prepare to honor his life and legacy, we must recommit ourselves to advancing his dream of justice and equality by evaluating what he described as, “life’s most persistent and urgent question: What are you doing for others?” and most importantly, have you “risen above the narrow confines of your individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity?” We – in the nonprofit sector and greater public – can advance his dream by encouraging others to engage in volunteerism through advocacy every day, and especially on Monday, January 18th in observance of Dr. King’s National Day of Service.
It’s incumbent upon nonprofits to remind the communities we serve that advocacy is, in fact, a form of volunteerism and that the two components are not mutually exclusive. Advocacy seeks to ensure that all people in society possess the ability to have their voices heard and discernments considered throughout the policymaking and legislative processes.
Read the full article about volunteer advocacy by Neisha McGee at Independent Sector.