Whose voice is being heard?: The role of nonprofit coalitions in policy advocacy

As the influence of wealthy special interests continues to grow in U.S. politics, nonprofits have the potential to play important roles in public policy advocacy by amplifying the voices of the marginalized. Yet, nonprofits face resource, legal and mission constraints, which limit their advocacy engagement. This research explores how coalitions can help nonprofits work collectively to generate influence that is rooted in member mobilization and expertise, rather than campaign contributions. The central question to be answered is how do nonprofit coalitions overcome the negative incentives and collective action barriers to organize individual nonprofit organizations, and once they do, do they advocate on the behalf of their organizational members, or their underrepresented clients? Through a qualitative comparison of nonprofit health coalitions in three states---Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia---hypotheses will be tested to determine the influence of external funding, state political context, and member engagement on a nonprofit coalition's ability to impact public policy.