A venue‐based approach to understanding advocacy by environmental nonprofits

Abstract

AbstractThis article explores the advocacy tactics that nonprofit organizations use to influence environmental policy across five venues: legislatures, regulatory agencies, courts, ballot boxes, and governors' offices. The literature on nonprofit advocacy has grown in recent years, with studies highlighting nonprofits' use of inside and outside tactics, but studies do not consistently link tactics to venues. This article addresses this gap by exploring advocacy tactics within specific venues. Bringing venues to the forefront leads to new insights about nonprofit advocacy, along with why advocates choose certain venues and tactics. Data are based on semi‐structured interviews with 24 environmental nonprofits across three states: Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Results illuminate dynamics of nonprofit advocacy including the prevalence of nonprofit reliance on inside and hybrid tactics, insights regarding layers of outside tactics, the roles and implications of advocacy in courts and ballot measures, and nonprofits' infrequent use of venue shifting strategies.