WASHINGTON-The Concord Coalition is one of 12 nonprofit advocacy
organizations that rated as "most influential" according to a study
released today. Susan Rees, an independent researcher in Washington,
wrote the study based on a survey of Congressional and administration
officials. The study was funded by The Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit
Sector Research Fund.
WASHINGTON-The Concord Coalition is one of 12 nonprofit advocacy
organizations that rated as "most influential" according to a study
released today. Susan Rees, an independent researcher in Washington,
wrote the study based on a survey of Congressional and administration
officials. The study was funded by The Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit
Sector Research Fund.
"We are honored to have been recognized by Congressional and
White House officials at a time when budget and entitlement issues are
such high priority concerns," said Martha Phillips, executive director
of the Concord Coalition. "This study confirms the wisdom of what Paul
Tsongas and Warren Rudman had in mind when they began the Concord
Coalition in 1992-that the best way to change policy in Washington is
to use pressure from well-informed voters back home."
The study says that of the 12 organizations recognized, only
the Concord Coalition and the Sierra Club have overall programs that
put more weight on public education and grassroots organizing than
Washington policy work.
"The Concord Coalition has conducted a traditional public education
program aimed at getting voters to demand a balanced federal budget and
fiscal discipline," Rees writes. "Through networking in these ways, at
both the national and local levels, the Concord Coalition has recruited
allies large and small in its second revolutionary war to secure its
view of a sound economic future."
"The backbone of Concord’s effort is our public education
campaign and the talented Concord advocates around the country who
implement it," said Harry Zeeve, Concord’s national field director.
"Our field staff work on a daily basis with the public, the media, and
other organizations is changing the political wind direction."
To identify a set of highly effective organizations, Rees first
asked majority and minority staff directors of Congressional committees
and subcommittees with jurisdiction over key issues to name the groups
most influential in their issue areas. She used these responses as a
basis for a second survey of all members of Congress and officials from
the White House and executive branch agencies. Case studies of the
groups most often named were used to describe the factors that make
nonprofit organizations influential in national policy debates.
"Nonprofit advocacy is an important and understudied topic," said Alan
J. Abramson, director of The Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector
Research Fund. "Rees’ findings indicate that nonprofit organizations
can serve as a critical link in our democracy by channeling the
interests of their members to leaders at the highest levels of the
policy process."
Rees’ case studies and analysis reveal that the Concord
Coalition has achieved its high effectiveness level despite its youth
and small budget compared to other organizations cited.
The Concord Coalition and the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities were named the most influential groups on budget issues by
those surveyed. Other groups were ranked in the following issues:
environment (Sierra Club, National Federation of Independent Business),
family policy and welfare (Christian Coalition, Children’s Defense
Fund), foreign aid funding (American Israel Public Affairs Committee
and Center for Strategic and International Studies), health (American
Medical Association, American Association of Retired Persons), and
housing and community policy (U.S. Conference of Mayors, National
League of Cities).
The study can be found on the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund’s Aspen Institute’s Web site.
