Center for Community-Based and Nonprofit Organizations at Austin Community College

Alliance for Justice's Nonprofit Advocacy Project (202-822-6070) www.afj.org - provides training and consultation about laws governing lobbying and advocacy through workshops by experienced attorneys. AFJ guidebooks address election year advocacy, e-advocacy, foundations and lobbying, and the connections between 501(c)3s, 501(c)4s, and PACs.

Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI, 202-387-5048) www.clpi.Org - is the place to go to learn about lobbying by 501(c)3s. You can download the Nonprofit Lobbying Guide, as well as one-pagers on lobby laws, how to get started lobbying, and fundraising for public policy-related activities. The website also offers self-directed tutorials on how to lobby, laws on lobbying, and voter education activities.

Electronic Policy Network's www.epn.Org -contains links to advocacy and public-policy groups and causes, and a progressive analysis of issues.

GiveVoice.org www.givevoice.org - a portal for taking action on issues of concern to the nonprofit sector, sponsored by the National Council of Nonprofit Associations and Independent Sec tor. Users can lobby directly on federal and state legislation affecting nonprofits.

League of Women Voters' Democracy Net www.dnet.org - enables users to compare candidates' positions and learn about ballot measures and redistricting. It provides links to elected officials.

Network for Good www.networkforgood.org - Provides users the means to donate, volunteer, and advocate for certain causes directly from the site; includes e-advocacy links.

Nonprofit Gateway www.nonprofit.gov - to the Federal government contains links to federal agencies, provides links to information clearinghouses such as the "Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance," and includes a search engine for the entire federal government.

omb Watch (202-234-8494) www.ombwatch.org - provides updated information about the latest pending federal legislation and regulation affecting non-profits as well as uses of technology for public policy participation. "The OMB Watcher," an e-newsletter, discusses key public policy issues racing the non-profit sector and environment. OMB Watch also co-chairs the Let America Speak coalition, defending non-profit advocacy rights(www.ombwa.tch.org/las ).

ONE/Northwest www.onenw.org - A great place to learn about internet advocacy tools and engage in e-advocacy on environmen tal issues.

Project Vote Smart www.vote-smart.org - a wealth of information about politics, voter registration, how government operates, and basic civic info.

Townhall.com www.townhall.com - a web portal to conservative organizations and source for news and analysis on public policy issues.

U.S. House of Representatives legislative tracking site thomas.loc.gov - It includes links to House and Senate legislative committees, executive branch agencies, and legislation introduced in past sessions. The site also contains information about the federal legislative process and enables users to email to any Member.

U.S. Senate www.senate.gov - website contains links to all U.S. Senators and their websites and allo ws users to send email to Senators. It includes information about the Lobbying Disclosure Act that nonprofits must comply with if they spend $20,000 every six months on federal level lobbying. (See the CLPI website, www.clpi.org , for more details.)

Texas Links

Center for Public Policy Priorities www.cppp.Org -analyzes legislative and administrative actions affecting the health and well being of vulnerable populations.

Texas Legislature www.capitol.state.tx.us - The legislative tracking site for the .

Texas Weekly www.texasweekly.com - a subscription-based weekly political newsletter offering an "insiders look" at Texas politics.

TX Ethics Commission www.ethics.state.tx.us - provides campaign finance reports, lobby lists and reports, and legal advisory opinions.

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