Summary: Many non-profits are great about consistently educating constituents about why their organization's work matters. They often fall short on their advocacy work, however. Meeting with legislators and testifying about a bill is often done at the last minute. Little time is taken in the months prior to speak with and get in the world of legislators to find common ground. On this show, I speak with Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Blue Planet Foundation (http://www.blueplanetfoundation.org), which is based in Honolulu, Hawaii, about his success as an environmental advocate. Blue Planet Foundation is committed to ending the use of fossil fuels on Earth. Jeff describes essential elements of advocacy and how it's integrated into all facets of his organization. He also clears up the confusion lots of people have about whether non-profits can lobby. This show pairs well with the April 18, 2011 Nonprofit Spark (http://webtalkradio.net/2011/04/17/nonprofit-spark-%E2%80%93-using-media-advocacy-to-cause-sustainable-change-041811/)podcast about media advocacy.
