Organizations provide services

Many public organizations in America provide social services and humanitarian aid to American citizens. The 19th century American industrialist Andrew Carnegie established a foundation to open public libraries across the United States. 100 years later, this tradition was continued by Bill Gates, who founded the Gates Foundation to equip thousands of public libraries with computers and Internet access, making modern Internet technology available to millions of Americans. Other community organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, focus their efforts on disaster relief and humanitarian aid. Such organizations are often supported by various church organizations across America. Providing victims of domestic violence with a variety of services and shelter, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is another example of an organization that provides assistance directly to citizens.

Public organizations engaged in expert analysis and research

The role of other public organizations is to provide expert analysis on major public policy issues. There are civil society organizations and think tanks that deal with a variety of issues, including foreign policy and public administration. The analysis conducted by U.S. think tanks covers the entire range of policy issues. Many people in Russia are familiar with the analytical reports of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, because this organization has a branch in Russia – the Carnegie Moscow Center. Before working in the government, I was for many years (it was a great time!) a senior researcher at the Foundation. Right next door to the Carnegie Endowment in Washington is the Brookings Institution, which has been analyzing public policy issues for almost 100 years. The mission of the Institute for American Enterprise is “to expand individual freedom, personal opportunity and strengthen free enterprise. The Institute embodies these enduring ideals through the development of independent thinking, open discussion, reasoned argument, facts, and the highest standards of research and description of findings.” The Cato Institute “upholds the principles of individual liberty, limitation of state power, free trade, and peace.” The Heritage Foundation sees its goal as a conservative public policy based on the principles of free enterprise, limitation of government power, individual liberty, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The number of think tanks used to be small, but it has grown exponentially over the past three decades.

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Public organizations are also being formed to preserve what they consider to be the constitutional rights of Americans. For example, the National Rifle Association was founded in 1871 to protect the right to own firearms, as well as to provide firearms training for police and self-defense courses, improve firearm safety, improve shooting techniques, and promote hunting in the United States.

Today, the National Rifle Association is better known as one of the main political forces advocating for reducing restrictions on gun ownership and defending Second Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, on the other hand, works to pass and enforce federal and state laws, regulations, and public policies that would provide stricter controls on gun use and ownership.

Both of these organizations, along with thousands of other civic organizations, play an important role in the gun control debate currently underway in the United States following the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, late last year.

Many civil society organizations, especially those that advocate for civil liberties, are devoting a great deal of attention to criticizing our authorities. The American Civil Liberties Union is a prime example. The purpose of this organization is to defend and preserve the rights and freedoms of the individual, as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and in American laws.

Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union work daily in courts, legislatures, and with the public to protect and preserve individual rights and freedoms.

Civil Liberties Union (CLU) civil society organizations oversee the actions of the government. Civil rights organizations in the U.S. monitor elections and campaign promises, investigate and expose corruption, and actively advocate on behalf of minority communities.

One function of NGOs is court monitoring, where U.S. citizens monitor decisions.
For example, WATCH, a Minnesota NGO, describes its purpose as improving the efficiency and responsiveness of the court system in cases of violence against women and children. This organization is a member of the National Association of Judicial Monitoring Programs, which provides training and materials to organizations in various states.

Because the U.S. Constitution guarantees openness of the courts to the public, members of community-based organizations that monitor the courts have no difficulty accessing the courts and observing what is going on in a court case.

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Another common activity for civic organizations is to defend the interests of the people of their constituencies in institutions, legislatures, and electoral bodies at all levels of government. Large civic organizations use their voter mobilization and fundraising capabilities to influence policy. For example, the American Association of Retired Persons is a non-profit, non-governmental organization for people of retirement age. It has 37 million members.

The association informs its members about legislation affecting their retirement living conditions, such as health care, Social Security and pension laws. The organization also advocates for its members with service companies, helping them get discounts based on their limited retirement budgets, and provides services such as retirement plans. It also lobbies state and national governments on the issues its members care most about, such as health care and health insurance laws.

According to the association’s 2011 annual report, the organization encouraged its members to reach out to their representatives in Congress during the deficit-reduction budget debate there. More than 8 million members sent letters and e-mails, made phone calls and signed petitions demanding that Congress not cut individual welfare benefits in the final version of the state budget. In this way, civic organizations are able to influence policy by shaping public debate on issues of public interest.

MomsRising is another example of this type of community organization. I know MomsRising well because my wife Donna Norton helped found the organization, which now has over 1 million members. MomsRising seeks to improve the economic security of families and end discrimination against women and mothers. MomsRising directs its efforts to organize grassroots action from below to lobby lawmakers and amplify women’s voices in the national media.

When we lived in the United States, Donna regularly went to Capitol Hill to talk to members of Congress about paramount maternal issues and concerns: affordable health care, parental leave, child welfare, flexible work schedules and equal pay. She relayed appeals and life stories directly to elected officials. CBOs can check to see if elected leaders are hearing their voices and the opinions of their constituencies. A civic organization is able to provide this important service to its members who live in different parts of the country and are unable to come to Congress in person.

Distinguishing between political and nonpolitical activities

There are many different types of civic organizations in the U.S., including charities, welfare organizations, labor unions, business unions, and political organizations. Non-profit organizations that devote their resources to charitable, religious or educational purposes are eligible to claim tax exemption under section 501(C)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. These organizations can engage in a wide range of advocacy issues, but they are limited in lobbying and are prohibited from engaging in any political activity regardless of or against a candidate for public office.

Community-based organizations that do not wish to have their lobbying activities restricted may register as social welfare organizations under section 501 (C) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations from donors to such organizations are not exempt from taxation. Moreover, these organizations may engage in partisan political campaigning, but only as a secondary activity. A helpful explanation of the differences between these categories of organizations can be found here.

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