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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Recently there has been a lot of talk – in the press, on social networks, and at rallies – about civil society and non-governmental organizations. They often refer to the situation of NGOs in the United States. In the spirit of strengthening mutual understanding between our two countries, I would like to provide information about the role of civil society organizations in the United States.
American civil society organizations have been around for a long time, in fact they predate the United States government. Settlers who came to America were self-organizing and forming nongovernmental organizations long before the United States gained its independence.

• In his distinguished two-volume treatise on American life, published in 1835-1840 and entitled Democracy in America, the famous French politician Alexis de Tocqueville noted the following: “As soon as a few people in the United States come up with some idea which they wish to promote, they begin to seek each other, and as soon as they succeed in making contact with each other, they unite. From that point on they are no longer loners, but a visible force whose work is an example to others and whose words will be heard.
• There are about 1.5 million community organizations in the United States today. These independent voluntary unions of people help assert individual freedom while maintaining a sustainable social order. We call it “civil society,” but that term does not capture the diversity of organizations, the momentum and energy of citizens who come together to solve a social problem or meet a pressing need. Though strangers start a movement toward a common goal, they often come from the same neighborhood, church, union, business partnership, or youth group. They interact with each other, negotiate, resolve disagreements, fight for a common cause, and try to convince society and government of their rightness – all without any control from the state. In this way, civil society cultivates unity and solidarity through the activism of citizens.
• Through non-governmental organizations Americans unite to solve local problems, such as road safety for children, reducing crime, improving schools (in the U.S. local governments are responsible for education), increasing transparency in local government, etc. CBOs also work on national issues such as health care reform and immigration law reform. Some U.S. civic organizations attempt to address global issues, such as the Association for Arms Control and the Global Women’s Fund.

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Since the earliest days of U.S. history, which began 234 years ago, Americans have volunteered in a variety of actions to promote the country’s well-being and make life easier for those who are struggling. This year, for the first time, the federal government released “Public Life in America,” a report that describes how much U.S. residents remain committed to civic principles in both big and small ways by participating in formal organizations and in other ways.

The study, conducted by the Corporation for National and Local Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship, showed a significant increase in volunteerism in the U.S. in 2009, when the country and the world were in economic crisis.

“Americans participate in community service both formally and informally,” said Lamonica Shelton of the Corporation for National and Local Community Service. – This is very important because we need to broaden perceptions of people’s participation in America’s problems. It’s not just about formal participation through organizations, but it’s about people just getting together in their neighborhoods and working on issues.”

National Conference on Citizenship staffer Michael Wieser notes that the report reveals three main areas of community action. “When times are tough, Americans come together to solve problems in their communities,” he says. – “They embrace problems rather than walk away from them, even though the task of making ends meet is becoming more urgent than it was a few years ago.

“Second, we learned that community action is contagious,” Wieser continues. – The report clearly shows that people who participate in one type of community activity – no matter how informal – tend to get involved in more formal volunteering. Third, we learned that the Civic Health Assessment we adopted is the very first step toward greater participation.”

According to Lamonica Shelton, the study revealed several indicators that show who is more likely to spend their time and talents volunteering. “If a person participates in one of the many forms of civic community activity that we focused on in the Public Life in America report, the chances of them getting involved in other activities goes up,” she explains. – It’s a cycle that’s gaining momentum: if a person is involved in volunteerism, they’re more likely to be involved in elections, and if people interact informally with their neighbors, they’re more likely to be involved in local civic organizations.

The number of Internet users in the U.S. is high and growing. It may seem that the World Wide Web distracts people from real and personal interaction with others. However, in terms of community service and civic participation, according to Michael Wieser, this understanding may be wrong. “The Internet is a tool that brings people together,” he says. – Eventually they can meet and work together face to face. Then they’ll work personally and closely together to solve community problems or work together in an organization. So the Internet is likely to help people find other people with similar interests. It can help overcome certain complexes. And at the end of the day, it helps them become what they want to become, which is to work together for the good of their community.”

Research on civic participation in the United States has been done in the past. Lamonica Shelton explains the specifics of the current study. “Previous work has examined the formal ways people participate through formal organizations,” she says. – “In our report, Public Life in America, we looked beyond volunteering. We looked at other aspects of community service, at informal activities, like when you work together with your neighbors to solve a problem. But then we also looked at other key areas, such as political activity, participation in groups, access to information about current events, and social connections.”

The report also noted the high level of community engagement among military veterans, as well as the role of corporations, many of which incorporate community engagement into their business strategy.

The “Public Life in America” report found that 63.4 million Americans were involved in at least one community organization in 2009. About 20 million people worked with others to solve specific problems. Six in 10 Americans provided services to their neighbors.

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