As nonprofit organizations have become more essential to public service delivery, their representatives increasingly seek to influence the public policy process. In spite of this tendency toward advocacy, research often overlooks the nuanced perspective of nonprofit representatives who undertake such activity through coalitions. The analysis presented here offers an accounting of the struggles faced by nonprofit professionals as they pursue the myriad activities that constitute an advocate’s portfolio. The work is guided by a reconsideration of the dichotomies prevalent in nonprofit advocacy research and is presented through the eyes and words of nonprofit advocates. The research uses the context of a particular network of coalition organizations and service providers in the area of affordable housing. Drawn from a grounded theory approach, the findings offer emergent themes that deserve attention when designing new studies on nonprofit advocacy.
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