speaking out to policymakers about the people charities serve and their missions

[keannu]

What does the writer want charities to speak to the government through the volunteers? There's no example of specific needs, so I can't get the intention of the writer easily. Does he want the volunteers to say "Please save the poor people or homeless" or something?
This can be best answered by Americans who understand American political and societal situation well.

is16
ex)Charities make an enormous contribution to our national life, often through "hands-on" services provided by the eighty-four million Americans who volunteer each year. Unfortunately, they seldom organize those volunteers to contribute their time to perhaps the most important service they can provide - speaking out to policymakers about the people charities serve and their missions. Instead, charities view lobbying as irrelevant to their mission, inappropriate, or even illegal. This is a huge loss not only for the peopl that they serve but also for the nation as a whole. The right of citizens to petition their government officials is basic to our democracy, and charities are one of the most effective vehicles to tell them about their opinions.Our democratic system can only be strengthened by charities telling public officials about the needs as they see them - firsthand.

 

[SoothingDave]

Does he want the volunteers to say "Please save the poor people or homeless" or something? ​

Yes, something like that. It could mean anything from begging the gov't for more money for "the cause" to simply wanting the gov't to set policy with an awareness of the impact on "the cause."

 

[Barb_D]

For example, if people write to their elected represenatatives to let them know about how well a particular charity, which relies on government funding to operate, serves needy people, also in the representatives district, that elected representative will at least know that someone cares about the funding program.

 

[keannu]

Thanks a lot! But the charities can let representatives know the reality of their helping the needy in person, why do they need to have volunteers do it? To make representatives feel and realize the reality more deeply from common people?

 

[SoothingDave]

Yes, exactly. The charities themselves, or their "lobbyists" can advocate for their cause to the elected gov't representatives. But if the representatives receive real letters from real people it is supposed to help make the case. It shows the representative that there are votes to be won or lost based on their behavior on the cause.