Report Publish Date: September 1, 2025

This report provides a model for hybrid nonprofit organizations that engage in service and advocacy to help communities build power by developing, sustaining, and growing an organized base of people who act together through democratic structures. 

Primary Takeaways

Though the structures, processes, and workflows of service-advocacy hybrid organizations vary, their service and advocacy work interact in similar ways. Through the service function of the organization, staff are in close and frequent contact with community members, or the people receiving their services. Much of the information and knowledge gathered on the service side then feeds into the organization’s advocacy function. 

Overview and Objectives

For many service-advocacy hybrid organizations, their purposeful information loops between their service and advocacy functions make them effective centers for power building through the interplay of proximity to and trust with community, along with a dedication and expertise in systems and policy change.

Hypothesis or Approach 

If hybrid organizations have intentional information loops, they will be able to employ specific approaches to their systems and policy change work that would not typically be possible in another type of organization. These approaches center community member voices and allow hybrid organizations to fully leverage the rich information and relationships that they have with community. 

How This Influences Change

The service-advocacy hybrid structure allows these organizations to employ particular approaches that amplify and center community member voices and experiences in the systems and policy change space. This leads to organizations contributing to advocacy that builds power.