Ways to Give

Campaign for the Future

NCLC’s vision is for a nation in which economic opportunity is available to all.

The Campaign for the Future will transform NCLC into a stronger and more sophisticated consumer rights and economic justice advocacy organization—the kind of organization needed to achieve our vision.

NCLC has engaged our Board, Partners Council, staff, and other constituencies to identify the areas in which new resources are most needed to advance consumer rights and economic justice. With the support of our community, Campaign for the Future investments will be focused in the following broad areas:

Next Generation Campaign
Building a Bigger and Stronger Consumer Law Community

When NCLC was founded in 1969, there were few consumer lawyers and no real “consumer law community.” Over the past five decades, NCLC has worked tirelessly to build this community. Our definitive consumer law treatises, highly-attended conferences, and support of consumer lawyers through webinars, listservs and other forms of ongoing engagement make a daily difference for consumer lawyers, and have helped build a thriving community.

Our commitment is not only to support consumer lawyers in the present, but to build the consumer law community of the future.

Through the Campaign for the Future, NCLC aims to invest in new ways to continue building a bigger and stronger consumer law community. Those who have benefited from support, mentoring and expert assistance in the past have the opportunity to present those gifts to the next generation.

Through these priority investments, NCLC will work to continue building a pipeline of new consumer lawyers with the high levels of expertise needed to tackle the consumer law challenges of the future.

Legal Aid Partnership Program
Strengthening NCLC’s Support of Legal Aid Services for Low-Income Consumers

NCLC’s founding mission was to support the Legal Services Program, and that commitment has never wavered. Over five decades we have trained thousands of legal aid lawyers in consumer law, and provided resources they rely on to effectively represent their clients.

All Americans deserve equal access to justice—and justice requires access to good consumer lawyers.

In this era, legal services programs are in jeopardy, and resources are limited. Through the Campaign for the Future, NCLC will strive to build a permanent pipeline of attorneys well-versed in consumer law, and work to ensure that legal aid lawyers receive the training and development opportunities they need to meet the complex consumer law challenges of the future.

State Advocacy Initiative
Expanding NCLC’s Impact at the State Level

In this era of gridlock and regression at the national level, important consumer law fights are increasingly being fought at the state level. Some states offer opportunities for pro-consumer reform that are not currently feasible on the national level, and anti-consumer forces are active—often with little resistance—in others.

Critical consumer law battles are being fought—and important opportunities for pro-consumer reforms exist—at the state level.

NCLC has long fought to preserve the role of states in protecting consumers, and has always provided support to state advocates, but our resources to do so have been extremely limited. New resources will allow us to identify and respond to the most important threats and opportunities in the states and build lasting partnerships with state coalitions, which will positively impact state protections and also help NCLC mobilize state networks on federal issues.

Through the Campaign for the Future, NCLC will be able to plan more proactively to engage on the most strategic and important initiatives, and to respond more quickly and aggressively when requests for assistance are made. Through these priority investments, NCLC will deepen our commitment to state advocacy to meet the challenges of the future.

Communication Capacity-Building Campaign
Enhancing NCLC’s Ability to Reach Decision-Makers, Engage Supporters, and Influence Public Opinion

In the 21st Century, honing a persuasive message to cut through a cacophony of information is an essential component of any successful campaign, and more important than ever in building a lasting pro-consumer political environment.

In a challenging and chaotic political environment, using sophisticated techniques to reach decision-makers, influence public opinion and mobilize people to take action is necessary to protect important consumer laws and win pro-consumer reforms.

Through the Campaign for the Future, NCLC will invest in building the more sophisticated communications capacity it takes to win, investing in the tools and resources needed to tell the stories of our low-income clients, shape the debate, convey complex information in more  easily-understood ways, and mobilize supporters and others who care about consumer rights and economic justice issues.

Through these priority investments, NCLC will become a more effective advocate for consumer protections, better able to shape public opinion and persuade policy makers on the consumer law issues of the future.

Advancing the Agenda Fund
Investing in New Strategies for Advancing Fairness in the Marketplace

For half a century, NCLC has used its expertise in consumer law and energy policy to work for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people in the U.S. Our traditional tools have included policy analysis and advocacy; consumer law and energy publications; litigation; expert witness services, and training and advice for advocates.

New tools and resources are needed for the next generation of consumer law advocacy.

Through the Campaign for the Future, NCLC will be able to invest in areas where we often lack resources—to allow us to get ahead of the curve and lead the way forward on a range of critical issues.

Through these priority investments, NCLC will advance our expertise and capabilities in several key areas to meet the challenges of the future.

Campaign Leadership

Honorary Campaign Co-Chairs: Senator Elizabeth Warren & Will Ogburn

If you would like to find out more about NCLC’s Campaign for the Future please contact Paul Laurent.

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