50 Nonprofits Every U.S. Politician Should Follow on Twitter
The 50 nonprofits listed below are tackling some of the most important economic, social and political issues of our time. They are active in our communities, in our schools, and have valuable knowledge and experience that our nation’s elected officials could learn from and be inspired by, and yet very few U.S. politicians follow any nonprofits on Twitter. They mostly only follow other politicians. These sorts of echo chambers are common inside the Twitterverse – it’s the same with most celebrities and musicians who also tend to only follow each other, but in the case of nonprofits and politicians who are working on many of the same issues, not following the nonprofits listed below is a lost opportunity. Even if you don’t agree with the mission of a particular nonprofit, following them doesn’t need to signal an endorsement. Rather, it can simply demonstrate a tiny step towards better understanding the other side’s point view.
1. Alliance for American Manufacturers :: @KeepItMadeInUSA
2. American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) :: @AARP
3. American Cancer Society :: @AmericanCancer
4. American Civil Liberties Union :: @ACLU
5. American Farmland Trust :: @Farmland
6. American Heart Association :: @American_Heart
7. American Red Cross :: @RedCross
8. American Rivers :: @AmericanRivers
9. American Solar Energy Society :: @ASES_Solar
10. Americans for the Arts :: @Americans4Arts
11. American Wind Energy Association :: @AWEA
12. Amnesty International USA :: @Amnesty
13. Ashoka :: @Ashoka
14. Autism Speaks :: @AustismSpeaks
15. Campaign to End Obesity :: @ToEndObesity
16. Change the Equation :: @ChangeEquation
17. Children’s Defense Fund :: @ChildDefender
18. Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans :: @CIAV
19. Coalition to Stop Gun Violence :: @CSGV
20. Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) :: @NationalCASA
21. Crisis Group :: @CrisisGroup
22. DoSomething.org :: @DoSomething
23. Education Week :: @EducationWeek
24. Electronic Frontier Foundation :: @EFF
25. Feeding America :: @FeedingAmerica
26. Goodwill Industries :: @GoodwillIntl
27. Habitat for Humanity :: @Habitat_org
28. Human Rights Campaign :: @HRC
29. Humane Society of the United States :: @HumaneSociety
30. Junior Achievement :: @JA_USA
31. Maplight :: @MapLight
32. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People :: @NAACP
33. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy :: @TheNC
34. National Coalition for the Homelessness :: @NTL_Homeless
35. National Council of La Raza :: @NCLR
36. National Museum of American History :: @AMHistoryMuseum
37. National Parks Conservation Association :: @NPCA
38. National Wildlife Federation :: @NWF
39. Natural Resources Defense Council :: NRDC
40. Ocean Conservancy :: @OurOcean
41. Operation Homefront :: @OP_Homefront
42. Oxfam America :: @OxfamAmerica
43. Pew Research Center :: @PewResearch
44. Ploushares Fund :: @Plough_Shares
45. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network :: @RAINN01
46. Special Olympics :: @SpecialOlympics
47. Trevor Project :: @TrevorProject
48. Union of Concerned Scientists :: @UCSUSA
49. UNICEF :: @UNICEF
50. World Wildlife Fund :: @WWF
Finally, with more than 1.5 million registered nonprofits in the United States alone, of course I missed a few (and some whose very mention is politically divisive were left off the list intentionally). If there is a nonprofit that you would like to add, please do so in a comment below (political rants not necessary, thank you). And if you are an influencial blogger in your local community, state, or country, may I suggest you create a similar list of nonprofits to follow relevant to your corner of the world. Politicians have a lot to gain by being more connected with nonprofits on Twitter. We just need to point it out to them. 🙂
Related Links:
Social and Mobile Media Webinars for Nonprofits and Government
Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits
Nonprofit Tech 2.0 Blog :: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits 
I’m curious why you listed these individually, but didn’t create a Twitter list that would enable a politician to follow all of these agencies via a list.
Would it make sense to set this up as a Twitter List that folks could follow?
Andy Wolber
@awolber
Because I have maxed out the number of lists I can create:
https://twitter.com/nonprofitorgs/lists
And I would much prefer that politicians follow the nonprofits themselves over a list of mine. Thanks though. Good idea… dare to dream that politicians create their own Twitter list of “Nonprofits.” 🙂
Reblogged this on The Political Social Worker and commented:
It is so important that elected officials are connected to and support nonprofits. We need to remember that not only are nonprofits job creators they also provide vital services to our communities.
All great non-profits. Any politician claiming to advance education would benefit from following City Year (@CityYear or any of the cities City Year serves in) and Teach for America (@TeachForAmerica). AmeriCorps (@americorps) and Peace Corps (@peacecorps) provide excellent ways for politicians to see how American citizens are participating in service efforts as part of a national community that reaches out to communities locally and globally.
Thoughtful comment. Thanks. 🙂
I don’t see any NGO from the media development sector, have I misread the list? Thanks for your feedback in advance.
No… but will 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States, I couldn’t fit in all categories. If there is a nonprofit you would like to add, please do… with their Twitter handle. Thanks!
I do not think it is about the number of non-profits but the diversity of sectors you want US politicians to cover. Media and its role around the world it is one of “most important economic, social and political issues of our time: @internews @CIMA_Media, just to name two organisations.
A much more comprehensive list once you get the media component in 😉 Thanks for your work.
http://twitter.com/rotary the work they have done over the years with polio is staggering.
You should also follow ONE, a bi-partisan organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease. Our Twitter account has more than 600,000 followers, including several key influencers on the Hill. We’re at http://twitter.com/ONECampaign.
Good one. 🙂
For international women’s rights and gender equity, I recommend following @Half.
NationalADAPT
@NationalADAPT
ADAPT is a national grassroots disability rights organization fighting to end the institutional bias.
http://www.ADAPT.org
twitter.com/idealist! We’re a nonprofit that connects people to the opportunities, resources, and community they need to take action and create a better world. We’re known for our job board which has over 8,000 jobs around the world for people who want a social-impact career. Additionally, we conduct surveys of the sector to explore how nonprofits are doing, who’s searching for jobs, and what we can better do to support the sector as a whole.
Also @endslaverynow and @polaris_project, tackling modern slavery and human trafficking both domestically and internationally. This issue affects over 20 million people worldwide.
The two non-profits resonated with me because William Wilberforce, a committed Christian and member of the British Parliament, headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade. With a profound Biblical allegiance to the central distinguishing doctrines of Christianity, he understood the impact of these beliefs upon the political welfare of a nation. If you believe that radically God-centered Christians serving as leaders in government will profoundly impact our world, please pray in accordance with that belief, and partner with Capitol Commission in calling men and women to this place to faith and service.
Thanks for this article! Given the current political climate around healthcare, the advocacy arm of the Children’s Hospital Association’s twitter feed @speaknowforkids would be another great one to add to this list.
We’re glad you listed the great military support charity Operation Homefront — but wished you had included Operation Gratitude as well: @OpGratitude — please check out all that we are doing for deployed troops, military families, veterans, wounded warriors and first responders: http://www.operationgratitude.com/ Thank you!
@opportunityintl provides small business loans, insurance, savings accounts, and training to those in poverty around the world. They focus on empowering women economically.
Good-looking list. I think Best Friends Animal Society’s No Homeless Pets initiative is worth following.
The Foundation Center (@fdncenter) is a must follow! The Center tracks philanthropic giving trends, impact, collaborations, and more for the social sector. Plus, we offer tools and trainings for Congressional staffers on resources available in their home districts for individual and organizational grantseekers. I’m a bit biased, but I like to think we could make a list or two. 🙂
The Build Your Future campaign (@byfcampaign) is doing some great work raising awareness about the construction industry skills gap (with emphasis on commercial and industrial construction sectors). They post quite a bit about Career and Technical Education (CTE). Some other great ones are @ACTEcareertech, @RecruitMilitary and @USGBC.
Also, @Independence1st – Disability news, services provider and advocate for self sufficiency, independent living, full participation and access for all citizens, including those with disabilities.
@pathfinderint is another that is the leader in global reproductive and sexual health.
National Fatherhood Initiative, please
AFP Disaster Response Organization is a nonprofit organization respond to disasters and search and rescue situations.AFP’s core people that will be hired are pryor military personal.Check out our web site. Thank you.
Matthew Pilarski Chief of Divisions
Think about adding in American Diabetes Association @AmDiabetesAssn With 26 million Americans now impact by diabetes, that number is only going up, along with obesity rates.
Not one labor organization, or any organization dedicated to worker rights or employment standards. I don’t understand the intention behind such a glaring omission.
Because their Twitter feeds are heavily partisan… that would immediately discredit this blog post. The whole point of the post is to avoid the political fray of partisan politics…. see last paragraph. The first nonprofit listed, however, is one committed to to America workers and American jobs.
I’d add Human Rights Watch – and not only because I work for @hrw. We investigate and expose human rights abuses in 90 countries (including the US) and make recommendations that give politicians a path to end human rights abuses.
I think any savvy political figure would be wise to follow Points of Light. As the largest volunteer network in the country, Points of Light and its 240 affiliates around the country are meeting critical social needs through the power of ordinary citizens, elevating innovative practices that engage volunteers, and driving change through service.
Hope you can check out @Public_Citizen, we are the nation’s original watchdogs, standing up to corporate power and holding government accountable for over 40 years. We are a nonpartisan organization working on everything from campaign finance reform to energy and trade policy. We are fairly influential on a number of topics http://www.klout.com/Public_Citizen and appreciate your consideration for this and future lists! You can learn more about our work at http://www.citizen.org
I would add http://borgenproject.org/.