National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

What National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd does

The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (NAC) is a non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2001 and headquartered at 504 Hexton Hill Road, Silver Spring, Maryland. It operates as the federal advocacy arm of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic religious congregation founded in France in 1835 and present in over 70 countries across five continents, with a U.S. presence of more than 175 years. NAC conducts grassroots lobbying and federal-level policy advocacy on social justice issues affecting marginalized populations in the United States, with stated focus areas including protection of women and children from exploitation and abuse, immigration and refugee rights, economic justice, anti-racism, and interfaith solidarity (including Muslim relations). The organization engages Members of Congress through district office visits, email action alerts, coalition campaigns, and events such as Ecumenical Advocacy Days, and it has documented federal legislative outcomes including the successful reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

NAC's deliverables are advocacy resources and programs rather than technology products. Core offerings include the Congressional District Visits Program (training and coordinating constituents for face-to-face meetings with legislators and their staff), the Grassroots Organizing Toolkit (teach-in guides, rally planning materials, and interfaith organizing strategies), the Analysis for Action Framework (a methodology grounded in Catholic Social Teaching for analyzing issues and determining positions), the Position Papers Series, the Road to Justice program (connecting NAC with Good Shepherd partner agencies for on-the-ground intelligence), the Poetry Library featuring Black, Hispanic, and Native American voices, and Human Trafficking Resources including screening questions and prevention toolkits. Distribution channels span a Facebook page, Twitter (@NAC4Justice), Instagram (@nac4justice), an email newsletter, the gsadvocacy.org website, and a Congressional Action Platform at congressweb.com/gsnac.

The business model is donation-based, with contributions accepted through the Good Shepherd International Foundation, including earmarked crisis response efforts such as Lebanon relief. Services, toolkits, and educational materials are provided free of charge; no pricing models exist. The organization employs 101-250 staff, maintains no disclosed revenue figures, and operates without subsidiaries, M&A activity, or external funding rounds. Governance and ownership rest within the Sisters of the Good Shepherd congregation structure rather than any venture or public-equity ownership, and no leadership changes, restructuring events, or regulatory actions are disclosed in the source material.

Name

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

Legal name

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

Website

https://gsadvocacy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd is the federal advocacy arm of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd religious congregation, conducting grassroots lobbying and policy advocacy on social justice issues affecting marginalized women, children, immigrants, and people in poverty across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Social justice advocacy
• Grassroots organizing
• Legislative lobbying
• Human trafficking prevention
• Faith-based advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Silver Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts donations through the Good Shepherd International Foundation for crisis response efforts such as Lebanon relief. NAC operates as a non-profit advocacy center connected to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd congregation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Advocacy Center (NAC) educates constituents and develops strategies to address social justice issues, providing federal-level advocacy on behalf of marginalized populations, especially women, children, immigrants, and people living in poverty. It delivers free advocacy resources, toolkits, congressional district visit coordination, grassroots organizing guidance, and email action alerts to mobilize citizens in contacting lawmakers.

Product overview

The National Advocacy Center provides a suite of advocacy services and resources rather than a technology product. Core offerings include the Congressional District Visits Program enabling face-to-face lobbying, the Advocacy Handbook and Grassroots Organizing Toolkit for mobilization, the Poetry Library featuring diverse voices for social justice awareness, and comprehensive Human Trafficking Resources including toolkits for vigils and prevention. The Analysis for Action Framework provides methodology for position development, while Position Papers and Road to Justice connect the organization with partner agencies for direct service insights. Email action alerts facilitate constituent communication with lawmakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Congressional District Visits Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking (CCOAHT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC is a member of CCOAHT which creates toolkits for National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Day of Prayer. The coalition works on awareness campaigns including Lenten campaigns on forced labor in the fishing industry.
• Interfaith Immigration CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC participates in the Interfaith Immigration Coalition which created the Faith Asylum Vigil Toolkit for virtual and in-person vigils for immigration justice.
• Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (ICADSV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC serves as a core member of ICADSV, advocating for legislation that protects girls and women from exploitation and abuse.
• US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking (Alliance to End Human Trafficking)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking, now Alliance to End Human Trafficking. NAC works with this coalition on anti-trafficking initiatives.
• US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Anti-Trafficking ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC collaborates with USCCB on anti-trafficking programs, sharing resources and coordinating advocacy efforts.
• Coalition Against Trafficking in WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC partners with this NGO that works to end human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children worldwide.
• Good Shepherd International Foundation (GSIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSIF produces films like 'Maisha: A New Life Outside the Mines' and coordinates crisis relief efforts. NAC works with GSIF on international advocacy initiatives.
• Shoulder to Shoulder CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC participates in interfaith response to Islamophobia, organizing workshops and presentations on standing with Muslim communities.
• Church World ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in interfaith workshops on Islamophobia and what faith members can do to combat hate and fear.
• Maryland Human Trafficking Task ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC participates in the Maryland-specific task force addressing human trafficking.
• Polaris ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC references Polaris Project resources for human trafficking identification and support.
• National Women's Law CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC has worked closely with NWLC to lobby for adequate income for low-income women, including cosponsoring events.
• Department of Homeland Security Blue CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC collaborates with DHS Blue Campaign, which works with law enforcement, government, NGOs and private organizations on human trafficking awareness.
• SHARE FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC participated in Interfaith Root Causes Pilgrimage to Honduras organized by SHARE Foundation in March 2019.
• Leadership Conference of Women ReligiouscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the March 2019 Interfaith Root Causes Pilgrimage to Honduras.
• Sisters of Mercy of the AmericascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity and the March 2019 pilgrimage to Honduras.
• Interfaith Movement for Human IntegritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAC participated in the March 2019 Interfaith Root Causes Pilgrimage to Honduras organized by this coalition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bread for the World: Christian non-profit focused on federal advocacy to end hunger and poverty, with extensive grassroots lobbying infrastructure. Comparable in mobilizing constituents to engage Congress on social justice legislation.
• Sojourners: Faith-based social justice advocacy organization with federal policy engagement on poverty, racial justice, and immigration. Comparable as a Christian-rooted advocacy group using grassroots mobilization and legislative lobbying.
• NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice: Federal Catholic social justice lobbying organization with a similar mission of advocating on Capitol Hill for policies addressing poverty, immigration, and economic inequality. Directly comparable as a faith-based federal advocacy peer with grassroots mobilization and lobby-meeting models.
• Franciscan Action Network: Catholic Franciscan-inspired advocacy organization focused on federal policy change on peace, economic justice, and immigration. Comparable to NAC in operating as the federal advocacy arm of a Catholic religious congregation.
• Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns: Catholic mission organization's advocacy office focused on global justice, immigration, and human rights at the federal level. Directly comparable as a religious congregation's federal policy advocacy arm.
• Faith in Public Life: Interfaith advocacy organization engaging religious leaders on federal policy. Comparable to NAC's interfaith approach on social justice issues, though with a broader interfaith orientation beyond Catholic Social Teaching.
• Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach: Catholic missionary organization's U.S. advocacy arm focused on immigration, human trafficking, and peace. Highly comparable as another religious-congregation-led federal advocacy center with similar grassroots mobilization approach.

Emerging players

• Polaris Project: Anti-human-trafficking organization that NAC references and partners with. Comparable as a specialized advocacy and direct-service organization on human trafficking, though Polaris operates a national hotline and direct services while NAC focuses on federal legislative advocacy.

Regional players

• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR): Faith-based investor and advocacy coalition addressing corporate accountability on social issues. While focused on shareholder advocacy rather than direct congressional lobbying, it shares NAC's faith-rooted, social-justice orientation and coalition-based operating model.

Broad incumbents

• US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): Larger institutional Catholic advocacy body in the U.S. covering a broader policy portfolio. NAC collaborates with USCCB's Anti-Trafficking Program and shares overlapping federal advocacy scope, though USCCB operates at far greater scale across the full Catholic policy agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NAC4Justice
• Facebookfacebook.com/goodshepherdnationaladvocacycenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/nac4justice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-national-advocacy-center-of-the-sisters-of-the-good-shepherd-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd