Read Up!

ON STATE GOVERNMENT

A Citizen's Guide to Effective Legislative Participation.
A browsable overview of what you can do to participate actively in the legislative process in Olympia, brought to you by the legislature itself. <http://www1.leg.wa.gov/WorkingwithLeg/effectiveparticipation.htm>

Sine Die: A Guide to the Washington State Legislative Process, by Edward D. Seeberger. Seattle: University of Washington Press, c1997.
Detailed description of the legislative process in Olympia, written by a former research staff director of the Washington State Senate. Available at libraries, including UW's Gallagher Law Library. Copies (used or new) can be purchased online.

ON NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

The Nonprofit Lobbying Guide, Second Edition, by Bob Smucker.
Stories from nonprofit leaders who have spent their careers lobbying national legislators in the public interest. Overview of federal law on lobbying and voter education for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Describes how to build a legislative program, produce effective lobbying communications, or establish a public policy committee. Full text (158 pages) online at <http://www.clpi.org/BOOK/nonprofitlobbyingguide.pdf>