The National Small Business Association is the nation’s oldest small business advocacy organization, celebrating more than 80 years. NSBA is a unique member-driven organization that operates on an unwavering nonpartisan basis with members in every state and every industry across the country.
Advocacy for small business is the driving force behind NSBA, and they know that the best advocates for small business are the owners themselves, who dedicate their lives to making their businesses, their employees, their communities and their country better. Their membership of more than 65,000 people
are as diverse as the economies they fuel, and their political beliefs are as varied as they are diverse, but we all come to the table with the same priority: promoting small business ownership, growth and sustainability.
NSBA’s members also include their state and regional small business affiliates, some of which are broader business groups such as chambers of commerce, and some of which are more specific to small businesses.
A few weeks ago, the NSBA held its annual event called the Washington Presentation, where small business leadership gathered in Washington, D.C. for two days. In addition to specific panel discussions on topics ranging from cybersecurity to procurement and Lobbying 101 to free trade, the delegation attended a White House briefing, a Congressional breakfast at the Capitol, and headed to the Hill to lobby their members of Congress.
A key component of this event is the recognition of their Lew Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year Award winners. This award is given to small business owners who go above and beyond in advocating for policies that improve the climate for small businesses, not just their own business and industry.
In addition to recognizing outstanding small business advocates, NSBA has focused significant resources on building its Leadership Council, a group of small business leaders with representation in nearly every state and county to improve their operations on a grassroots basis. Nearly 100 members of this group attended a dinner during the Washington presentation, where they heard an update on the FixUS campaign led by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) and discussed the need for policy reform to address the major challenges facing our rural communities. NSBA has been an active partner of CRFB and many of its campaigns, including the Fix the Debt campaign and the FixUS campaign.
Before the NSBA delegation traveled to Capitol Hill, NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken, a board member of the Small Business Roundtable, spoke about NSBA’s top issues and key lobbying topics.
One thing that makes NSBA extremely unique is that every two years, at the beginning of a new Congress, NSBA holds its Small Business Congress, where small business owners discuss, debate and vote on the organization’s priority issues for the upcoming Congressional session. Then, throughout the year, NSBA’s four policy committees discuss these priorities, as well as any emerging issues that arise and require NSBA’s attention. These committees are open to any NSBA member, giving their members a great deal of influence over how NSBA lobbies on Capitol Hill.
NSBA’s leadership has created an association dedicated to and driven by small business members. NSBA’s current staff has over 100 years of collective experience advocating for small businesses-their longevity is a testament to the importance of their mission and reinforces NSBA’s role as the small business leader in Washington, D.C.
