1Interest Groups come in many shapes and sizes. These organizations gather people together to become a voice in a political issue. Through providing information to the public and participating in the political arena, they can have a major effect on how their concern is viewed.
2 The influence a group has on the political atmosphere is directly affected by its size. A group that represents a million or more people would have much more power than a smaller group with only 25,000 members. However, smaller groups usually have more active members than larger groups. They can still wield a great amount of power and influence. The old adage, "he who speaks the loudest gets the most notice" holds true for smaller interest groups.
3 Interest groups need money to run their organization. This money is used to promote the group's interest in advertising, mailings, and hiring a lobbyist to represent them in Washington, D.C. The majority of these funds come from membership fees and grants. Most of the time, membership size equals more available resources for the interest group. Many philanthropic groups give grants to interest groups. Government grants are also available even though many people feel that it's wrong to use public funds for these types of groups.
