pressure group

This term describes an organization that attempts to influence political outcomes without seeking elective office. It is often used interchangeably with lobby group or interest group, though pressure group frequently carries a connotation of using public mobilization, protests, or grassroots campaigns to force a change in policy.

In political discourse, the term can be neutral or slightly pejorative depending on whether the speaker views the group's influence as a legitimate democratic exercise or as an undue interference by special interests in the legislative process.