Download - How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Training Conducted by:
Tracy Fischman773.645.3412
Training Objectives
Definitions: Policy, Advocacy and Power
Developing and Implementing Effective Issue Based Campaigns
Targeting 101
Basics of Messaging
Meeting with Elected Officials and Other Policy Makers
Practice
Training Agenda
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Participants will expand their understanding of policy, advocacy and power.
Participants will understand the elements of issue-based campaigns, and learn to think more strategically about planning and targeting for their campaigns.
Participants will expand their understanding of how to develop targeted messages to effectively communicate their arguments.
Participants will feel more prepared to advocate to elected officials and other policy makers.
Training Objectives
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Organizing seeks to rectify (or set right) the problem of power imbalance by building a base of people power and transforming individuals and communities.
Organizing is a process by which people – often low-and-moderate-income people previously absent from decision-making tables – are brought together in organizations to jointly act in the interest of their communities and the common good.
Typically, the actions taken are preceded by careful data gathering, research and participatory strategic planning. The actions are often in the form of negotiations with institutions that hold power.
Important Definitions (Starting Point)
Community Organizing
Excerpts from “A Funder's Guide to Community Organizing” by the Neighborhood Funding Network
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
“Power is the ability to achieve a purpose. Whether or not it is good or bad depends upon the purpose.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Economic
Political
Legal
Institutional
Other
Defining Power
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Politics refers to the processes by which people and groups acquire and exercisepower. Political power is power that is organized and wielded by these people, groups or the state.
Power Based Engagement
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Stems from Latin word potere, which simply means “to be able.”
Necessary aspect of good citizenship. People with power are able to do things, act on their own behalf, or on behalf of others.
Personal power – what we do to meet our individual goals.
Social power is the power we exercise with others when what we want or value can only be attained through group action.
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Ways to Influence and Alter Systems of Power
Direct Lobbying
Policy Education and Advocacy
Constituency Organizing and Mobilization
Media
Money
Other…
Exercising Power in the Public Realm
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Most people have at least some of the skills and characteristics that can result in effective social action. *Here’s a list:
- Vision - Willingness to learn- Ability to plan - Moral courage- Confidence - Sense of humor- Preparation - Ability to work in a team- Organization - Chutzpah/nerve- Follow-through - Compassion/ability to relate- Persistence - Imagination/creativity- Accountability - Communication skills
* Adapted from “The Quickening of America: Rebuilding our Nation, Remaking our Lives” by Frances Moore Lappe and Paul Martine DuBois.
Why Exercising Power… Advocacy Matters
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
$$ Funding $$
Break down legal (and illegal) barriers to accessing information and services
Civil rights: using the legislative and regulatory processes to change discriminatory laws and practices
Increase understanding of the complexity of many issues we care about
Promote scientifically based policies
Other (list)
Power and Social Change
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
An important arena of social power is political decision-making - those who set policies, laws, rulings, allocate public funds and make other decisions.
Progressive groups attempt to exercise power in this arena when they lobby for bills or fight against bad laws, register voters, hold accountability sessions with public officials, etc.
Organizations create formal and informal networks to wield power.
If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Any Road will Take You There.
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Planning and Gettin’ Stuff Done
Stages to move an idea to action:
Conceptualization - name it, analyze it, identify how it affects people
Planning - identification of resources, time, people, money, clarity in goals, objectives, activities and messages
Implementation
Evaluation
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Goals
Resources and assets funds, people, contacts, facilities
Support and opposition: who are your allies and opponents?
Targets and agents of change: who can make change and who can bring pressure to bear on those targets?
Strategy
Tactics Be sure your tactics are doable and cost-effective; avoid
antagonism and attacks
A Comprehensive Advocacy Plan Includes:
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Timed
Challenging
Goals Should Be SMART+C:
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
In an issue advocacy campaign, your targets are people with power to influence the issue.
Messages are often designed to exert pressure on your targets.
Tactics and activities are also designed to exert pressure on your targets.
List examples of different targets for different campaigns.
Targeting 101
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Engaging Stakeholders: Key Considerations
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
What audience(s) do you want/need to reach, communicate with and mobilize to achieve your goals and build your organization? Note: these audiences should be reachable by you.
Groups to consider:
Your existing members and supporters (it is helpful if this list is up-to-date and communicated with on a regular basis)
Supporters not on your list but whom you have engaged in some way through your agency’s work.
Constituencies that you need to build within your supporter lists
Other coalition partners
Engaging Stakeholders: Key Considerations
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Who are your stakeholders?
Under what circumstances do you communicate with them?
How do you communicate with them?
How often do you communicate with them?
Power never concedes anything without a demand.
Frederick Douglas
If you don’t ask, you don’t get.Mahatma Gandhi
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Advocacy and Statistics:The Data Tell Part of a Story
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Activity
When you were a kid, this is how you convinced your parent(s)/guardian(s) or other adults to let you do,go to, or buy …
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Use Data (statistical, anecdotal and polling) to Make your Case
Work with People Affected by the Policy Issue(s) to Share Stories and Experiences that Complement the Data
Stay Focused
Make your Request Clear from the Beginning
Do not Stray from your Argument(s)
Advocacy Tips
Practice:
-- Choose one or two issues of concern
-- Identify allies and opponents
-- Identify targets of change
-- List some options for tactics
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Get connected. Get informed. Get active! Join - or create - an Advocacy
Network.
Assess options for communicating with your constituents, stakeholders and elected officials.
Be an Action Hero
Who Represents You?CONGRESS:
2 U.S. Senators1 U.S. Representative
STATE LEGISLATURE:1 State Senator
1 State Representative
OTHERS:1 City Alderman/Council Member
1 County CommissionerParty and Ward Committee
member, etc.
Other Policy Makers
State Agencies(IL Department or Board of…)
City Agencies:CPS and Bd of Education
Chicago Dept or Commission of…
CTA
Others:List
Know Your Elected Officials
And get them INVOLVEDIdentify who represents you:
www.vote-smart.org
CALL THEM on important issues
WRITE THEM
MEET THEM
In short, establish a relationship with your elected officials and other policy makers.
How a Bill Becomes Law (IL) A bill starts in either House or Senate
Referred to a Committee
Committee can vote YES, NO, or do NOTHING
Committee-passed bills go to full House or Senate
If passed, sent to other chamber (process starts over)
If passed both Houses
Bill goes to governor for signature
Letter writing (snail mail, fax or e-mail)
Petition or postcard drives
E-mail action alerts
Face-to-Face meetings
Town Hall meetings
Letters to the Editor
Rallies and demonstrations
Press conferences and other earned media events
Direct action strategies
Note: constituents should be urged to communicate with their elected officials. Constituents are those who live in an elected official’s
district.
Influencing Elected Officials/Grassroots Tactics
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Planning Considerations: Resources and Feasibility
The more personal the tactic, the higher the impact
Strategic Targeting
Highly personal tactics(e.g. visits, hand-writtenLetters)
Small number of grassrootsAdvocates needed to havean impact.
Less personal tactics(e.g. petitions, post-cards, rallies, etc.)
High number of grassroots advocatesneeded to have impact.
la Cucaracha Theory
Messengers and Participants
Grassroots
Grasstops
Experts
Client participation (if relevant)
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Meetings with Elected Officials and Community Leaders
Do your homework/know the facts
Identify yourself
Be specific
Be brief and concise
Be even-handed and polite
Ask for a commitment
Be persistent
Don’t be intimidated; these folks work for you!
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
If meeting with legislators at the Capitol, you may only have 30 seconds…
Handouts help reinforce the message
Practice Effective Lobbying
DO:DO:•Introduce yourselfIntroduce yourself•Briefly state your concernBriefly state your concern•Be gracious, attentive and Be gracious, attentive and organizedorganized•Link the issue to your life – tell your Link the issue to your life – tell your story. “For example…”story. “For example…”•Say “I don’t know” if you don’t Say “I don’t know” if you don’t know the answer know the answer •Make an “ask” and wait for the Make an “ask” and wait for the answeranswer•Say “thank you”Say “thank you”•FOLLOW-UP!!FOLLOW-UP!!
Practice Effective Lobbying
•Forget to introduce yourselfForget to introduce yourself•Be nervous, rude, combative, inattentive, or Be nervous, rude, combative, inattentive, or unpreparedunprepared•Go on too long --- “Blah blah blah yadda yadda…”Go on too long --- “Blah blah blah yadda yadda…”•Respond to a question if you’re not sure about the Respond to a question if you’re not sure about the answeranswer•Forget to make your “ask” and follow-up laterForget to make your “ask” and follow-up later•Try too hard: show genuine consideration and just be Try too hard: show genuine consideration and just be yourselfyourself
DON’TDON’T
Advocacy and Messaging Tips
Use Data (statistical, anecdotal and polling) to Make your Case
Work with People Affected by the Policy Issue(s) to Share Stories and Experiences that Complement the Data
Stay Focused
Make your Request Clear from the Beginning
Do not Stray from your Argument(s)
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
More on Your Planning Considerations
*Who are your allies?
**Who are your opponents?
* Allies will be your non-traditional partner organizations that care about the issue but are not members of your base. What do they stand to win or lose, what power do they have, and how are they organized?
** Organizations/groups, high-profile individuals and institutions who oppose your goals. How actively will they oppose you? What tactics will they employ to oppose you? What might they spend to defeat your campaign/effort?
Strategic Targeting
Factors to Consider in Messaging
Target audience(s)
The messenger(s)
Accessibility: make it simple (not simplistic) and understandable
Salience: make it relevant
Consistency with other messages around access to care, human rights, etc.
Pro-active, not reactive
Use of relevant polling data, statistics and other data
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Strategic Messaging
The message is the core argument around which a campaign revolves.
The message must speak to what the campaign is trying to accomplish and why.
The message(s) should be ever-present and reflected in everything the campaign does.
Anybody who comes in contact with the campaign should understand the core argument - and the message should be broadcast in everything the campaign does.
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Strategic Messaging and Integration
policy objectives/goals
Direct Market
Communications strategy/ message development
Events(non-media)
Dissemination
media
Understanding Message Utilization
Internal organizing messages: used to persuade people to become active on your issue.
External message: message that grassroots advocates deliver to the targets.
Often, messages are research-based. However, if we don’t have the resources to do paid research (e.g. phone surveys, focus groups, other polling), you must still do your homework.
Be prepared for counterarguments that the campaign will encounter. This should inform your message development.
Strategic Messaging
External Variables for Consideration
National and local climate
Public/voter concerns at points in time
Other local or national initiatives that might be relevant
Public views on government involvement
Strategic Messaging
Framing Your Message: Factors to Consider
The values you represent
The problem you’ve identified
Framing your decision
Moving from framing to pro-active policy solutions
Connecting with public priorities
* Be on the offensive, not the defensive, with your policy solutions.
Strategic Messaging
Messages versus Talking Points
You should maintain consistency with your overarching messages - and everybody that is part of or being recruited to participate in your campaign should hear and speak and see those messages over and over.
You may, however, add or tweak your talking points for various audiences (e.g. youth, women, African Americans, Latinos, etc.)
Examples:
Message: Comprehensive sex education gives young people the information, skills and encouragement they need to be responsible, it keeps them safe and it needs to be taught in schools.
Talking point: tweaked - STD rates or infections in a specific community or using a pop-culture reference for a certain audience, etc.
Strategic Messaging
Mechanism to Structure Thinking Around Message
Strategic Messaging
What we are saying about ourselves
What they are saying about themselves
What we are saying about them
What they are saying about us
Discipline in Use of Messages
Own the message
Stick to your message – ALWAYS!
Control the process
Strategic Messaging
Remember: every situation – whether pro-actively created or in response to a situation – is an opportunity to relay your
messages and move forward in pursuing your goals.
Getting Your Messages Out
Internet/E-mail/Create or use existing websites
Internal: cell phones, pagers, text messaging, IM/web
External: websites, e-mail, banner advertising
Social Networking
Earned Media (print, radio, TV, internet)
Paid Media
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Strategic Messaging Creating the Message Triangle
Issue/Campaign(Example: Increase Number of
Youth who Receive Comprehensive Sex Education in
IL)
Standards and Funding Education and Information
Family and Future
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committedcitizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thingthat ever does.
Margaret Mead
Don’t agonize. Organize. Florynce Kennedy
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
How to Effectively Advocate your Issues
Group Break-Out and Role-Play
Break out into three groups
Each group will have 15 minutes to develop a 2-minute pitch to a legislator (or other targeted policy maker) on a previously chosen topic.
One person should take the lead in the role play, but all should participate in some way.
Role Play!