How to Effectively Advocate your Issues

1. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Training Conducted by: Tracy Fischman 773.645.3412 TFisch7@aol.com

2. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Training Agenda • 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

3. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Training Objectives • 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.

4. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Important Definitions (Starting Point) Community Organizing • 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. Excerpts from “A Funder's Guide to Community Organizing” by the Neighborhood Funding Network

5. 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.

6. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Defining Power • Economic • Political • Legal • Institutional • Other Politics refers to the processes by which people and groups acquire and exercise power. Political power is power that is organized and wielded by these people, groups or the state.

7. 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. Power Based Engagement

8. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues • Direct Lobbying • Policy Education and Advocacy • Constituency Organizing and Mobilization • Media • Money • Other… Ways to Influence and Alter Systems of Power

9. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Exercising Power in the Public Realm 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.

10. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Why Exercising Power… Advocacy Matters • $$ Funding $$ • 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)

11. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Power and Social Change • 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.

12. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Any Road will Take You There.

13. 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

14. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues A Comprehensive Advocacy Plan Includes: • 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

15. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Relevant • Timed • Challenging Goals Should Be SMART+C:

16. 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

17. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Engaging Stakeholders: Key Considerations • 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

18. 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? Engaging Stakeholders: Key Considerations

19. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Power never concedes anything without a demand. Frederick Douglas If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Mahatma Gandhi

20. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Advocacy and Statistics: The Data Tell Part of a Story

21. 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 …

22. 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

23. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Practice: -- Choose one or two issues of concern -- Identify allies and opponents -- Identify targets of change -- List some options for tactics

24. Be an Action Hero Get connected. Get informed. Get active! • Join - or create - an Advocacy Network. • Assess options for communicating with your constituents, stakeholders and elected officials.

25. Who Represents You? CONGRESS: 2 U.S. Senators 1 U.S. Representative STATE LEGISLATURE: 1 State Senator 1 State Representative OTHERS: 1 City Alderman/Council Member 1 County Commissioner Party and Ward Committee member, etc.

26. 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

27. Know Your Elected Officials And get them INVOLVED • Identify 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.

28. 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

29. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Influencing Elected Officials/Grassroots Tactics • 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.

30. Strategic Targeting Planning Considerations: Resources and Feasibility The more personal the tactic, the higher the impact Small number of grassroots Advocates needed to have an impact. Highly personal tactics (e.g. visits, hand-written Letters) High number of grassroots advocates needed to have impact. Less personal tactics (e.g. petitions, post- cards, rallies, etc.)

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32. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Messengers and Participants • Grassroots • Grasstops • Experts • Client participation (if relevant)

33. 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!

34. If meeting with legislators at the Capitol, you may only have 30 seconds… Handouts help reinforce the message

35. Practice Effective Lobbying • DO: • Introduce yourself • Briefly state your concern • Be gracious, attentive and organized • Link the issue to your life – tell your story. “For example…” • Say “I don’t know” if you don’t know the answer • Make an “ask” and wait for the answer • Say “thank you” • FOLLOW-UP!!

36. Practice Effective Lobbying DON’T • Forget to introduce yourself • Be nervous, rude, combative, inattentive, or unprepared • Go on too long --- “Blah blah blah yadda yadda…” • Respond to a question if you’re not sure about the answer • Forget to make your “ask” and follow-up later • Try too hard: show genuine consideration and just be yourself

37. 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 and Messaging Tips

38. Strategic Targeting 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?

39. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues • 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 Factors to Consider in Messaging

40. 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.

41. Strategic Messaging and Integration Communications strategy/ message development policy objectives/goals Dissemination Direct Market Events (non-media) media

42. Strategic Messaging • 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. Understanding Message Utilization

43. Strategic Messaging • 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 External Variables for Consideration

44. Strategic Messaging • 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. Framing Your Message: Factors to Consider

45. 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.

46. Strategic Messaging Mechanism to Structure Thinking Around Message

47. Strategic Messaging • Own the message • Stick to your message – ALWAYS! • Control the process Discipline in Use of Messages 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.

48. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues 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

49. Strategic MessagingCreating the Message Triangle Education and Information Standards and Funding Issue/Campaign (Example: Increase Number of Youth who Receive Comprehensive Sex Education in IL) Family and Future

50. How to Effectively Advocate your Issues Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does. Margaret Mead Don’t agonize. Organize. Florynce Kennedy