1. Advocacy and YOU The Why and How of Advocacy and How to Communicate Effectively

2. Keys to Communicating Effectively Through Advocacy • Understand the political environment • Understand what advocacy means • Understand why you are advocating • Understand what tools are most effective

3. Political Climate • Three climate drivers: • Partisanship & Brinkmanship • Budget Politics Dictating Policy • Focus on deficit reduction

5. Budget, Budget, Budget FY 2013 FY 2014 Deficit Reduction Sequestration

6. Advocacy • What is Advocacy? • Why do we Advocate? • Examples of Advocacy • Tips for Successful Advocacy at the Grassroots Level

7. What is Advocacy? • To recommend or support publicly • A person who upholds or defends a cause; supporter • A person who intercedes on behalf of another

8. What is Advocacy? • Lobbying v. Advocacy • You don’t need to be in DC to be an effective advocate • Advocacy is proactive AND reactive • Effective advocacy uses data, research, and stories

9. Why Do We Advocate? Our advocacy efforts center around these major policy areas: • Increasing access to higher education, including early awareness and outreach  • Simplifying student aid systems   • Encouraging college persistence & completion • College savings and financial education • Minimizing student indebtedness and emphasizing grant and work aid • Supporting the primacy of need-based aid

10. NASFAA Advocacy • Administration • Department of Education • Office of Management and Budget • Congress • House & Senate Education Committees • House & Senate Appropriations Committees • Super Committee • Other Higher Education Associations & Organizations **Takeaway here: Not just Congress

11. Advocacy Techniques • Use data • Tell stories • Build relationships • Be proactive • Show appreciation • Keep it local • Keep it concise

12. NASFAA Advocacy Tools • Letters • Statements • Testimony • Social Media • Educational Materials • Coalitions & Partnerships • Hill Visits

13. NASFAA Advocacy Examples • Advocacy related to consumer disclosure • Administrative Cost Allowance One-Pager • Elimination of Crossover Regulation for Summer 2011 • National Profile & Congressional Staff Orientation • Recent Budget Related Hill Visits & Discussions • Save Student Aid Facebook Page • Budget Center • Committee for Education Funding & Student Aid Alliance • Participation in Award Letter Discussions

16. Advocacy and You • Visit our Facebook Page! • Write letters to your delegation and to Education Committee members • Get students involved! • Use our tools as examples

17. Advocacy and You • Build relationships with your lawmakers now by delivering information sheets on how their constituents—the students and families you serve—benefit from the student aid programs. • Follow the latest legislative developments by reading Today’s News, the NASFAA Advocate, and following us on the NASFAA Facebook page and the Save Student Aid Facebook page. • Share with NASFAA all your correspondence with lawmakers so we can support you and understand how to better work with your Congressional delegates. • Visit NASFAA’s “Take Action Page” to stay up-to-date on NASFAA’s latest calls to action

18. Question and Answer Segment Questions & Discussion