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Preparing for the Future:

Learning From Shutdown 2013 Part Three: Advocacy

Presenter:

DAN PUSKAR Association of Partners for Public Lands

What is Advocacy?

Lobbying generally

involves attempts to

influence specific

legislation through direct

or grassroots

communications with

legislators or their staff.

Advocacy includes

lobbying but covers a

much broader range of

activities such as sharing

information with

legislators, executive

branch activities, issue

organizing and

nonpartisan voter

engagement.

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What can advocacy look like? Educating your organization’s stakeholders about

the challenges faced by your public land or your organization

Working in coalitions with other nonprofits to affect public policy

Finding and sharing data helps elucidate a public policy issue

Visiting Capitol Hill or your agency partners to request their support of specific legislation or policies

What is Advocacy?

Public lands have needs that are

affected by the choices made by

legislators and policy makers

So do our organizations.

Why Advocacy?

Advocate? Yes.

Lobby? Yes (but with a few possible

caveats based on your public lands

partnership).

What can a 501 (c)(3) do?

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A lobbyist is “Any individual (1) who is either

employed or retained by a client for financial

or other compensation (2) whose services

include more than one lobbying contact;

and (3) whose lobbying activities constitute

20 percent or more of his or her services’

time on behalf of that client during any

three-month period.” “Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance,” Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of

Representatives

How do you define “Lobbyist”?

What issues might you have?

Funding for your public lands

Rules and regulations about public lands use

by visitors

Laws that authorize your partnerships with

public lands

Others …

Your Advocacy Messages

Your Story You are somebody’s constituent

Community Connectors

Programs and Impact

Your Organization’s Economics Support to Public Lands

Jobs Created

Public Engagement

Your Public Lands Economics Several land management agencies publish economic impact

data

Effective Messages

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Make friends. Relationships matter.

Educate your stakeholders

Participate in public comment

opportunities

Join a coalition to support your advocacy

goals

Strategies for Your Nonprofit

Request a meeting a few weeks out

Staff meetings are as valuable as

Member meetings

Ask for something

Visiting Capitol Hill

Engaging with all agency leadership on

the shutdown and its affects

Advocating for partnership authorities

across all public lands agencies

Helping to lead a coalition on the NPS

Centennial

Participating or convening public forums

APPL at Work

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Questions?

Presented by

The Association of Partners

for Public Lands