Building a Successful Advocacy Program –

Case Studies From Around the Country

Mike Dean

Tipping Point Strategies

Challenges Facing Higher Education

• Increased pressure for limited state resources• Cost of Higher Education continues to rise

(health care and energy costs put a strain on budgets)

• Oversight increasing from the Legislature, Governor, and Federal Government

Advocacy Programs are Critical to Addressing These Challenges

• Better explain the value that Higher Education brings to the state

• Identify multiple ways to educate and engage decision makers

• Legislators listen to constituents

The Three Legs of Advocacy

• Lobbying• Media• Grassroots

Without all three legs – the stool falls over

Why is Grassroots Advocacy is Necessary?

• Legislators listen to constituents• Educates and empowers major constituents• Unfiltered communication with audiences• It has become much easier to develop a

network of supporters• Everyone else is doing it

Everyone Else Is Doing It - Business

Southwest Airlines

Everyone Else Is Doing It – Local Governments

Oklahoma Municipal League

Everyone Else Is Doing It – Local Governments

“NLC and its grassroots network played a key role in defeating a multi-billion unfunded mandate--estimated at $25 to $85 billion--to clean up MTBE-contaminated water in the energy bill, which passed last year.”

- National League of Cities Newsletter

Everyone Else Is Doing It – Higher Education

Benefits of Grassroots Programs

• Grassroots members can more effectively distribute messages into their community

• Helps create a sense of community behind the institution

• Alumni can be more likely to give financial support

• Creates a Personal Face

Two Areas of Advocacy Programs

• Traditional Grassroots• Grasstops

Gopher Football Stadium – Challenge

• Gopher Stadium last on priority list at the Legislature

• Strong opposition to public funding of stadiums

• Concern that the request would pull money from academic requests

• Frustration from Memorial Stadium decision

Gopher Football Stadium – Strategy

• Build grassroots organization to educate legislators about U’s proposal– Use passion of alumni and boosters to build support.

– Created contests to encourage people to spread the message – free things.

• Spoke to them in their language • Empowered them to become political

Gopher Football Stadium

Recruitment Campaign

• Develop a theme

• Make it fun

• Give away free things

Step 1

Gopher Football Stadium

Contact Legislators

• Create Urgency

• Make it easy

Step 2

Gopher Football Stadium

Victory

• After 2 ½ years

• We sent out over 40 e-mails to supporters

Gopher Football Stadium – Results

• Quickly built a list of 15,000 advocates in six months

• Sent thousands of letters to legislators • Moved from last to first in legislators and the

publics mind • Passed the stadium legislation• Excited big and small donors

Gopher Football Stadium – Results

"I guess grass-roots advocacy really works. This is something so close to our hearts, bringing Gopher football back to campus."

- Margaret Sughrue Carlson, Chief Executive Officer

University of Minnesota Alumni Association

Star Tribune Newspaper

Georgia State – Challenge

• Government Relations staff was limited• Untapped powerful alumni base

Georgia State

Georgia State – Strategy

• Engage powerful alumni to advocate on behalf of institution

• Alumni are chosen by campus president

Fresh Air – Challenge

• Losing the public debate on the statewide smoking ban

• Media covered personal stories of bar and restaurants going out of business

• Legislation had stalled

Fresh Air – Strategy

• Reframe the debate on health• Have bar and restaurant employees tell their

personal stories on why they support smoke-free ordinances

• Create a network of employees

Fresh Air – Strategy

Fresh Air – Results

• Successfully reframed the debate• Recruited over 100 employees to tell their

story• Won the Public Affairs Council Technology

Grassroots Innovation Award

Lessons Learned From These Case Studies

• Have a balanced approach• Technology makes it much easier• Quality vs Quantity• Use a theme to build excitement and support• Provide “Inside Information”• Engage supporters year-round• Create tiers of supporters

Other Key Lessons

• Create a strategy and a plan• The more you put in the more you will get out• Internal constituents help shape public

opinion– They can become your evangelists

– If they are not talking to people about how great you are, then no one is

More Information Visit EDUAdvocates.org

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