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Game Plan:Preparing for Effective Advocacy

Prepared byEric Gorovitz, Director

The Alliance for Justice

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Agenda

What is advocacy? How do you prepare for

advocacy? Advocacy exercises

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What Is Advocacy?

A broad range of activities designed toinfluence policy:

ADVOCACY:

Organizing Public Education

Educate Legislators Nonpartisan Voter Ed.

Partisan Political Activity Lobbying

Regulatory Efforts Litigation

Get to Know Legislators Educational Conferences

Research Lobbying Exceptions

Organize a Rally Training

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Planning for Advocacy

Get Ready! Identify meaningfulyet realistic goals

Get Set! Choose specificadvocacy actions to accomplishgoals

ADVOCATE!

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Get Ready!

Identify meaningful yetrealistic goals

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Identifying Goals

The Four Questions*:

What do you want?

Who can provide it?

To whom will they listen? What do they need to hear?

* Adapted from Shultz, The Democracy Owners Manual(Rutgers 2003)

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What Do You Want?

What problem do you want tosolve?

Is a complete solution feasible in areasonable amount of time?

If not, are there smaller steps that

move in the right direction?

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Who Can Provide It?

Avenues of Change:

LegalLegislative

AdministrativeNonpartisan

electoral

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To Whom Will They

Listen?

Opinion leaders?General public?

Special constituency?

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What Do They Need to Hear?

Accurate data

Compelling message

Relevance to them or

their constituency

Substance

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Get Set!

Identify specific advocacy

actions to accomplish goals

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Identifying Advocacy Actions

Assess advocacy capacity

Increase advocacy capacity

Plan strategically

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Assessing Capacity

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Increase Capacity Collaborate with others

Community groups Business leaders Friends of the Library

Expand board leadership Raise money

Add staff Hire consultants

Etc.

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Plan Strategically

Timing

Relationships

Opposition

Negotiate

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Timing

Policy change takes time

Budget hearings are the end of

the process

Stay ahead of the calendar

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Relationships

Legislative staff have power

Make your skills available

Coalitions confer breadth

Strong relationships last

People move up

Focus energy where it counts

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Opposition

Who are your natural or potentialenemies?

What will they say? Why are they wrong?

How can you neutralize them?

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Negotiation Build in giveaways

Accept minor changes

Know your bottom line

Balance ambition withprogress

Be prepared to walk awayor switch strategies

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ADVOCATE!

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Community Outreach

Launch a public education campaignpromoting the library

Convene a public meeting to discusslibrary funding

Organize a rally supporting new programs

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Media Outreach

Submit a letter to the editor of the localnewspaper

Meet with the newspaper editorial board

Write an op-ed

Pitch news stories highlighting the librarysimportant contributions to the community

Conduct press briefings at the library

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Decision Maker Outreach

Invite elected representatives on a tour ofthe library and its programs

Conduct a lobby day to visit legislators attheir offices

Add legislators to your mailing list and

keep them informed about the libraryssuccesses and needs

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Now What?

Celebrate

Appreciate

Evaluate

Plan next steps

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Alliance for Justice

Resources & Assistancewww.afj.org | 510-444-6070

Resources: Materials and trainings

Lobbying rules for nonprofits Election year activity information

Questions?

Lawyers on call: advocacy@afj.org 1-866-NPLOBBY (675-6229)