Advocacy 101

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Advocacy 101

• By
  
  Marie. S. Torres, PhD.
  
  Sr. Vice President Government
  Relations
  and Community Research Initiatives
• Ángel G. Obregón, JD, PHR
  
  Assistant Vice President Government Relations

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Overview

• What is nonprofit advocacy?
• What is public policy?
• What do you want?
• Who do you contact?
• Who do you speak with?
• Advocacy Actions

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What is "nonprofit advocacy"?

• (Type Your Organization) engages in advocacy
  whenever we work to change public policy. 
• Advocacy activities such as lobbying, community
  organizing, working with the media, educating
  voters, researching and reporting on problems
  facing communities, conducting voter registration
  and get-out-the-vote campaigns, protesting in the
  streets, and other actions.

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What is public policy advocacy?

• (Type Your Organization) has a unique and
  essential role to play in the policy process. 
• As a nonprofit, (Type Your Organization)
  traditionally serves constituencies, (our
  patients, participants and clients) and others on
  issues that may have a limited voice in the
  policy process. 
• (Type Your Organization), as a nonprofit
  organization, provides information on health and
  social needs that exist and need to be to
  addressed by legislators.

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What is public policy advocacy?

• (Type Your Organizations) advocacy efforts are
  driven by our mission statement and core values,
  which is a commitment to a broad community of
  people or common interests. 
• This essential representative role, unique
  knowledge, and clear vision are the reasons that
  policymakers look to (Type Your Organization) for
  leadership.

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What Do You Want?

• Before deciding to call, write, or visit your
  member of the City Council, Board of Supervisors,
  California Legislature or United States Congress
  to share your views on policy issues you care
  about, you should know what you want from your
  elected representatives.
• Your goal is to force someone in the legislative
  office to think about you and your issues for
  longer than 5 minutes -- making the "ask" helps
  you achieve that goal.

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Whom Do You Contact?

• Federal Issue - Immigration, Social Security,
  Medicare and Medicaid
• U.S. Senators
• U.S. Congress Member
• State Issue - Education, Medi-Cal, Housing
  Transportation
• State Senator _____, or
• State Assembly Member
• Local Issue - Street repair, lighting, noise
  abatement, housing ordinance, transportation
• County Supervisor _______
• Mayor ________
• Council Member ________

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With Whom Do You Speak?

• The District/State Scheduler schedules the
  members time when he or she is in the district
  or state.
• The Field Representative handles local policy
  issues and is the principal liaison between the
  elected officials and local businesses,
  organizations, and citizens.
• The District/State Office Director oversees the
  operations of the district or state staff and is
  often the point person in the district office for
  highly sensitive local political issues.

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With Whom Do You Speak?

• The Legislative Director (LD) handles policy
  issues and oversees the legislative staff.
• The Chief of Staff (CoS) The chief of staff may
  sometimes handle a few policy issues, but
  generally his or her time is spent managing the
  office
• County/City Council Deputies often are assigned
  to handles health, senior and transportation
  issues.

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Figuring Out What You Want

• To make sure you're asking for something that
  makes sense, you need to gain a working
  understanding of what a legislative office can
  and cannot do for you, as well as an
  understanding of the policies that interest you.

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Advocacy Actions

• Recommending legislation
• Letter writing
• Face-to-face meetings
• Testimony
• Follow up

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Advocacy Actions

• You may ask your legislator to introduce
  legislation to change an existing and/or create a
  new one.
• You may ask your legislator to cosponsor existing
  legislation introduced by another legislator.

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Legislation

• You may ask your legislator to vote for or
  against legislation being considered by the
  committee he or she serves on.
• You may ask your legislator to ask another
  legislator to support a proposal that is under
  review by another committee.

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Letter Writing

• Send a letter to a state or federal agency about
  a concern you may have with a particular agency
  action.
• Send a letter in support of a a state or federal
  grant application you have made.
• Send a letter to an influential member of the
  Legislature or Congress, such as a Committee
  chair or a member of the leadership, about a
  particular issue you may care about.

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Face To Face Meeting

• Call your Representative's District office and
  ask to speak with a staff member who is
  responsible for the issue you are concerned
  about.
• Request a meeting between you and the staff
  member or legislator to discuss your concerns and
  recommended actions.

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Testimony

• Prepare remarks based upon your experience which
  are relevant to the issue or proposal.
• Your testimony can be given in person during a
  formal hearing, or only in writing, or both to
  all members of the legislative committee.

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Follow Up Action

• Place a phone call, email, fax to the City
  Council Office, Supervisor Office, District
  Office, and/or to the Capitol Office in
  Sacramento or Washington, D.C.
• If your issue has successfully passed out of the
  Legislature, then you must follow up using the
  same advocacy actions with the Office of the
  Governor or President of the United States. A
  County or City Council ordinance is enacted
  unless the jurisdiction has an elected Mayor.

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Valuable Links

• Other Resources
• Find my State Assembly Representative
• Find my Congress Representative
• Links
• www.ccoa.gov
• www.4csl.org
• www.c4a.info
• www.senate.ca.us.gov
• www.assembly.ca.us.gov

• Links
• www.house.gov
• www.senate.gov
• www.whitehouse.gov
• http//bos.co.la.ca.us
• http//thomas/loc.gov/
• www.hhs.gov
• www.cdc.gov
• www.governor.ca.gov
• www.dof.ca.gov
• www.dhs.ca.gov

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The End

• The End