Strategies for Long-Term Advocacy Effectiveness August 15, 2018 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Camp Prosperity: Persist!

August 15, 2018

Strategies for Long-Term Advocacy Effectiveness

Welcome

Carmen Shorter

Senior Manager for Learning Prosperity Now

July 18 ENLIST! Join the Fight to Protect Working Families August 1 RESIST! Tools for Effective Advocacy August 15 PERSIST! Building Lasting Change

Camp Prosperity Webinar Series

Wednesdays from 2-3:30 pm

#CampProsperity

▪This webinar is being recorded and will be available online within

• ne week

▪All webinar attendees are muted to ensure sound quality ▪Ask a question any time by typing the question into the text box of the GoToWebinar Control Panel ▪If you experience any technical issues, email gotomeeting@prosperitynow.org

Housekeeping

#CampProsperity

Prosperity Now’s mission is to ensure everyone in our country has a clear path to financial stability, wealth and prosperity.

▪ Join from a quiet space ▪ Grab a coffee or snack and settle in ▪ Engage! Send us your questions and comments as you listen ▪ Reflect on ways to apply what you learn today to your own work

Getting the Most Out of Today’s Call

#CampProsperity

Pam Bender

Senior Organizer

Massachusetts Association

• f Community Development

Corporations (MACDC)

Today’s Speakers

Sue Hoechstetter

Senior Advisor for Foundation Advocacy and Evaluation

Alliance for Justice

David Lusk

CEO Key Advocacy

Today’s Agenda

▪ Overview of Camp Prosperity ▪ Organizing Your Day of Action ▪ Measuring Your Advocacy Success ▪ Strategies for Fighting Fatigue ▪ Discussion and Q&A ▪ Next Steps & Close

#CampProsperity

Welcome to Camp Prosperity!

Vanna Cure

Lead Camp Counselor

Senior Advocacy Manager Prosperity Now

▪ Certificate of completion for attending all 3 webinars ▪ “Lunch with a Legislator” at the end of camp ▪ Networking opportunity at Prosperity Summit

What to Expect

#CampProsperity

▪ Schedule your “Lunch with a Legislator” today: https://prosperitynow.org/take-action ▪ Register for Prosperity Summit 2018

Looking Ahead

#CampProsperity

Best Practices: Organizing Your Day of Action

Pam Bender

Senior Organizer

Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations

Organizing Your Day of Action

#CampProsperity

MACDC: Who We Are

Organizing Your Day of Action

#CampProsperity

▪Start planning as early as possible- August recess is prime meeting time ▪Invite your legislators ▪Determine the agenda ▪Determine who should attend ▪Be prepared ▪Follow up

Organizing Your Day of Action

#CampProsperity

▪Meetings held in the district – on your “turf” - help to foster strong, long-term relationships with legislators ▪These meeting also provide an

• pportunity for constituents to get to

know their legislators ▪These meetings can be a “ win/win” situation as you can advocate for your issues and legislators can learn from you what is happening in their district

Schedule Lunch with a Legislator

#CampProsperity

▪Visit www.prosperitynow.org/take-action to schedule your meeting today. (Link is also in your handouts)

Sue Hoechstetter Senior Advisor for Foundation Advocacy and Evaluation Alliance for Justice

Measuring Advocacy Success

Yes, We Can Measure -- Advocacy Success!

Prosperity Now Sue Hoechstetter August 15, 2018 Bolder Advocacy

Evaluation Fears

Evaluating Advocacy is Different

Measuring Influence Outcomes and Metrics Long Term No Control Too Many Changes Many Players Don’t understand Advocacy

• 1. Key People Understand Advocacy

• 2. Mark Incremental

Progress

• 4. Tell a Story & Give Numbers

• 5. Take Credit for Partnering

• 6. Use Contribution, not Attribution

• 7. Count Capacity

7 Tips for Evaluating Advocacy

• 1. Key People Understand Advocacy
• 2. Mark Incremental Progress
• 3. Demonstrate Adaptability
• 4. Tell a Story & Give Numbers
• 5. Take Credit for Partnering
• 6. Use Contribution, not Attribution
• 7. Count Capacity

Nonprofit Capacity

IACT IACT!

In Internation

• nal Advoca

vocacy cy Capaci city y Tool Tool

Bolder Advocacy Capacity Tools for Organizational Assessment

PowerCheck

Com

• mmu

munity y Organizi zing Capaci city y Assessmen ment Tool Tool

Free online at www.bolderadvocacy.org

Continuum for Organizing & Advocacy

Mainly Policy Policy, Some Power Policy & Power Power, Some Policy Mainly Power

BENCHMARKS

Benchmarks of Incremental Progress:

• 20 comments on proposed regulations
• 5 Constituents begin leadership track
• 50 people show up for neighborhood meeting
• 3 amicus briefs on issue
• 15 members cosponsor bill
• 3 briefings for candidates
• issues report published

▪ I like my legislators/their policies ▪ I don’t like my legislators/their policies ▪ Indifferent/I don’t know my legislators ▪ I don’t like politics in general

Use the Comment Box to let us know more!

Poll Question

How would you describe your relationship with your federal legislators?

Select all that apply

#CampProsperity

Best Practices: Fighting Fatigue

David Lusk

CEO Key Advocacy

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Combating Advocate Fatigue

Practical Tips for Boosting Engagement

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Combating Advocate Fatigue

• A serious problem industry wide
• 2018 M+R Benchmarks Study showed declines among

all numbers for email engagement

• Hope via other engagement

methods

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com
• Email lists are still growing (11% increase)
• Growth now outpaced by major social media platforms
• Email activation at risk of

becoming oversaturated

Combating Advocate Fatigue

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Advocate Fatigue: Common Causes

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com
• Slow legislative pace
• Maintaining high level of momentum

throughout campaign

• Exhaustion after tough battles
• Staff repeatedly utilizing same advocates

Advocate Fatigue: Common Causes

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com
• Few easily identifiable “wins”
• Advocating on life or death issues
• Bombarded by your org’s emails
• Lack of relationship or bond
• Advocates & your organization
• Advocates & their legislators

Advocate Fatigue: Common Causes

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Who They Are Where They Are What They Care About Who They Know What They Are Willing To Do What They Need

Combating Advocate Fatigue

Do You Really Know Your Advocates?

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Know Who They Are

• Employ data collection to

understand & know them

• Collect via multiple methods

○ Surveys & polls (short) ○ Online & offline approaches

• Gather demographic data, both personal & professional
• Professional backgrounds or skills that translate to advocacy
• Particular perspectives needed

National Journal “Best Practices in Washington Advocacy: Extending the Enterprise” August 2013

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com
• Avoid stale activation requests!
• Increasingly important as email

activation rates decline

• Leverage multiple engagement methods

Know Where They Are

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Know What They Care About

• Ask about issue areas of interest
• Don’t assume all issues apply

to all advocates

• Activate an advocate only

when issue is relevant to them

• Collect advocate stories before

they're needed

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com
• Learn about existing relationships with legislators
• Consider those willing to

build relationships

• Make advocates responsible

for these legislators

○ Builds a sense of stakeholder ownership for advocacy ○ Builds a bond between advocate & your organization

Know Who They Know

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com

Know What They are Willing to Do

• Allow them to choose tactics
• Ask beyond email & phone calls
• Classify advocates according to

method complexity

• Insulate advanced advocates from bulk action requests

○ Save for advanced action requests ○ Don’t burn out your best!

• Help them climb the

“Advocacy Involvement Staircase”

Introductory Advanced I PLEDGE TO... Respond to calls-to-action from my state and national association; Contact my legislators on issues affecting us; Attend a town hall meeting and talk to local, state, and federal legislators; Stand with my association as they fight to protect my livelihood.

Unlocking the Power of Advocacy

• P. 571.308.9539 E. David@KeyAdvocacy.com
• W. www.keyadvocacy.com
• Issue facts, figures & histories
• Legislator & district backgrounders
• Training on a specific tactic
• Develop their confidence & competence

○ Challenge stakeholders with more complex tactics over time ○ Make information readily accessible 24/7

Know What They Need

Audience Q & A

What questions do you have?

Share them in the Questions box!

Pam Bender | Senior Organizer

Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corp.

pamelab@macdc.org

Sue Hoechstetter| Senior Advisor for Foundation Advocacy

Alliance for Justice

SHoechstetter@afj.org

David Lusk| CEO

Key Advocacy

David@keyadvocacy.com

Stay in Touch!

#CampProsperity

▪ Yes ▪ I’ve attended before, but not this year ▪ No, never attended ▪ What’s Prosperity Summit?

Use the Comment Box to let us know more!

Poll Question

Are you attending this year’s Prosperity Summit?

Select all that apply

#CampProsperity

Next Steps

✓Complete the follow-up survey ✓Schedule “Lunch with a Legislator” today! ✓Start planning now for the 2018 Prosperity Summit (formerly Assets Learning Conference), September 5-7 summit.prosperitynow.org ✓All Camp Prosperity past events can be found at https://prosperitynow.org/join-us-camp-prosperity

#CampProsperity

Next Steps

▪ Download your state's "Commit To" card!

https://prosperitynow.org/join- us-camp-prosperity

#CampProsperity

Dive Deeper with Prosperity Now Community Networks

 Affordable Homeownership Network  Racial Wealth Equity Network  Financial Coaching Network  Savings Network  Taxpayer Opportunity Network (VITA/Community Tax Prep)  Campaign for Every Kids Future — Children’s Savings Accounts  Medical Financial Partnerships (Health/Wealth)  Innovations in Manufactured Housing (I’M HOME) Network

Visit any of the networks above at prosperitynow.org/getinvolved to get started.

Sign up for listservs and working groups, volunteer to facilitate peer discussions, serve in a leadership role and more!

Take action with Prosperity Now Campaigns!

Homeownership is key to building

• wealth. Together, we

will advocate for products and policies that provide more affordable homes to more people. HOMEOWNERSHIP Consumer protections create fairer, more transparent financial

• markets. Together,

we will ensure consumers keep the safeguards they deserve. CONSUMER PROTECTIONS Safety net programs help protect vulnerable individuals and families from falling deep into

• poverty. Together, we

will protect programs like SNAP, IDAs and more to help those in need when they need it most. SAFETY NET The vast majority of tax incentives go to those at the top, not to those who need it

• most. Together, we

will turn our upside- down tax code right- side up. TURN IT RIGHT-SIDE UP

Visit any of the Campaigns above at https://prosperitynow.org/take-action to learn more and join.

Sign up to stay informed about the latest developments and opportunities to take action by joining one of our four federal policy campaigns.

Prosperity Now Advocacy Center

Take action today at https://prosperitynow.org/take-action

Here you can: ▪ Email a MOC ▪ Call a MOC ▪ Tweet at a MOC ▪ Schedule a Meeting ▪ Sign a petition

Registration for the 2018 Prosperity Summit is now open! Visit the Summit website at summit.prosperitynow.org to learn more and to register!

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