The 10 Commandments of Political

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The 10 Commandmentsof Political Non Profit
Advocacy
not etched in stone....

• Catherine Dodd RN, PhD, Deputy Chief of Staff
  Mayor Newsom
• Steve Fields, Executive Director Progress
  Foundation

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I. Personal is Political

• Each one of us is just one social injustice away
  from being involved in politics and/or non profit
  efforts
• And each one of us can make a difference

Catherine Dodd Steve Fields
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II. Friends come and go while enemies accumulate

• When you need a friend, its too late to make a
  friend
• Hold your friends close...and hold your enemies
  closer
• Fences make good neighbors
• Never surprise your friends
• Conflict can lead to collaboration

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III. Funding is the art of the POSSIBLE (not the
ideal)

• Be a pragmatic idealist

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IV. Be polite, be persistent, be persuasive, be
polite.

• Share credit - acknowledge
• Write, write, ghost write
• Letters to the editor op eds, blogging
• Send thank you notes

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V. Talk to strangers

• Network facebook, twitter, text
• Carry business cards
• Practice your introduction
• sound bites (140 key strokes)
• Talk about how important your work is
• Be compelling
• Know key/relevant statistics

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VI. Money, your credibility and your time are is
the mother's milk of political relationships

• Give it EARLY
• It takes money to make money
• If you dont have it
• help raise it
• Help GOTV (get out the vote)

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VII. Negotiate visibility

• Act as if you belong there, the worst that can
  happen is they ask you to leave.
• Take credit and TAKE CONTROL

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VIII. Relationships exist in a chit economy

• Cross silos
• Cross communities
• Collaborate
• None of us is as smart as all of us!
• Keep track!

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IX. Reputations are permanent

• Credibility is everything
• Follow through!

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X. We must do the things we think we cannot do
E.R.
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What Coalitions can learn from geese
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Like the geese who fly South for the winter.if
non profit organizations had as much sense as a
goose.

• One goose takes off as the lead and others join
  in a V formation.
• Why? Scientists have learned that as each bird
  flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the
  bird immediately following. The entire flock adds
  at least 71 flying range more than if each bird
  were on its own.

Lesson If we had as much sense as a goose we
would realize that those who share a common
direction and sense of community can get where
they are going more quickly and easily because
they travel on the thrust of one anothers effort.
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• Whenever a goose falls out of formation it
  quickly gets back into formation.
• Why? It feels the drag and air resistance from
  trying to go it alone, and in formation it can
  take advantage of the lifting power of the bird
  immediately in front.

Lesson If we all had as much sense as a goose we
would stay in formation with those who are headed
in the same direction we are.
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• When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back
  in the wing and another flies point.
• Lesson If we all had as much sense as a goose
  we would remember it pays to take turns on hard
  jobsfor people as well as for Southbound geese.

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• The geese honk from behind to encourage those up
  front to keep up their speed.
• Lesson If we all had as much sense as a goose
  we would realize that we need to be careful of
  what we say when we honk from behind.

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• When a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshot
  and falls out, two gees fall out of formation and
  follow it down to provide help and protection.
• They stay with it until it is either able to fly
  or is dead.
• They then set out to catch up with their flock,
  flying on their own or with another group.
• Final Lesson If we all had as much sense as a
  goose we would always stand by one another.

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Choosing Relationships

• Considerations
• Relevance to funder
• Philanthropic
• Government
• Business
• Flex ABLE
• Match to purpose
• Ethics
• Know your values

Catherine Dodd Steve Fields