North Country Behavioral Healthcare Network

1
North Country Behavioral Healthcare Network

• Delivering the Message
• Effective Advocacy for Non-Profits
• Barry Brogan, RN, MAPP
• Executive Director,
• North Country Behavioral Healthcare Network
• Chair, Legislative and Health Advocacy Committee,
  
• NYS Association for Rural Health
• With credit to Francesca Summers, NYSARH Board
  Member

2
Getting Started

• Define the constituency
• Whose agenda do you want to advance
• Decide the issues you want to address
• Poll your members
• Focus Groups of your constituents
• Ensure solid grassroots support from you
  constituency

3
Developing an Advocacy Agenda

• Using your poll/focus group data, identify key
  issues.
• Limit to five written and/or three issues for
  meetings.
• Share your picks with your constituency.
• Provide constant feedback to your constituents at
  all times, check in and revalidate assumptions
  frequently
• Design policy agenda and advocacy strategy
  consistent the issues, mission and desired
  outcome

4
Identify target audience

• With Whom do we need to advocate our cause?
• Legislature
• Regulatory Agency
• Public Opinion
• Develop supporting materials to promote your
  agenda
• Research other interested parties materials and
  testimony.
• Look at previous years position papers
• Use respected data sourcesno M.S.U.
• Frame your argument/make your case Define your
  ask
• Articulate the outcome you wish to achieveis it
  realistic given the current environmentare you
  running a sprint or a marathon?

5

• Framing your argument and making your case
• Develop tools to tell your story
• Position/Briefing Papers (Two pages up to 5
  issues)
• Television, Radio Spots and Print Media ()
• This is where you might want to enlist the help
  of skilled public relations professionals
• Internet Post your positions on your website
• Testimony

6

• Articulate the outcome you wish to achieve
• Define and refine your ask
• Be realistic in how much you can achieve
• The battle is won by inches, not by miles!
• Dont oversell what you can deliver to your
  constituency
• Define and refine your ask

7

• When you finally take your act on the road, let
  your bottom line be guided by the following
  principles
• Understand the fine art of compromise
• Very few victories are pure, half a loaf is
  better than none and no-one wins all the time!
• Dont ask for more than you need Greed is not
  good, its for amateurs!
• Take yes for an answer
• Know when the tide is in your favor and stop
  selling!

8
Crafting Your Message

• Know your target audience Collect
  intelligencemuch is available on the web.
• What is their political orientation, their
  belief system?
• Who is their constituency?
• Do they have special interests or causes?
• What is their place or role in the political
  pecking order?
• Equally important, if not more so, get to know
  the legislators chief of staff, or regulatory
  agency heads key policy making staff

9

• At any given time your target audience will
  include
• The Legislature
• The Executive
• Regulatory Agencies
• Appointed Policy Making Bodies or Panels
• Coalitions/Strategic Partners
• The Media

10

• KISS
• During testimony or face to face meetings
  advance no more than three key messages that you
  want your audience to understand and remember
• Brand Your Message
• Once you decide on the key message and/or message
  points, repeat them in your publications, and to
  your audience. Remember to stay on message.

11
Final Tips

• Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up this is how
  relationships are built. Preps for the next
  time.
• Briefing Papers A Tool To Tell Your Story
• Develop An Executive Summary with Message Points
• Keep Background and Overview Statement Brief and
  Relevant
• Make The Problem Statement Compelling, Not Corny

12

• If new to the game, it may be hard to get a
  meeting during the legislative session.
• Offer to meet off-session days in the district
  office, when the legislators time is more their
  own and they are more relaxed.
• Be human, look for the connection, but do not
  waste time.