Making Change, Building Community: Political Advocacy

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Making Change, Building Community Political
Advocacy Organizational Development

• Achieving Global Results
• November 10, 2005
• Baltimore, Maryland

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Late Afternoon Pop Quiz

• How many Fulbright Scholars are serving in the
  109th Congress?
• 1 (Rep. Tom Cole)
• How much money was appropriated for State Dept.
  educational and cultural exchange programs for
  this fiscal year?
• 360.75 million
• How much funding was earmarked for two Alaskan
  bridges in the recent transportation bill?
• 452 million
• How many bills dealing with foreign languages
  have been introduced this year?
• 57
• True or False The Senate designated 2005 as
  Year of Foreign Language Study
• TRUE Happy YFLS!

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Advocacy Volunteer Involvement

• Involvement in associations and other
  organizations mirrors the reasons people get
  involved in advocacy
• Social Change
• Power, Influence, Success
• Skills
• Civic Responsibility
• An effective advocacy program builds involvement
  in other aspects of the association and
  reinforces the value of membership

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Mission Relevance



Issue, Cause, Idea or Inspiration
Passionate People
Strategy Tactics
Tools Resources
Influence, Engagement VICTORY

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What is Grassroots?

• The Power of Constituency
• Communities Organized to Influence
• Relationship-Based
• Values Direct, Personal Communication
• Bottom up Advocacy

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The New Grassroots

• Beyond Postcards and Petitions
• Qualitative advocacy is more effective and more
  rewarding
• The Revolution Will Not be Televised (thanks,
  Joe)
• New technologies are changing the old rules

• Embraced Across the Political, Economic Spectrum
• Empowerment Responsiveness
• Open Source Advocacy

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Broadcast Era Campaign Model
Citizens

• Reliance on Mass Media to Reach Broad Audience
• Reliance on Limited Number of Big Donors
• Limits Participation

Message
Campaigns, Elected Officials
Money
Donors
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Multicast Era Campaign Model

• The Open Source Campaign
• Multiple Messages, Narrowly Cast
• Reliance on Participation
• Focus on Communities Spheres of Influence
• Greater volume of donors, volunteers

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Implications for Advocacy Associations

• Changes in politics creates an opportunity for a
  new approach to advocacy
• Associations are changing in ways similar to
  campaigns and face the same pressures to evolve
• The people are coming to this thing. And
  whatever we do, they take it and make it better.
  Its their campaign now. Were at the point
  where, if this is going to work, its going to be
  because of them Its like were standing on top
  of this fifteen-story building. All these people
  have gathered. Now, what we have to do is jump.
• - Joe Trippi (Howard Dean Campaign Manager)

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Successful Grassroots a campaign mentality

• Integral to Comprehensive Advocacy Strategy
• Field Operations Model
• Everything Starts with Message
• Motivating Facilitating People to Turn Message
  into Action
• Priority on Direct Communication
• High Touch High Impact
• Relationship-based

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Keys to Effective Grassroots Advocacy

• Understand Your Challenges Environment
• Plan Organize
• Make Members Feel Part of Something
• Empower Enable
• Provide On-going Skill Building

• Information is Power
• Integrate with Other Programs, Products, Services
• Make it Fun, Keep it Active
• Recognize Reward
• Evaluate

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Grassroots EssentialsThat will build your local
chapter, too!

• Empower Enable
• Grassroots is bottom up
• ID your mavens and messengers
• Be high touch and facilitate interaction
• Brand your network
• Reward participation, recognize quality,
  celebrate success
• Unleash creativity

• Build Skills
• Provide training
• Target roles to skills and interests
• Embrace technology and multiple media
• Create a structure within your network
• Incorporate peer-to-peer exchange and training

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Grassroots EssentialsThat will build your local
chapter, too

• Information
• Regular
• Timely
• Accurate
• Scaled
• Targeted
• Sticky
• Action-Oriented

• Integration
• Coordinated with other activities and strategies
• Linked to communications and PR initiatives
• Reinforced through events, training and
  publications

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Group Exercise

• Empower Training Information Integration
• 1 Obstacle (and ideas for overcoming the
  obstacles)
• 1 Short-term Action Item

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Grassroots Campaigns Influencing Policy
Politics

• The Who
• Identifying Supporters, Opponents, Partners
• The What
• Identifying the issue, the position
  Understanding the environment

• The Where
• Determining the right venue for activism and
  understanding how it operates
• The How
• Developing a variety of tools for activism and
  deploying those tools appropriately

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The Fog of Advocacy War(with apologies to Robert
S. McNamara)

• Empathize with your enemy
• Rationality will not save us
• Theres something beyond ones self
• Maximize efficiency
• Proportionality should be a guideline

• Get the data
• Belief and seeing are often both wrong
• Reexamine your reasoning
• To do good, you may have to engage in evil
• Never say never
• You cant change human nature

Shamelessly lifted from The Fog of War by Errol
Morris
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Launching a Grassroots Campaign

• 3 Keys Message Motivate - Mobilize

Message Your values-based ask framed with a
compelling narrative
Motivate Eliminate barriers, provide incentives,
facilitate action
Mobilize Create a structure and process for
activating organized supporters based on the
political environment, defined roles, and
appropriate tools. (Who will do what? How they
will do it and when?)
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It all begins with the message

• Grassroots Organizing Requires a Message
• 5 Cs
• Clear, Concise, Compelling, Convincing,
  Contrasting
• The 5 Minute Rule

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It doesnt take a weatherman to know which way
the wind blows

• Understand the Political Environment
• Timing
• Public Consciousness
• Trends
• The Elected Officials Unique Situation,
  Worldview

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Using the Environment to Your Advantage

• Tailor your message based on the environment
• Example
• 2 years of 106th Congress (pre-9/11)
• Terrorism 311
• Homeland Security 0
• 6 months of 109th Congress
• Terrorism 269
• Homeland Security - 469

• Other Examples
• 106th Congress (2 years)
• Obesity 3
• Broadband 15
• Right to Die 7
• 109th Congress (6 months)
• Obesity 8
• Broadband 19
• Right to Die 15

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Your Grassroots Goal Building Long-term
Relationships

• Value staff
• Be a district / state resource
• Empathize
• Provide regular, but relevant, information
• Recognize achievements, acknowledge effort

• Use recess to your advantage
• Consider options for events and outreach
• Be active in the community
• Be creative

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Coping with Capitol Hill a sneak peek at
tomorrows 101

• A Day in the Life
• 10 Things Staff Hate to Hear
• Factors that Influence Elected Officials
• Effective Communication with Congress
• A Five Minute Action Plan

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Case Study Libraries vs. the FBI

• Situation
• Since passage of the Patriot Act in 2001,
  libraries had sought changes
• During recent consideration of funding, the House
  voted 238-187 to limit the FBIs access to the
  records of libraries and bookstores
• 38 Republicans voted with Democrats, even under a
  veto threat from the president
• Libraries lost a similar vote the previous year
  210-210

• Factors
• Media Attention (726 hits on google news search)
• Ideology
• Lack of powerful interest group on other side
• Grassroots
• I heard from my libraries and they felt strongly
  on this issue

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Case Study Funding for Public Broadcasting

• Situation
• Recent example of a perennial effort to cut
  public broadcasting
• After the House Appropriations Committee voted to
  reduce funding for CPB by 100 million, the cuts
  were restored on the floor by a vote of 284-140
• 87 Republicans joined Democrats in restoring the
  cuts

• Potential Factors
• Media Attention (759 hits on google news)
• Change in focus (kids vs. news)
• Clever Language Mugging Big Bird
• Long term bipartisan support for Public
  Broadcasting
• Grassroots Public broadcasting stations in
  every district
• President had recommended full funding in his
  budget

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Case Study Funding for Public Broadcasting

• Situation
• Recent example of a perennial effort to cut
  public broadcasting
• After the House Appropriations Committee voted to
  reduce funding for CPB by 100 million, the cuts
  were restored on the floor by a vote of 284-140
• 87 Republicans joined Democrats in restoring the
  cuts

• Potential Factors
• Media Attention (759 hits on google news)
• Change in focus (kids vs. news)
• Clever Language Mugging Big Bird
• Long term bipartisan support for Public
  Broadcasting
• Grassroots Public broadcasting stations in
  every district
• President had recommended full funding in his
  budget

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What did they do right? What can we learn?

• Understood the process (found the right vehicle)
• Media attention
• Network in place when needed
• Worked both sides
• Paid attention to trends
• Cultivation of long-term relationships
• PATIENCE
• Other lessons?

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Group Exercise

• The Campaign Plan
• What
• Who
• Where
• How

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Some final thoughts

• Be Persistent. Eighty percent of success is
  showing up. Woody Allen
• Dont Get Discouraged. The Founders created a
  system designed to be slow and inefficient. In
  the major leagues if you fail seven times out of
  ten, youre a star.
• People Matter. Remind members (and yourself) why
  they got involved and they will rise to the
  challenge. Great grassroots means people working
  together to achieve change.

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For more information

• 4000 Albemarle St., NW,
• Suite 302
• Washington, DC 20016
• 202.244.4866
• jjordan_at_advocacyassociates.com
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