Camp Prosperity: Advocacy 101

July 14, 2020

Welcome

Tupa HovekaProgram Associate, Field EngagementProsperity Now

Housekeeping

• This webinar is being recorded and will be mailed to registrants and available online within one week

• All webinar attendees are muted to ensure sound quality

• Ask a question or share your thoughts anytime by typing into the text box of your GoToWebinar Control Panel

• If you experience any technical issues, email gotomeeting@prosperitynow.org

Getting the Most Out of Today’s Call

▪Join from a quiet space

▪Grab a coffee or snack and settle in

▪Engage! Send us your questions and comments as you listen

▪Tweet with us on Twitter—use #CampProsperity

▪Reflect on ways to apply what you learn today to your own work

Prosperity

Now’s mission

is to ensure

everyone in our

country has a

clear path to

financial stability,

wealth and

prosperity.

Welcome to Camp Prosperity!

Vanna CureLead Camp CounselorSenior Advocacy ManagerProsperity Now

▪ 4-week virtual learning program for new and experienced advocates

▪ Weekly newsletters and webinars; opportunities to connect with other advocates

Camp Prosperity Webinar Series

Delegate Jheanelle WilkinsDistrict 20

Maryland House of Delegates

@JheanelleW

Today’s Speakers

Chad BoltLegislative Assistant

Office of U.S. Senator

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

@chadderr

Today’s Agenda

✓ The Basics of Advocacy

✓ “Fireside Chats” – From Issue to Action: Effective

Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

✓ A Legislator’s Perspective

✓ A Staffer’s Perspective

✓ Group Discussion and Q&A

✓ Next Steps & Close

Poll Question

How would you describe your

advocacy experience?

1. No advocacy experience

2. Interested in engaging in advocacy, but don't know where

to start

3. Some experience, I’ve been advocating for less than a year

4. Seasoned advocate

The Basics of Advocacy

Vanna CureLead Camp CounselorSenior Advocacy ManagerProsperity Now

▪ Policy advocacy is the act of taking a position on an issue

and sharing that position with someone who can do

something about it to bring systematic, lasting policy

change.

What is advocacy?

Why advocate?▪ Raise awareness

▪ Protect (or increase) funding

▪ Educate policymakers / public /media

▪ Empower constituents

▪ Foster discussion about issues

▪ It’s our duty!

Play a vital role in developing and implementing public policies

Make connections between

policymakers and their constituents

Educate lawmakers and the public about policy issues

The Case for Nonprofits in Advocacy

There is a common misconception that nonprofit organizations

cannot engage in advocacy, but in fact, nonprofit organizations

can:

▪ Legislative- process by which elected officials (e.g., members of Congress, state legislators, school board officials, etc.) introduce and pass legislation that becomes law.

▪ Regulatory- Once a law is passed, the responsible agency, or agencies, develop the rules and regulations to enforce the underlying law. Advocating to inform or influence this process is known as regulatory or administrative advocacy.

▪ Budgetary- process of informing or influencing decisions about how public money will be allocated.

Types of Advocacy

Advocacy does not have to be scary. There are some simple ways in which you can advocate for policy change including:

✓Data and research to make your case for change

✓Careful messaging and framing to build awareness, change public perception and move people to action

✓Educating and engaging policymakers and other stakeholders

✓Building a strong and diverse coalition or network of partners to amplify your voice and impact

How Do You Advocate for Change?

Personal anecdotes tell the story of an individual; research and data tell the story of a community.

Advocacy Strategies

Effective advocacy campaigns are grounded

in data, historical context and contemporary

contributing factors.

Prosperity Now’s Scorecard, national nonprofits, research institutions and government agencies are

good places to find data.

While collecting and ground-truthing data may seem daunting, service

providers can gather valuable data directly from

clients through large-scale listening sessions,

anonymized client-level data, or one-on-one

surveying.

Data and Research:

Advocacy Strategies

Messaging and Framing:

When crafting a narrative around data and disparities in the community, focus on articulating desired policy outcomes in a manner that is:

Clear

Concise

Actionable

Galvanizing

Educating and Engaging Policymakers:

▪ Host virtual events (town halls, legislative breakfast, advocacy day, press conferences) to

build public awareness about an issue and educate policymakers

▪ When it’s safe to do so, invite policymakers to your organization/site to learn about an

issue, service or program (elected officials love doing this, gives them a nice photo op!)

▪ Meet with your elected officials in person to weigh in on an issue or policy change

▪ Draft a petition or sign-on letter to express views on an issue and ask coalition/community

members to sign on

▪ Participate in a townhall and ask your elected officials questions about his/her policy

positions- you can find information on your legislator’s website or social media

✓Hold them accountable to their stated positions- follow up!

▪ Submit comments or feedback on regulations as they are being developed

Advocacy Strategies (cont’d)

Prosperity Now Advocacy CenterGet started today at https://prosperitynow.org/take-action

Here you can:

▪ Email a legislator

▪ Call a legislator

▪ Tweet at a legislator

▪ Schedule a Meeting

▪ Sign a petition

Building a Strong and Effective Coalition:

▪ Organize and mobilize stakeholders (coalition partners) to share their story and advocate for change

▪ Educate the public about the legislative process

▪ Introduce constituents to the legislators who

represent them—remember, policymakers

always want to hear from their constituents!

▪ Hold advocacy days to train coalition members and other stakeholders on basic advocacy skills, and to educate them about your issue

Advocacy Strategies (cont’d)

Fighting Fatigue

▪ Remember that you are in it for the long haul—advocacy

is a process and policy wins rarely happen over night

✓ It requires perseverance, incremental change and

building the groundwork for future success

▪ Revisit your “why” frequently to ensure that your message

and framing continue to resonate with key stakeholders,

and reflect the reality of the political landscape

▪ Celebrate victories!

✓ This helps build credibility for the coalition, while also

building momentum for future efforts

Use the Comment Box to let us know!

Discussion

What’s your greatest challenge when it comes to advocacy?

1. Federal advocacy

2. State advocacy

3. Local advocacy

4. No advocacy experience

Use the Comment Box to let us know more!

Poll Question

What type of advocacy do you engage in most often?

Key Insights:A Legislator’s Perspective

Del. Jheanelle WilkinsDelegate, District 20

Maryland House of Delegates

Q1: What is the best time for advocates to influence the legislative process?

Q2: Most states have adjourned for 2020, leaving Governors to make important

decisions related to the pandemic. How can advocates have influence when the

legislature is out of session?

Q3: As a legislator, why is the perspective of direct service providers so important to you?

Q4: As a legislator, what type of data is helpful to you?

Q5: Thinking about some of the most effective constituent meetings you’ve had,

what stood out about those meetings?

Q6: How can advocates who share your stance on issues still be effective advocates?

Q7: How do you use constituent stories in your work?

Key Insights:A Staffer’s Perspective

Chad BoltLegislative Assistant

Office of U.S. Senator

Sherrod Brown

Q1: Walk us through the federal legislative process and what are the best times and

ways to influence the process?

Q2: What have you found to be the most and least helpful in terms of constituent

advocacy?

Q3: What does a typical face-to-face meeting look like? How are you handling meetings in

the age of social distancing?

Q4: What is the best way for advocates to follow up after meeting with legislative staff?

Q5: What are some ways advocates can be effective advocate at home?

Q6: How can district offices be helpful to advocates?

Q7: As a staffer, how do you work with direct service providers to push policy?

Audience Q & A

What questions do you have?

Share them in theQuestions box!

Del. Jheanelle Wilkins | Delegate, District 20

Maryland House of Delegates

: @JheanelleW

Chad Bolt | Legislative Assistant

Office of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

: @chadderr

Vanna Cure | Senior Advocacy Manager

Prosperity Now

vcure@prosperitynow.org

Stay in Touch!

Next Steps

▪ Complete the follow-up survey

▪ Attend our next webinar in the Camp Prosperity series

on July 21st!

▪ Explore the Prosperity Now website for resources,

events, and more

▪ Register for the 2020 Prosperity Summit (formerly

Assets Learning Conference), September 30- October 2

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 CenterTake 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

Visit the Summit website at summit.prosperitynow.org

to learn more and to register!

Thank you!Please complete our survey!