I attended the Jacksonville Food Summit this past weekend and heard a wonderful presentation by Katie Ross of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson’s office about the difference between advocacy and lobbying. Advocacy is when you talk about an issue in broad strokes. Lobbying is when you are asking for support for a specific bill. I’m sure many nonprofits are familiar with this because 501c(3) organizations cannot lobby but it always helps to have a refresher. Katie’s presentation was short, sweet and to the point. In today’s climate where so many programs are being cut, it helps to have your advocacy lines down. It also helps to come to the table with concepts that elected officials can support that don’t cost money (barriers than can be taken down).
Here’s what you need to do when you meet with an elected official:
- Know your stuff – have your stats ready
- ROI, ROI, ROI – many elected officials are interested in what the return on investment is for support of a particular issue
- Explain how the issue you are discussing affects the elected official’s constituents
- Know where the elected official stands on the issues. Know how long they have been in government and specifics about their voting record
- Craft your message. You should be able to explain your position in 15 minutes or less but make sure you have additional information in case the elected official wants to spend more time on the subject
- Schedule face time. Whether it is with the elected official or a staffer, it is to your benefit
- Bring along someone who can provide some testimony about the issue
- Have an agenda and make sure someone is taking notes
- Send thank you’s
- Schedule a followup
- Work with the media
- Speak to area groups such as Rotary, Kiwanis, etc. to get your position across
So let the advocacy begin! Good luck.
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