As an Iowan, I was, of course, obsessed with the Iowa women’s basketball team and superstar Caitlin Clark this season. I have never really been into sports (since I was MVP of my AAU13 basketball team in 1989), but I found myself scheduling around these basketball games and even knowing what channel they were on! It got me thinking – what can advocacy pros learn from Caitlin Clark? Caitlin Clark's success in basketball can offer nonprofit policy advocates lessons in perseverance, teamwork, strategic planning, and resilience. Like on the court, advocates need to stay focused on their goals, work collaboratively with others, adapt their strategies to changing circumstances, and never give up, even in the face of setbacks. Perseverance: Like basketball players who face numerous challenges and setbacks, nonprofit policy advocates encounter obstacles in their work. Learning from Caitlin Clark, advocates can understand the importance of persistence in pursuing their objectives despite difficulties or opposition. I have been involved in decades-long campaigns, such as clear indoor air campaigns, marriage equality, reproductive health protections and expansions, and health care reform. These efforts required determination and resolve, and many advocates continue this work today. Teamwork: Basketball is a team sport, and success often hinges on effective collaboration and communication among team members. Similarly, policy advocacy often involves coalitions, partnerships, and alliances working together towards common goals. Advocates can learn from Clark’s ability to work within a team and leverage diverse skills and perspectives to achieve success. In my 25 years of policy work, I have rarely seen a big policy win without a strong coalition in place.  Actually, I can’t think of one. Not one. All the abovementioned campaigns involved strong coalitions that worked together for years. Campaign Planning: In basketball, teams develop game plans and strategies to outmaneuver opponents and maximize their chances of winning. Similarly, nonprofit policy advocates must carefully plan their approach, identify key stakeholders, craft persuasive arguments, and strategically deploy resources to influence decision-makers and advance their agenda. One useful tool is an Advocacy Roadmap. Snyder Strategies gets insight from your leaders, members, and other advocacy stakeholders to:​ Uncover the internal and external barriers that are hindering your members from engaging in advocacy and how to remove these roadblocks. Reveal how your members want to be engaged in your advocacy program and discover the tools they need to be successful. Identify the data you need to properly evaluate your advocacy efforts and improve your efforts for your next campaign. Resilience: Policy wins are rarely achieved quickly, and resilience is necessary in the advocacy space. The Hawks faced many setbacks this season, such as losing key games and teammates suffering injuries, but the best ones bounce back stronger. Likewise, advocates often encounter defeats, setbacks, and process failures, but they must remain resilient, learn from their experiences, and continue working toward their long-term objectives and policy goals. By applying these lessons from Caitlin Clark’s college basketball career, nonprofit policy advocates can enhance their effectiveness and increase their chances of making meaningful change in the world. Go Hawks (and now Indiana Fever)! Let’s Chat! ​If your team is struggling to build an active base of advocates you can count on, set up a quick consultation session.

If you have ever attended one of my trainings, I spend a considerable amount of time sharing how trends in advocacy open up opportunities for nonprofits to have an outsized impact on policy. One of these trends is the lack of subject matter expertise caused by shorter lawmaker and staff tenure. Over the past few decades, lawmakers and their staff have not stayed in their jobs as long - due to the volatile electoral climate, term limits, terrible job environments, and lucrative pay at other jobs. Peter M. Weichlein, the CEO of FMC (The Association of Former Members of Congress), underscored this trend in this Newsweek piece, Congressional Brain Drain Is No Laughing Matter. While this shift has many negative effects, it does create an opportunity for nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations can provide the missing expertise needed by policymakers and their staff. I refer to these as the Nonprofit Advocacy Superpowers. ⭐️ Subject matter expertise ⭐️ Access to local and community data ⭐️ Access to people with lived expertise ⭐️ PEOPLE who care and are motivated to act Right now, your organization can help inform your policymakers - in your city, county, state, and beyond. We need nonprofits to step up and engage in this process more now than ever! START WITH A TRAINING ​ Are you leveraging your advocacy superpowers? Check out my training opportunities to ensure your supporters and advocates are ready to act when you need them. Training Spotlight: How your Organization can Win during Elections Key learning objectives: The common myths holding nonprofits back from engaging in election activities How engaging in elections can strengthen your organization and help achieve your policy goals Specific activities your organization can engage in this fall - and ones you want to avoid Now What? Next Steps to Take Each attendee will receive a handout on allowable election activities you can implement this election cycle. Keynotes are Tough to Find Looking for a keynote to inspire your members, supporters, or advocates to engage in legislative activities? To leverage their passion and reveal their power? After noticing a dearth of keynotes who specialize in nonprofit advocacy – and the urgency to get them to act - I have been developing a keynote that I can share with my clients and revered nonprofit sector. I work with my clients to create a customized, ideal keynote for your attendees keeping in mind that the 2024 elections provide us with a unique opportunity to leverage this moment in time. Keynote theme With the 2024 elections right around the corner, we need our nonprofit leaders to leverage this moment and inspire them to think big and bold. Nonprofit engagement - especially in the health and human services - in the upcoming elections is critical to shaping what will happen in the coming years, and they cannot afford to sit it out. Too many nonprofit leaders think candidates do not care or (worse) that nonprofits cannot talk to candidates or do voter engagement. Yet we know nonprofit organizations play a critical role in educating and informing candidates, those they serve, and the general electorate. At the same time, many nonprofits feel discouraged and reluctant to engage in our political process. Bethany's keynote will leave your attendees feeling energized, valued, and excited to share their mission and vision with their communities and candidates – and feel empowered to stand up and speak out.

Last week, I had the pleasure of being with the leaders of nonprofit state associations as part of a National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) convening in Oklahoma City. From Hawaii to Maine, nonprofit leaders spent 3 days sharing their challenges and dreams for the nonprofits they serve. As the Director of the Iowa Nonprofit Alliance, I soaked in the wisdom of this venerable group. Not surprisingly, busting advocacy myths repeatedly came up as a critical issue facing my association colleagues. Despite hearing advocacy misconceptions every day, I am still surprised at how pervasive they are. Tim Delaney, the NCN CEO, succinctly named the three “As” that hamper nonprofit advocacy programs. These resonated with me immediately. Attorneys Accountants Academics I know I just ruffled some feathers. Of course, many attorneys, accountants, and academics can be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about nonprofit advocacy and help create successful and effective advocacy programs. But many times these folks are not helpful and can hinder advocacy programs. Because many nonprofit leaders are often hesitant to engage in advocacy, the risk-averse advice of these outsiders can hamper the effectiveness of their advocacy efforts. The bottom line: be sure to engage professionals who understand your advocacy goals and are experts in nonprofit advocacy law. Many specialize in helping nonprofits safely engage in legislative advocacy to ensure our public policies meet the needs of our communities. Your state’s nonprofit association (and me - I make referrals) can help you find an expert who can provide you with the guidance – and confidence – you need to stand up for your supporters and sector. SCHEDULE AN INTRO CALL ​ If your team is struggling to build an active base of advocates you can count on, let’s chat. Here are some of my new friends

It’s go time! Most of you are already knee-deep in subcommittee hearings, tracking the onslaught of bill introductions, and getting bill authors or sponsors for your priorities. So when you think about engaging your advocates, it can be overwhelming. But ensuring you have good communication practices in place with your lobbyist can help immensely. Here are 5 tips to help you maximize your lobbyist for your advocacy efforts: Meet with your lobbyist weekly Set aside time each week to talk about the week’s priorities and what info your advocates need or what activities they should be engaged in. This could be a 30-45 minute standing meeting with a template agenda that covers your key priorities or activities. Identify your top 3 priorities for that week Work closely with your lobbyist to better understand who they are planning to connect with and how advocacy can amplify their efforts. That could mean targeting specific lawmakers for that week, finding someone to testify at a hearing, or drafting an action alert to galvanize your advocates. Look one week ahead After you discuss immediate priorities, look a week ahead so you can prepare with a bit more time. This could be reviewing what media advocacy activities are needed, if any key deadlines are approaching, and events on the horizon, like a lobby day, reception, or key lawmaker event. Discuss coalition efforts and dynamics Most likely (and hopefully), other organizations are also working to pass (or block) the same bills you are working on. You might have a sophisticated process to coordinate your direct lobbying, grassroots, and media advocacy activities, but if not, discuss what other organizations are doing and saying and if that impacts or changes your strategy or tactics. Determine your rapid response plan Ideally, you will have discussed this before, but often it takes a crisis or situation to help you determine how’ll you quickly connect and respond to emerging issues. Often folks rely on email, but emails can get lost. Other solutions include using a text thread, What’s App, or a dedicated Slack channel. Whatever process you use, be sure to determine who needs to be involved (should have at least one person who can make quick decisions) and expectations for response time. Help is here If you need more support to effectively engage your members and advocates in your advocacy program, set up a time to connect with me.

With the beginning of state legislative sessions right around the corner, I have been attending a myriad of legislative forums, summits, briefings, breakfasts, etc. this month. On the whole, I really enjoy hearing what is in store for the next legislative session, how the session may play out, what issues are likely to take up a lot of oxygen, and what policies organizations are prioritizing. And, at every one of these, it never fails – the lobbyists implore the attendees to contact their lawmakers. They say something like, “But we need you to contact your legislators. They need to hear from their constituents that this is a priority.” YES! GREAT! And now you are likely thinking, “Isn’t this your dream, Bethany?” Yes, of course. Especially for nonprofits and membership organizations – your greatest asset is your people power. But these comments are made completely out of context - with no information provided on how to do this, when to best reach out to lawmakers, and on what lawmakers need to hear. Sometimes the lobbyist (or the organization they lobby for) may invite the attendees to sign up for their email list to get generic information about the bills they are following, but rarely do these include the contact information of each person’s lawmaker and if their lawmaker is even a target for that particular action. Sometimes I’ll see a list of specific committee members and their phone numbers and email addresses, but with no indication if this is THEIR specific lawmaker. Even me - who you would think would know my lawmakers by heart. But guess what? Each election cycle I have had new lawmakers and I forget who they are, let alone what committees they are on. Advocacy professionals know that few people will contact their lawmakers if they are not told who they are, what to say, and when to contact them. Period. Facts. And this does not even touch on the issue of training. We also know that most people will not contact their lawmakers without proper training or preparation. So please, lobbyists, if you are going to tell people to contact their lawmakers, make sure the organizations you are working for have a system to share lawmaker information easily, succinctly, and personally - to set up their supporters and members for success. Otherwise, you are just providing meaningless advice that folks won’t follow. And harming your clients’ ability to be successful and pass their sorely needed policy priorities. If you want to learn how to meaningfully engage your members and supporters in your advocacy campaign, let’s chat. If you are a lobbyist interested in creating a strategic partnership, email me to explore if working together is a good fit.

I have always felt a passion for advocating for increasing access to behavioral health care, especially for children. But having a kiddo with anxiety and ADHD has shone a brighter light on the need for mental health care that is easier to access and afford. Even as a family with resources, education, time, and an understanding of our health care system, it has been a monumental challenge for us to find the right kind of care and services that will help our kiddo thrive and become a healthy young adult. Of course, I am not one to do nothing, so I signed up to attend a day at the capitol hosted by one of Iowa’s organizations working to increase access to children’s behavioral health care. I had only lived in Iowa for a few months, so I had not yet met my state representative. But I had heard that he was fairly conservative and not one likely to support this initiative. So I went to the Capitol, hopeful for a productive conversation and day. I was fortunate that my lawmaker had the time to meet with me and came off the floor of the House to have a quick conversation. Flanked by two of the organization’s lobbyists, I introduced myself to the lawmaker and shared that I was there to talk about improving Iowa’s children's behavioral health care system. I started by sharing that I had a kiddo with some mental health challenges and difficulties we had finding the appropriate care for them, even with our access to resources, education, time, and an understanding of our health care system. He nodded politely and said a lot of yeses and hm-ms. Then I paused and asked, “Have you experienced anything similar?” Surprisingly, he looked right at me and said, “Yes. I have a son with autism.” And then he shared about some of the challenges his family had encountered accessing care and services for his child. After a short conversation, I promised the lobbyists I would follow up with him to get him more information about the initiative. Unfortunately, the pandemic started about a month later and all legislative efforts came to a halt. I shared this story when I presented at the NAMI Iowa Annual Conference this month, highlighting to the attendees how a moment of vulnerability created a shared learning opportunity - for both me and the lawmaker. My workshop, “Our Stories are Our Power: How to Use Your Loved Experience to Advocate for Change,” dug into how your advocates are the experts on their experience and how to use stories to connect with lawmakers. When creating your advocacy strategy, remember: Personal stories are advocacy powerful tools to demonstrate the need for funding and access to mental health care. Lawmakers want - and need - to hear your stories. They need to hear how policies are impacting people’s lives and your lived experience can shine a light on what is needed. It is our duty to educate our lawmakers about issues that are important to us - and sharing how our state’s mental health policies are not meeting the needs of our families and communities is paramount. Admittedly, the lobbyists said they did not know these details about my lawmaker. And it created an opportunity – for me and the organization - to connect with this lawmaker at a different, more human level. Due to the pandemic, this policy campaign stalled out, but all organizations can find a way to leverage their advocates’ lived experiences and empower them to tell their stories. Want to see my NAMI presentation? Shoot me an email and I’ll send you the slides. And then let me know if you want to chat more about how to dial in your advocacy strategy. Here are a few snaps from the conference

With the onslaught of news and social media, we are inundated with stories about policies and politics – it seems like it is everywhere and everyone is engaged. However, that is not the case. And our democracy is not better for it. Last summer, The Independent Sector released the report, “The Retreat of Influence: Exploring the Decline of Nonprofit Advocacy and Public Engagement,” which analyzed nonprofit advocacy trends from the last few decades. And it is scary. This long and rich report spotlights how fewer nonprofit organizations are engaging in advocacy activities than in the past. Scary Finding #1: A significantly lower proportion of nonprofits report advocating or lobbying compared to 20 years ago. And I think we can all agree that our country and communities have many challenges that require systemic policy change. Scary Finding #2: Almost 70% of nonprofits don’t engage in any advocacy or lobbying activities. And while most nonprofit organizations are focused on mitigating the effects of bad policies - by providing direct services - we also need nonprofits to focus on changing policies so we no longer need to attend to the negative outcomes. Scary Finding #3: Today, significantly fewer nonprofits know advocacy activities they are legally allowed to do compared to 20 years ago. Even after 25 years in the biz, I am still surprised when I hear nonprofit leaders say that they can’t engage in advocacy. WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE? WHO STARTED THIS RUMOR? Yes, I am yelling because it is ridiculous. My whole career I have only done nonprofit advocacy. And I don’t think I have been doing illegal activities for prominent organizations for so long. The report also showed that many nonprofits' “organizational attitudes about advocacy” are one of the top barriers to engaging in advocacy. And even when these organizations were educated about the IRS rules, funding considerations, and coalition engagement, they still were not convinced. This means nonprofit leaders are self-selecting to not engage in advocacy! There is a lot more to say about this report, but for now, I just want nonprofit leaders to absorb this information and think about what this means for the problems we are trying to solve. Because fewer nonprofits engaging in our policymaking is really scary to me, I'm offering a free 30-minute strategy session to answer any questions you have about how you can use advocacy to meet your organization’s mission. Let's talk about how to turn around these scary trends.

June is Pride month, which means companies, brands, and organizations are breaking out their rainbow merch and calls for tolerance and acceptance. But wait. Before you get excited and buy those rainbow shades or head out to your local Pride festival, please take these things into consideration. It is no secret that this year has been tough for queer folks, especially those in the midwest and south. There were over 400 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures in 2023, mostly aimed at trans and gender-nonconforming youth – the most vulnerable of the queer community. During Pride month, we see a lot of performative allyship, also known as “rainbow washing.” Performative allyship and rainbow washing is where those with privilege profess solidarity with a cause, but don’t engage in any meaningful action or change. Performative allyship is putting on the rainbow shirt or or dancing at the gay club, but not using your power or privilege to actually create the conditions for or demand full equality for the LGBTQ community. During this Pride month, avoid and look out for these signs of performative allyship – and think about how you can help create meaningful change for your LGBTQ neighbors, friends, and family members. Businesses - before you create that rainbow merch or table at your local Pride festival, think about the role you played while the LGBTQ community was under attack. Did your business speak out? Did you offer support or resources to LGBTQ organizations? If not, then think twice about how you can meaningfully support your local queer community. There may be a LGBTQ Business Roundtable or other group of businesses who show up and demonstrate the harmful economic impacts of discriminatory laws. You can join this group or, if there isn’t one, start conversations with your fellow business owners and leaders about how you can stand up and step up – all year, not just in June. Additionally, make sure you are supporting your queer employees. Here are some ways to ensure workplace inclusion for your LGBTQ employees. Organizations - it may be tempting to ask your local queer organization to provide a speaker, or table at your event, or send over information during June, but please remember – June is the busiest month for queer organizations. They are usually managing a thousand community events, managing hundreds of volunteers, and trying to keep their heads above water. Instead, reach out later this summer and ask how you can support their work and build a meaningful collaboration. Use June to educate your community and the populations you serve about how the attacks on the queer community are harmful for the community at-large. And then think about how your organization uses its power to highlight how queer people are part of your community and worthy of love and acceptance. Individuals - Pride is a good time! Don’t get me wrong. It’s my favorite. And I recognize it is often the only exposure straight people and families have to queer culture. But before you grab all that gay swag at Pride fest or change your Facebook pic to don a rainbow ribbon, think about how you supported the queer community this year. Did you check in regularly with your queer friends and family, especially those in the impacted states? Did you contact your lawmakers to share your outrage at the terrible bills introduced? Did you share your disbelief with your colleagues, neighbors, friends, and family members? If you didn’t do these things, please think twice before celebrating Pride. And pledge to take meaningful action for your queer friends and family. And, of course, donate to your state and local queer orgs.

It’s that time of year when most state legislatures are wrapping up their work. This past year we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. It might be tempting to close the book on this chapter, but now is the time to evaluate your campaigns, see what worked and what didn’t, and start thinking about your plan for the next session. After you take some time to rest and rejuvenate, get your team together to review how you engaged and communicated with your members, donors, and other stakeholders in your efforts. Were you proactive or reactive? Is there a way you can set your advocates up for success? What trainings can you provide in the off-season? Organizations with a steady drumbeat will be remembered by lawmakers when tough decisions are being made. And organizations that routinely engage their members will help with this process. You need to consistently engage your members, donors, and supporters throughout the legislative session – and off session. Not here, not there; but consistently throughout the process. From planning, to training, to go-time. Legislative advocacy is like a football game. The players and coaches don’t just show up to the game with no practice or strategy. This all must be done weeks and months leading up to the season. Planning and strategy need to be discussed and communicated before the session begins. If your session starts in January, I am talking September (not December, not January). This means sharing your legislative agenda, your legislative targets, leadership, talking points, predictions, etc. One of the most important aspects of grassroots advocacy is building relationships with your advocates. Your members and supporters want to be kept in the loop, they want to know what is going on. They want training to be confident in their advocacy skills. Only then can they be the best advocates for your organization. Further, as you consistently engage your members, that means that lawmakers are being consistently engaged as well. This will serve you well when lawmakers need to make tough decisions throughout the legislative session – and beyond.

Originally published for Community Solutions (June 23, 2020) The LGBTQ community has experienced a monumental expansion of rights and equality over the past decade, including marriage equality and protection from employment discrimination, a decision made by the Supreme Court this month. Despite these gains, LGBTQ people continue to experience higher rates of homelessness and housing instability than their straight counterparts. And this disparity is compounded when they are also Black or brown. While all LGBTQ people experience homelessness at higher rates than the general population, two specific groups are of particular concern: LGBTQ youth and transgender adults. LGBTQ YOUTH HOMELESSNESS LGBTQ youth are over-represented in the homeless population. According to Chapin Hall’s Voices of Youth Count, an average of 20% of young adults (ages 18-25) experiencing homelessness in the United States identify as LGBTQ. In some communities, LGBTQ young adults make up 40% of their youth homelessness population. Further, LGBTQ young people are over twice as likely to report experiences of homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth. In addition to facing higher risks of homelessness, LGBTQ youth report higher exposure to trauma than their non-LGBTQ peers. This trauma includes higher incidences of physical harm, discrimination and stigma, and exchanging sex for basic needs. And again, the racial disparities are apparent as LGBTQ youth of color have disproportionately high rates of homelessness. Specifically, Chapin Hall found that youth who are Black and LGBTQ reported the highest rates of homelessness overall. The most common reason for LGBTQ youth homelessness is due to family conflict. Most LGBTQ youth cite being forced out or running away due to rejection and unsupportive family members leading to their homelessness. However, this family conflict in large part is due to family instability and frayed relationships over time rather than in the immediate aftermath of “coming out.” However, while rejection is the most frequently cited reason LGBTQ youth experience homelessness, aging out of the foster care system, poverty, and mental health issues were also reasons given. And often it is a combination of factors that contribute to youth homelessness. Homelessness has many short-term and long-term detrimental consequences for youth, such as increased rates of incarceration, decreased mental and physical health outcomes, increased rates of substance abuse, and early death. LGBTQ youth also face stigma, rejection, and a lack of social support. However, despite serious adversity, LGBTQ youth are remarkably resilient. With access to safe and affirming responses and services to address their specific needs, LGBTQ youth can overcome their hardships and realize their potential. TRANSGENDER ADULT HOMELESSNESS Transgender adults experience higher rates of homelessness than cis-gender adults. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, one in five transgender individuals experience homelessness at some point in their lives. Further, transgender and gender non-binary adults experience higher rates of unsheltered homelessness than their cis-gender counterparts. In addition to addressing the factors that lead to homelessness, ensuring trans* and gender non-conforming individuals have access to adequate and safe shelter options is paramount — and it is being threatened by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD). Last year, HUD proposed changes to its Equal Access Rule that would severely limit trans* and gender non-conforming adults and youth accessing safe shelter options. More specifically, it would allow shelters and housing providers to, “consider an individual’s sex for the purposes of determining accommodation within such shelters and for purposes of determining sex for admission to any facility or portion thereof.” The Equal Access Rule was originally implemented in 2012, requiring “equal access to HUD programs without regard to a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.” To date, all housing providers that receive HUD funding or HUD-backed loans were required to follow this guidance. This rule was updated in 2016 to make clear that these shelters and housing providers must abide by a person’s expressed gender identity. However, the current administration is trying to weaken these protections, allowing shelters to discriminate against trans* people in need. The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey by the National Center on Transgender Equity found that nearly one-third (30%) of respondents had experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Further, more than one-quarter (26%) of those who experienced homelessness in the past year avoided staying in a shelter because they feared being mistreated as a transgender person. Of those who did stay in a shelter, 70% of trans* and gender non-conforming people reported some form of mistreatment, including being harassed, sexually or physically assaulted, or kicked out because of their gender identity. Trans* and gender non-conforming adults cite similar factors leading to homelessness as LGBTQ youth: family rejection, stigma, mental health issues, substance abuse, as well as barriers to employment opportunities and housing. Despite a greater need, there are many barriers when trans* and gender non-conforming people attempt to access housing and shelters.

Most advocacy professionals have experience dealing with crises. Especially these days, it seems the advocacy world is operating outside of the “normal” rules. But even this current crisis has tested the most seasoned advocacy and government affairs staff. Keep these tips in mind as you manage your advocacy efforts during this current situation. Get the right people together Identify your audiences Determine your audiences’ needs Track how your audiences respond Be flexible and ready to evolve GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER It might seem like just another thing you need to do, but take an hour to get your key communications, advocacy, membership staff, and any others who share information with your members and supporters. I recommend inviting junior staff to listen to the conversation so they better understand the context of how decisions are being made. During this meeting, determine your process on how decisions are made, information is shared, and who needs to be informed and involved. This would be a good time to refer to your crisis communication plan. Take notes and share them after the meeting, so you can make sure everyone is on the same page. This should be a document you can refer back to and update as you continue to meet. Another thing you should do that is unique to this crisis is to determine how workflows may change if staff are ill or taking care of sick family members. Hopefully, more than one staff knows how to post on social media or send out a newsletter, but you need to map this out so everyone knows how they can pitch in when needed. IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCES Most organizations have different key audiences with whom you are communicating - or need to communicate with. From internal - staff, board, etc. - to external audiences. Map out your external audiences - literally - on a whiteboard. List your communication channels - which ones do you use for which audiences? As it relates to advocacy, think about what you need from your audiences right now and in the immediate and near future. This might involve a discussion about legislative targets or story collections or sustained engagement - or all three. Don’t forget the media and how you want to engage them in your efforts. DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCES’ NEEDS - INCLUDING MESSAGES AND CADENCE Your different audiences have different needs. They need different information, at different times, at various levels, from different spokespeople. Some people you’ll need to communicate more with than others and some you’ll just need to update as needed (like the media or funding partners). This discussion will also help you craft your key messages. Your key contacts likely need more information than your base. Do they need a webinar to review the CARES Act and what is coming next? Do you need to prep your grassroots for the next stimulus votes? What is going on with your other policy priorities - are they stalled? Your communications channels will come in handy here. Some things you’ll need to text your members - quick action on votes, bill passage, etc. Other things you can use your social channels to communicate and longer form updates you’ll use your blog or newsletter. TRACK HOW YOUR AUDIENCES RESPOND This is not a guessing game. You can track which messages are most relevant to your key audiences. Follow up accordingly. Use the data to determine how best to move forward. Ask for feedback. This data will become increasingly valuable after this crisis ends and you evaluate your efforts. You’ll have a lot of new data you can use to craft your strategies moving forward. BE FLEXIBLE AND READY TO EVOLVE And that leads us to the last point - this is a very fluid situation and you must be flexible and ready to evolve your strategy and tactics. Maybe this week you need your people to contact their federal legislators to ensure your needs are reflected in the federal stimulus package; next week you’ll need to track implementation and start reaching out to state and local lawmakers. Maybe Friday calls for your grasstops and a new slack channel for your emerging grassroots champions could be useful. This situation has also provided some sectors an opportunity to highlight their key messages and leverage new tactics. For example, public health advocates are able to demonstrate how starving public health systems of key funding is exacerbating the crisis. Housing advocates are using this opportunity to make lasting changes in how communities work together to house people experiencing homelessness. If we can use old motels to house people now, can we continue this after this crisis? Some organizations have started having regular briefings with local, state, and federal legislative staff to keep everyone updated. Is this something that can continue (albeit less frequently) after the pandemic passes? And of course, after this crisis passes, be sure to reflect, evaluate, and thank your supporters for their support. Because we know you’ll need them again.

(AKA: WHAT IS A GRASSROOTS STRATEGIST?) This is probably the question I hear the most from folks. Sometimes it is not so direct, but the intention is the same. WHY DO I NEED YOU? Sounds harsh, but I get it. You’ve been running an advocacy program for years. Your bills progress through the process, you have a key group of advocates you can count on, you even have a few legislative wins each year. You have developed some great legislative champions. You know which lawmakers give you heartburn and which ones will work to move your bills. But do you know your centers of power? Do you know which districts you have solid grassroots support and which districts you need to work on? YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU COULD DO BETTER. YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU COULD ENGAGE MORE OF YOUR MEMBERS, YOU COULD HAVE EVEN MORE INFLUENCE IN YOUR STATE CAPITOL - MAYBE EVEN IN DC. However, a lobbying strategy is much different than a grassroots strategy. One is a series of linear tactics and the other focuses on engaging beyond the capitol to build power for years to come. A lobbying strategy is focused on moving bills from one point to the next. A grassroots strategy is focused on building the organization’s power. That’s where I come in. I have helped many organizations create an advocacy roadmap that ensures their strategy inspires their members to get involved - and puts them on the road to build power. Don’t just pass a legislative agenda - BUILD POWER & CREATE A MOVEMENT. I can help.