Mission-based Advocacy Toolkit from Alliance for Children & Families

Part III: Helpful Advocacy Techniques and Framework
Bite-sized Advocacy for Busy Lives
Step 1. Sign up for good “Alerts.” Get on a list for regular information about
legislative actions likely to affect your issue/program. (E.g., a statewide child
advocacy organization, a state nonprofit association, and/or a national group
you trust). They will monitor the legislative process, keep you informed,
provide a sample “message,” and help you know when your voice is needed
most. Best of all: they’re free!
Step 2. Use the TELEPHONE or WRITE
Send a message to your state legislators.
Some states have a TOLL-FREE hotline to their State Capitol, others have a
regular number. Operators will take your call, or take your message, or transfer
you to your legislator's office. Whatever the method, it only takes about two
minutes because you can use the message provided in the "alert" you signed up
for in Step # 1.
Or you can use that alert to send a simple email message. Mention the bill
number or issue in the subject line, state what you want the legislator to do,
and be sure to put your home address so they know that you live in their
Legislative District. Keep it short and to the point. (At times when you cannot
lobby, just provide information about the issue – leaving off the request for a
particular action.)
Finding telephone numbers and/or email addresses is easy: just go to the
website for your state Capitol, and follow directions for finding your
legislators, or contact the League of Women Voters.
Sending a message to the U.S. Congress
It’s easy to send a prepared message to your U.S. Senators and Representative:
just use a service called CAPWIZ. You can personalize the message, or simply
add your name and address and let CAPWIZ send the message automatically
to your representatives in Congress. The Alliance frequently posts messages on
CAPWIZ. You can view these by logging on to the Alliance’s Web site,
www.alliance1.org, and selecting the public policy page for a link to all
CAPWIZ messages.
Step 3. Help others
Make cardstock “cell phones” with the Capitol website, telephone number, and
the dates when the Legislature is in Session. Add your own logo, website, or
agency name. Make up a supply, and give them to everyone you encounter:
board members, staff, consumers, friends, neighbors, and extended family. You
and they should pledge to make one toll-free call or email every week the
legislature is in Session.
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© January 2006 The Alliance for Children and Families