Mission-based Advocacy Toolkit from Alliance for Children & Families

Part III: Helpful Advocacy Techniques and Framework
Tools for the Capitol Leg of the Stool
One critical task for you and everyone you involve in your advocacy efforts is contacting
elected officials and other decision-makers. Whether your purpose is to provide
information about an issue or the families you serve (advocacy that is not lobbying) or to
urge a position on a budget item or pending bill (advocacy that is lobbying), it is easier
than most people think. Legislative staff at every level are there to take your messages
and be helpful. State legislators are often part-time and VERY accessible. Even members
of the U.S. Congress tend to be pretty approachable (they have to be “people persons” to
run for office) – particularly those from small population states. The tools that follow
were designed to help you, and those you are able to involve, have a voice in shaping the
laws that affect you.
Because State legislators are so accessible, these tools were developed with them in
mind, but the basic principles apply to every level of government. And while it is true
that in every state the issues, people, and details are different, it is also true that every
year there are many things that remain constant.
It helps to keep the basic timetable for your state in mind as you read this. The same
process that unfolds over an entire calendar year in some states is compressed into just
30 days in others. You can find the “Session Calendar” with critical dates for your state
by going to the state legislature’s website and looking under “Calendars.”
In nine states (CA, IL, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, WI) the state legislature meets yearround.
In seven states (AR, KY, MT, ND, NV, OR, TX) the legislature only meets every
other year. In the remaining thirty-four, the legislature meets part of the year – for
anywhere from 30 days to several weeks. Many of those part-time legislatures alternate
the length: "long" sessions in the years they write a biennial budget, "short" sessions
when they just make minor adjustments in the budget.
As in the other sections, the 6 tools that follow were developed for you to use. Each of
these items can be modified to reflect the details relevant to YOUR state, copied
(double-sided) and distributed. Feel free to use them in your efforts to involve others: in
calling, writing, or visiting with your elected officials and empowering others to do the
same. (They refer to actions at the Capitol, but can be used with slight modification
where-ever you encounter decision-makers.) The tools that follow are:
1. Meeting with Public Officials – tips for an effective meeting, plus a checklist to
help you prepare for your Congressional visit.
2. Telling your stories – key elements of a brief, 60-90 second “speech” to prepare
for use in talking to an elected official;
3. Taking it All Back Home – Useful strategies to share knowledge and “next steps”
after a visit with a public official.
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© January 2006 The Alliance for Children and Families