Mission-based Advocacy Toolkit from Alliance for Children & Families

Part III: Helpful Advocacy Techniques and Framework
Contacting Public Officials Checklist
Group visits with a public official would typically include 2-10 people. For each of the
key issues your members wish to discuss with their elected officials and/or staff, your
group should consider:
– We got a briefing, we have our Fact Sheets. Are there any gaps in the information
we have on the topic? (Is there any information we need to feel confident talking
about it?)
– What resources do we have here in the group to fill those gaps?
• who has personal experience related to the issue (and could talk about it)?
• who knows some ways this issue/bill will affect voters in the CD/LD?
• who knows where the elected official stands on the issue?
• who knows any reasons why the elected official might relate to the issue?
• does anyone in the group have any special expertise that is relevant?
– Having discovered that there are resources within the group to fill gaps, and increase
the confidence of the group to speak on the issue, there are four things to consider:
a. Is there any easy, low-stress way to get information the group needs (like asking a
lobbyist, reading a report or Fact Sheet, or calling a friend) before the visit?
b. If someone has personal experience with an issue, can the group (or a member
of the group) help him/her describe it in a brief and compelling way?
c. What does the group need to do to make the personal issue a political one?
E.g., can we relate the personal example to the impact on a broader group in
the CD/LD? Can we identify other groups in the CD/LD who might share our
views on the issue (.e.g., I am personally concerned for the reasons I’ve
mentioned, and I know that many people in my
congregation/neighborhood/PTA/community council/organization ... agree; this
comes up at our meetings a lot.)
d. Everyone should memorize the following: “I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER
TO THAT, BUT I’LL FIND OUT AND GET BACK TO YOU.” (That’s what
anyone can say, any time, to a question for which you don’t have the answer.)
– For the visit itself, agree in advance:
• who will go on which visit(s)
• what are the key points to be covered
• who will speak about each point and for how long
• who will make “the ask” (i.e., ask for a vote; for where the elected official
stands on the issue. One good technique is to say – “We will be reporting on
this visit when we get home, by writing an article for our newsletter that goes
out to 150 households, and we just want to be sure we are accurately reporting
your views on this issue.”
© January 2006 The Alliance for Children and Families 51