Mission-based Advocacy Toolkit from Alliance for Children & Families

In 2002, within the context of dramatically changed demographics, El Centro committed
to a highly strategic and intensive focus on public policy relating to immigrant
communities. El Centro has always walked hand-in-hand with its clients. The agency
traces this culture to its founding president and CEO, Richard Ruiz, and the first Board
of Directors, which committed to partnering with and empowering the community they
served. But the tremendous surge in the immigrant population created a sense of
urgency. It also created new opportunities, new voices and new leaders. El Centro
wanted to connect with these voices to identify and correct the root causes that brought
families to the agency for help.
Does it affect the agency’s bottom line if its immigrant clients can or can’t get a driver’s
license? No. Does it affect the agency’s ability to do its job? No. But does it affect, on a
deep level, the people El Centro works with? Absolutely, agrees the El Centro Board.
That is why this and similar issues must become the agency’s problem. It is, quite
simply, the right thing to do.
The Board’s executive committee worked to effect the changes to the agency’s corporate
status that would enable El Centro to participate in lobbying and policy work. The Board
also made resource development for this work a priority. This represented a dramatic
shift in emphasis for the agency.
In close consultation with its client base, the Board approves a legislative priority slate
each year. Gaining community input is a difficult and time consuming process. The
agency spends a great deal of time and resources collecting survey and sample
information to give the Board an accurate sense of the issues affecting immigrant
families. A critic once questioned the agency’s surveys, saying that people are being
surveyed to death. The agency agreed that the middle class white population is probably
surveyed ad nauseum. But limited-English proficient, undocumented immigrants? Never.
No one thinks to ask what is going on in their lives, what’s important to them or what
their concerns are for their children.
El Centro talks regularly with other community groups about the issues, and holds
monthly conference calls with immigrant leaders around the state. The agency also
meets weekly with adult and youth leaders and holds several town hall events each year
that typically draw several hundred participants In addition, El Centro analyzes the
current political landscape to determine what public policy actions are feasible and
possible.
Creating an effective advocacy Board
El Centro has created a diverse and committed Board. Some of the Board members are
from the immigrant community the agency represents and are personally very involved
within that community. Others are in business, in education, or involved with the church.
Some are not Latino, not immigrants, and do not live in the community they represent –
© January 2006 The Alliance for Children and Families 83
Successful Mission-Based Advocacy Practices