Advocacy Boot CampPresented by

The Kyle GroupColorado Nonprofit Association

November 16, 2006

Introduction & Special Thanks

• Colorado Nonprofit Association• The Board of Directors• The Membership

Our Goals Today!

• How the election affects advocacy• How amendment 41 affects advocacy• Advocacy in the new environment • Internal structure of your program• Build new relationships and maintain existing

ones with legislators and Senate, House, and Executive Leadership

• Grassroots Advocacy – Associations greatest legislative tool

• Coalition Building• Communicating effectively with members,

legislators, & governors office• Putting it all together

Before We Get Started!

• Cell Phones• Bathrooms• Monolog Vs. Dialog• Ask questions along the way• Evaluations• Test at end of the program-Gifts• Think about what you want out of

the program. Write it down.

Advocacy Boot Camp

“The Best Way to Protect Your Future is to Create it” Peter Drucker

“Now That We Have Elected Them, What Are We Going To Do With Them?”

Corky Kyle, CAE, MPA

2006 Election Outcome

• Democratic Governor• 20 Democrats to 15 Republicans –

Senate• 39 Democrats to 26 Republicans –

House of Representatives• Amendment 41, “Ethics In

Government”

Amendment 41-Participatory Democracy

•Constitutional Amendment•Only state to regulate

legislative relationships through a constitutional amendment

•Adverse to encouraging participation in political process

Advocacy Strategic Plan

• Do you have a legislative agenda?• Do you have a written plan?• Do you have a budget that

adequately funds the legislative activities of the association?

• Do you have complete buy-in for the program by the members, board, and committee.

Plan Components

• Vision: Vivid description of the program as it effectively carries out the operations of the program

• Mission: Overall purpose of the program

• Goals: provide the overall context for what the program is trying to accomplish

• Objectives: Objectives are a means to reach established goals

• Strategies: Rules and guidelines by which the mission, objectives, may be achieved

Advocacy Budget

• Must be realistic• Represent the true cost of the

program• Must be predicated on the goals

and objects of the advocacy program

• Viewed as an investment in the future

Committee Structure/Membership

• Mission Statement• Chairman and Vice Chairman• Members• Job Descriptions• Orientation-Training• Advocacy Plan• Understand the Legislative

Environment

Building Relationships

“Efforts and Courage are not enough without purpose and direction”

JFK

Building Relationships

• Legislative process centers around relationships (legislator & Staff)

• All politics is local• Strong relationships, more attention, greater

accessibility• Must be established early, nurtured and maintained for

the full term of office• The best time to build your relationship is when you

don’t need anything• The stronger the relationship between you, the

lawmaker and staff the more likely your ideas will become law

Building Relationships: Do Your Homework!

• “Information Is Power”• To Be a better resource, know your

legislator• Know your lawmaker’s

(1)professional, (2)legislative, and (3)personal interests

• Visit your legislator’s Office• Create a legislator profile

Building Relationships: Do Your Homework!Cont.

• Profile research should include;Personal HistoryBiographyLegislative ActivitiesVoting RecordCampaign ContributionsPolitical BackgroundPolitical PhilosophyAnything else that help define him/her

Building Relationships: 5 Areas

• Constituent Power• Advocates build rapport with their

legislators by educating, supporting, and participating with legislator in their community

• Five Areas of Relationship Concentration

Building Relationships: 5 Areas

• Legislative Activities: Supportive of other legislative commitments

• Legislative Publicity: PR conduit• Campaign Activities: Campaign

Volunteers most influential• Legislative Staff: Critical role in

information dissemination • Personal Touch: Say “Thank You”

Building Relationships

• Is continuous• Limited only by your creativity• Requires constant nurturing• Lots of TLC – Big Time Results

Grassroots' Advocacy

“Public participation in the process of government is the essence of democracy”

Lyndon B. Johnson

Grassroots' AdvocacyCont.

• Grass Roots: Term first used in 1912 by Albert Jeremiah Beveridge of Indiana, who declared of the Progressive Party that: “This party has come from the “grass roots”. It has grown from the soil of people’s hard necessities

• Grassroots Organizing: Is a political practice to create social/economic change. It is based on the power of the people to take collective action on their own behalf. Grassroots organizing creates democracy

Grassroots' AdvocacyCont.

• Grassroots is a powerful tool for legislative action

• Grassroots works from the bottom up to affect legislative change

• Grassroots power is created by organizing employees, association members, or citizens around a common cause

• Grassroots enhances the “power of one”• Grassroots programs are effective in

neutralizing opponent issues in the political environment

• Builds strong relationships with legislators

Grassroots' AdvocacyCont

• Building/Maintaining Grassroots network

• Grass Roots ProfileMember Contact – Key ContactDistrict: House and Senate, Governors OfficeParty affiliationContact informationHow strong is relationship, How they know the

legislatorAddress, telephone, fax, cell, e-mailInvolvement with legislatorRelationship with staff

Grassroots' AdvocacyCont

• Top legislative tool• Neutralizes opposition on your

issues• Multiplies the “power of one”• Greater membership involvement• Greater association visibility• Enhanced branding of association• Increases the political clout of the

association

Coalition Building

“Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage”

Niccolo Machiavelli

Coalition Building

“A coalition is an alliance among entities, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience.”

Wikipedia

Creating a Coalition

• Necessary when association recognizes that it doesn’t have the expertise, power, or resources to go it alone.

• Brings together non-traditional vested-interest groups

• It is a dynamic group that is held together only by the issue that they are working collectively

Advantages of Coalitions

• Maximizes resources• Increases access to policy makers• Adds credibility to industry or

trade• Enhances public perception of the

industry or trade• Creates networking and

partnership opportunities• Division of labor

Disadvantages of Coalitions

• Specific interests may lead to conflict among groups.

• Consensus building is time consuming

• “Selling Advocacy” takes time• Coalition management is

cumbersome and time consuming• Developing operational philosophy

must be consistent among the members

Coalition Overview

• Coalitions are effective in affecting legislative outcomes

• Coalitions must be managed to be effective

• Coalitions must be adequately funded• Coalitions must have an effective,

leadership structure• Members must respect one another and

appreciate the perspectives each member brings to the coalition

Communication

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety”

Benjamin Franklin

Communications

• Members must be kept in the loop• Members want to feel they are part of

something• Communication must be consistent and

timely• Association needs to blow its own horn• Does not need to be complicated• Must be consistent in it delivery and

message

Putting It All Together!

• Colorado legislative environment changed

• Amendment 41 has change the environment

• Written Plan will assure success

• Relationship building is everyone’s business

• Begin early and stay with it

• Grass roots builds power & relationships

• Coalitions create synergy for diverse interests on a unique issue

• Communication is the cement that holds the advocacy program together

Stay In Touch!

Lets keep the dialog going!

Corky Kyle, CAE, MPA“The Advocacy Guy”

The Kyle Group14450 West 56th Place

Arvada, Colorado 80002Office: 303.302.1109 Fax: 303.302.1108

Toll Free: 1.888.302.0101E-Mail: Ckyle@TheKyleGroup.Com

WWW.TheKyleGroup.Com