A Deep Dive Into Effective Advocacy
A pillar of MBIPC’s mission is the promotion of beneficial legislation and advocacy for brain injury services to enhance the ability of our members to provide high quality service to people living with brain injury. In the coming months, there will be an effort to introduce new avenues to expand access to rehabilitation services in Michigan by adapting what has worked in other states across the county. To advance these efforts, MBIPC will engage in a robust public education and advocacy campaign. While the association has people in place to lead these efforts, the engagement of our members will be critical to the prospects of passing critical legislation.
While MBIPC has several members with experience in the legislative advocacy process – whether it is engaging in letter writing campaigns, supporting in-person gatherings in Lansing, participating in direct conversations with legislators, or providing testimony in committee hearings – there are many more members that do not. This is understandable for a number of reasons – lack of time or resources, lack of confidence in understanding the legislative process, or perhaps a little intimidation with speaking to elected and government officials.
Yet, MBIPC is stronger and has much more influence when we can maximize the voices we have within our membership organizations. In this edition, we will take a deep dive into advocacy essentials to hopefully increase that confidence and show that engaging in the legislative process is worth the little bit of time and resources it takes to be effective.
Step 1 to Effective Advocacy – Knowing Who Represents You
Seems obvious, but you need to know who to contact when it is time to advocate! Luckily there are very friendly tools to identify your state representative and senator. Just type in your address at these sites:
State Representative: https://www.house.mi.gov/
State Senator: https://senate.michigan.gov/senators/all-senators/
Step 2 to Effective Advocacy – Building Relationships
Often overlooked is the vital role relationship building has in the advocacy process. If you ask AI for tips on effective advocacy, it most likely will jump to the strategic process of educating and communicating your issue; but it misses the first key step – building that human-to-human relationship. Think about it: if two people come to a legislator’s office with their interest, who will the legislator most likely be more tuned in to – someone they recognize and have some level of relationship with, or someone they have never met before?
There are several ways to start to form a relationship with your local legislators before you have a specific issue you need them to support:
Invite the legislators to your organization – Without a formal agenda or ask for the legislator, host them for a tour of your facility. Democrats and Republicans alike are interested in the businesses in their communities that employ constituents in their district.
In your invitation, give a brief description of your business and its mission and a link to your website for more information. State that you would just like to show them the great work that is done every day in their community and educate them about your workforce and the people you serve.
Consider MBIPC as a resource every step of the way – from the invitation to preparing yourself and your team for the tour of your facility.
Very shortly after the tour send a handwritten note to the legislator thanking them for their time and interest in learning about the great things happening in their community and for their continued support.
Meet the legislators in the district – Many legislators will hold town hall meetings or coffee hours in their district. Attend these frequently and engage. This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself, listen to and learn about what is important to the legislator, ask questions, and when appropriate, talk about the needs of your business. Legislators appreciate attendance at these events, and you will quickly become a recognized face if you make consistent appearances.
Pay attention to what the legislator is accomplishing… – Keep up to date with the activities of your legislators. This can be done through following their social media, reading the local newspapers/newsletters, checking in on the legislator’s webpage, or subscribing to their newsletter if they put one out.
…And respond! – Interact on social media with likes and comments congratulating and thanking the legislator for their actions. Send a quick email or drop a quick note, congratulating them on their accomplishments. Showing that you are interested in their accomplishments beyond your niche needs builds trust and some goodwill, which will always be helpful!
Volunteer – whether it is at specific events or with the legislator’s next campaign for election, volunteering is always appreciated and recognized. Volunteering can take so many forms including stuffing envelopes, making phone calls, putting up signs, or canvassing for the candidate. Campaigns are always in desperate need of volunteers, so the time taken in this area builds a lot of social capital.
Step 3 to Effective Advocacy – Staying Informed and Ready to Engage
It is important to know when an issue is being discussed in the legislature, when a bill is introduced, what committee the bill is referred to and when, and how and who to interact with. Luckily you are a member of MBIPC which does this work for you.
Being part of MBIPC and paying attention to information in newsletters, emails, and formal meetings makes this step much easier. You are kept informed about the process throughout and are given information about how and when to contact your legislator.
Step 4 to Effective Advocacy – Sending the Right Message
The most effective way to communicate with your legislator is face-to-face – this is where that personal relationship will help. Call the office and ask for a meeting. You could request meeting the legislator in their district, or you may need to make a trip to Lansing to meet in their office.
When it is time to lend your voice to a cause, you may also be asked to write a letter/email. If you are following the lead of an advocacy organization (such as MBIPC) you will most likely be provided a template to work from; however, you may be inclined to send your own message, especially if you have developed a relationship with the legislator. A personalized message from someone the legislator, or their staff, recognizes will hold more weight than a form letter similar to perhaps dozens of others.
MBIPC is always a resource to help if you choose to deviate from a template provided; but here are some fundamentals to writing your legislator:
Keep it concise: Legislators and their staff go through a lot of messages from their constituents and have limited time. By and large, they will not read a long letter and you risk losing their attention and missing the point. Keep your message brief (no more than one page), focused (one issue) and concise (get to the point) using bullet points and/or bold font to highlight the main point and your request.
Introduce yourself: Give a brief description of who you are (stress that you are a constituent) and remind the legislator of other times you may have met (i.e. if you attended a town hall or hosted them for a tour of your facility). Do not get too far off track with your introduction – keep it relevant and concise. If you voted for the legislator and certainly if you volunteered with their campaign, you’ll want to mention that.
Make your issue and your request very clear: Clearly articulate the issue you are writing about. Do not assume the legislator knows the issue and why you might be writing. If there is a bill that has been introduced, reference it and briefly describe what it will do and why it is important to you. Then, make your request very clear. For instance, you may ask the legislator to make this a priority and vote in favor of it when it comes to a vote. Or, if the legislator is on the committee that the bill was referred to, you may ask for a hearing and a vote on the bill. If you are unsure of your specific requests, reach out to MBIPC – we’re eager to help ensure your request aligns with our messaging.
Step 5 to Effective Advocacy – Following Up and Being Persistent (Politely!)
If you met with the legislator face-to-face, following up with a handwritten note is a nice touch. These offices get bombarded by emails, so a hand-written note will stand out and demonstrate your thoughtfulness. In your note, include a thank you and a reminder of the issue at hand.
If you wrote a letter or email and did not get a response (within 10 business days), follow up with another email or (more effectively) a phone call asking for a response to the email. If you follow up via email, simply “reply” to your last email kindly asking for a response (while acknowledging and appreciating the time constraints of the legislator). If you follow up with a phone call, be prepared to make specific reference to the email (date sent, subject line, and email if was sent from).
And of course, if your legislator votes in favor of your issue, thank them with a personal note and on their social media.
If you are contacting your legislator about an issue relevant to your business, be sure to follow up with your trade association (i.e. MBIPC), to inform them about your outreach and response you get. It is helpful to understand the communications occurring with legislators and their constituents.
As MBIPC continues its efforts to expand access to its members services and enhance their ability to provide high quality services to people living with brain injury, engagement on the advocacy front from our members is imperative. Legislators need to hear from their constituents. It is ten times more effective and impactful than state-wide trade associations that some may consider a “special interest.”
MBIPC is here to help its members every step of the way including assistance, resources, and tools to build relationships, communicate effectively, and remain consistent with the overall messaging. Your voice makes a difference. MBIPC is eager to help you use it to make meaningful and lasting change!
Sincerely,
Tom Judd
Executive Director