How to Successfully Advocate with Politicians

Some of you may (or may not) know that I’m very active in our local Special School District Parent Advisory Council, serving our whole county this past year as the Vice President of the PAC. At one of our recent meetings, I had the pleasure of listening to a presentation from an organization called Education PLUS about how to successfully advocate for your beliefs and children with your State Representatives. While the focus of the presentation (and my notes below) was on educational topics that are most influenced at the state level, the suggestions given are applicable for any topic you’re passionate about and at any level of government.

Please note: these are my notes from a presentation that was given in a public forum. This is NOT my original content, nor is it a verbatim reproduction of the presentation. If you are in the St Louis, MO area and would like to reach out directly to Education PLUS, they can be found at www.edplus.org.

Okay, on to my notes…

What is Education PLUS?

It is a non-profit membership organization which supports all STL City, STL County, Jefferson County & St Charles County public schools with leveraged purchasing power, professional development, and legislative advocacy.

Who can I reach out to or advocate to if I’m passionate about a topic?

• Can advocate at all levels of government, but focus on state-level because they have the biggest impact to Education issues
• State of MO Legislators in session Jan – May of a year, typical work week is Mid-day Monday through Thursday evening. All members keep offices in Jeff City staffed year-round
• Visit www.edplus.org to find your legislator. Can also reach out to the chair of the committee working on a piece of legislation

How do I reach out to my Legislators?

• You can email, call, or visit! Don’t be intimidated by the {state} Capitol – you should feel free to walk in and ask to see your representative/senator.
• You can also follow your reps on Facebook, but FB comments don’t get as much attention b/c of Internet trolls

What in the world do I say once I do reach out?

• Don’t feel like you have to cite specific bills if you’re concerned, you can call and talk about overarching topic/concerns. You can also call and ask a question about a bill – do not hesitate to call them! For example, you can call and say, “I’m the parent of a special needs child and the news is reporting on potential funding cuts for special programs my child depends on to access a Free and Appropriate Public Education. I’m concerned you’re seriously considering these cuts and would like to let you know how they would impact my family.”
• You can also ask them what their position is on a topic and why. If they then vote contrary to the position they/their office told you they have you can call back to ask what changed

What gets their attention? How can I be a successful advocate instead of just background noise when I call?

• Advocacy should be a year-round effort.
• Good advocacy is based on relationship & built over time. If your school or organization has something special going on, invite your representatives. Get them connected to the people they have been selected to represent!
• Stay informed on bills in the House or Senate: Google “Track house bill” or “Track senate bill”
• Contact your legislator to share a positive story or experience from your school.
• Spread the word – talk to your social circle & encourage them to call/write as well

Tips on how to Communicate for the Biggest Impact

• If you’re going to email or send a letter, PERSONALIZE your letter, don’t just copy the letter a group may have given you.
• That being said: Less is more – be succinct. Keep it to a page or two maximum.
• Letters – especially handwritten – get more attention than emails.
• Add in personal elements – tell your story, add photos, anything to make it REAL to the person receiving the letter
• Always note that you are a constituent. Invite them to a school event to connect them to their community.
• Make a connection with their staff – you could be their 1st or 1000th call. (This is also known as don’t be a jerk to the intern who answers the phone, no matter how fired up you are about a particular topic. Be nice.)
• Can also deliver one-two punch – write a personal letter and then follow up with a phone call
• Be kind – not adversarial! (This bears repeating. If your emotions are so high and shaky that you can’t be nice to a stranger, you need to calm down before you call or email. Period. You can be disappointed/displeased/even pissed off and still be nice to the person who answers the phone.)
• Say thank you when they do a good thing – if they do something you like, say thank you –this will stand out b/c they rarely hear positive feedback

Last but not least! My book Lanterns on the Dark Path: Leadership, Communication, and Negotiation Strategies for Parents of Special Needs Children is finally in the editing phase!

I’ll be pulling lots of juicy content out to give you here on the website, but the exclusives and freebies are reserved for members of my monthly mailing list. Don’t miss out! Sign up here and get your first FREEBIE: A Parent Organizer for how to Transition your kiddo easily to a New School Year. The awesome thing is that it works great to use with summer camp directors and teachers, too!