Advocacy

With advocacy campaign season in full swing, it's time to clear the air on some common advocacy myths about what will and won't hurt your advocacy group.

Online advocacy and digital engagement can grow your movement and hiring an advocacy campaign consultant can help, but achieving real online advocacy results can be tough in both execution and budget.

Advocacy, defined in the simplest terms, is about fighting for something you believe in. When we talk about advocacy, the issues and tactics may change, but the core is about supporting a cause or policy and working to create the change we want to see in the world.

Advocacy tactics and advocacy campaign strategies will continuously change with the times and so must we. Public affairs campaigns are now common on smaller federal issues as well as state and municipal issues.

Developing an advocacy plan with clear goals strategy and tactics is often overlooked - especially in the busy world of non-profits. Organizations that put energy into writing a clear and comprehensive advocacy plan will tell you a thoughtful strategy and a strong plan are critical to campaign success, as well as short-term and long-term organizational growth.

While it’s true that the world of online advertising is fast-paced- banking on instantaneous programs is a good way to fall short of your goals. Planning for a digital program will give you time to really define your goals and make sure your campaign has the right components, creative, and timeline to achieve them.

YouTube is the core platform for many folks when it comes to nonprofit video content. There is a whole culture around YouTube, leading many people to just assume that it is the only platform to use to host your videos.

Lame duck session is about to begin, and it should not come as a surprise that this will be a particularly busy lame duck on the federal level. Government funding, the national defense authorization act, stock training, OPEC, January 6th, judicial confirmations, and same sex marriage just to name a few things on the big list of issues for lame duck.

Dana Milbank is an op-ed columnist for The Washington Post. In addition to writing for The Washington Post, Dana provides political commentary for multiple TV outlets and has authored three books on politics. He just released his most recent book, The Destructionists: The 25-Year Crackup of the Republican Party, where he analyzes Republican efforts to hold on to political power by any means necessary.

Bob Keefe is the executive director of E2 - a nonpartisan organization which aims to provide business perspectives on environmental issues -  and oversees their work on a national scale. Keefe primarily focuses his attention on the economic benefits of smart environmental policies; the clean energy economy; jobs and related issues.

Julie Rodgers is a writer, speaker, and leader in the movement toward full inclusion for LGBTQ people in Christian communities. Rodgers has been featured in Pray Away, a documentary about the “pray the gay away” movement, where she talks about her experience as a survivor of conversion therapy.

Advocacy message development can be challenging. Join us as we go through the basics of developing an advocacy message, as well as more advanced steps to build an advocacy message that goes the distance.