Advocacy in the Time of Trump: Moving Beyond Tactics

Political activism is trending in the U.S. and there’s no shortage of tips and tactics out there. The problem with diving straight into tactics – without understanding the rules of the political engagement – is that new activists can sabotage Read more…

How to (Effectively) Lobby Your Elected Official in Six Steps

Wondering how to lobby your elected officials, cut through the noise, and rise to the top of the advocacy pile? It’s easy with these six simple steps. In the last blog post, Four Things to do Before You Lobby Your Read more…

Four Things to do Before You Lobby Your Lawmaker (Advocacy Planning)

Lobbying your elected officials is more than picking up the phone and leaving a message with an intern. If you want your ask to rise to the top of the advocacy pile take these four critical advocacy planning steps before Read more…

Elections: How holding a candidate forum can advance your advocacy goals (and how to do it)

Elections: How holding a candidate forum can advance your advocacy goals Partnering with other organizations to host debates, candidates’ nights, and meet and greets boosts your group’s profile and can secure commitments from politicians to support your issues. The legislative Read more…

Unions after Janus: 4 lessons from membership-based associations

Janus forces unions to confront head-on the problem of how to attract and retain members. While the “free rider” challenge at the heart of Janus is unique to unions, the need for clearly-defined value propositions is something membership-based organizations have Read more…

Integrity, not party purity

Democrats will drown in the blue wave if they don’t understand where it comes from. Heading into the Massachusetts Democratic Convention, there is a sea of discontent with establishment Democrats, which activists propose to fix with more progressive ideology. Yet Read more…

Grassroots activism

Grassroots Activism: How much contact (with politicians) is too much?

Grassroots Activism: Are You Pestering, Ghosting, or Relationship-Building? Grassroots Activism: How much contact is too much contact with politicians? What’s your level of grassroots activism with politicians and decision-makers? Do you call the same lawmaker every week? Do you just Read more…

March for Our Lives can flip lawmakers on gun control. But their activism needs to include certain strategies.

Three ways supporters of March for Our Lives students can flip lawmakers on gun control

People often ask how they can persuade lawmakers on the other side of an issue or decision-makers who don’t represent them. It’s possible, but involves second-degree advocacy. For students and supporters of March for Our Lives there are three strategies Read more…

activism training

Why politicians respond to some callers and not to others (and 5 steps to be in the right category)

Ever wondered why some activists seem to have more luck not only getting a response from a politician, but actually seem able to persuade them to vote one way or another? As reported by Wired, the OpenGov Foundation’s latest report Read more…

5 Steps to Speaking at Public Hearings or Town Meeting

Sure, “decisions are made by those who show up”, but decision-makers are influenced by who speaks up. If you’re a voter in town, you have every right to have your say. But how do you make sure you’re persuasive? Just Read more…

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