Advocacy Guides & Tool Kits

Provided courtesy of Stephanie Vance and AdVanced Consulting.

1. Some Perspective
2. Who To Talk To
3. Delivering Your Message
4. Legislative Process
5. Other Resources
6. Tips: Top Ten List

• Congressional Staff Survey

Stephanie Vance, the Advocacy Guru, is author of Government by the People: How to Communicate with Congress and a former Capitol Hill Staff Director. She believes that “Government Isn’t Broken,” and she trains advocates on how to work the system and beat the odds. Find free articles, sign up for her Advocacy Tipsheet and learn how she can help you at www.AdvocacyGuru.com.

Provided courtesy of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits (CAN).

• Kit Preamble
• Overview
• Why Lobby?
• Lobbying Basics
• Do’s and Don’ts
• Make a Difference
• Writing Tips
• Making Your Case
• Sample Letters & Activities
• Hosting a Legislative Visit

Provided courtesy of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits (CAN).

• Public and Media Relations
  • Newspapers
  • Broadcast Media
  • Press Conferences
• Communication Model
• Letters To Editor & Op-Ed Pieces
• Sample Media Tools
  • Letter to the Editor
  • News Release (239kb)
  • Media Alert (216kb)
  • Publicity News Release (236kb)
  • 60-Second PSA
• Pitching Feature Stories

Provided courtesy of the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, Inc. (CARE USA).

• Promoting Policy Change
  • Intro and Contents (430kb)
  • Chapters 1 – 4 (659kb)
  • Chapters 5 – 7 (619kb)
  • Chapters 8 – 10 (705kb)
  • Final Pages (408kb)

The document below was prepared by the Indian Health Service National Diabetes Program. It includes an extensive list of “Questions to ask yourself...” along with its “Best principles of practice” and citations. The IHS has other non-advocacy related material on their Resource Page.

• Advocacy: Best Practices

An updated version of this tool kit will be available soon. Provided courtesy of the Office of Iowa Empowerment.

• Introduction
• Terms, Tips, Talking Points
• Iowa Legislative Basics (402kb)
• What You Can Do
• Terms & NPO Lobbying Regulations
• Media Advocacy
• Election Year Advocacy
• Organizing Your Efforts
• Advocacy Resources

Provided courtesy of Join Together Online. Join Together works to reduce and prevent substance abuse and gun violence. And the PLNDP (Physicians and Lawyers for National Drug Policy) promotes grounded, responsible, cost-effective public policy.

• Drug Policy Advocacy (658kb)

Provided courtesy of Seattle Audubon.

• Message Development (245kb)
• Grassroots Organizing (372kb)
• Lobbying & Testifying (305kb)
• Working with the Media (513kb)