1. Advocacyunlo ked
The Keys to a Successful Advocacy Strategy
Elgin Community College Board of Trustees
Presented by:
April Green, President

2. Part 1: Answer the Big Questions
• WHAT is advocacy?
• WHY does it matter?
• WHO should being doing it?
• HOW do we do it?

3. What is ADVOCACY?
• Engaging in the legislative process.
• Impacting what policies are passed, and how
regulation is written.
• Making a long-term investment in the future of ECC.

4. Why does it matter?
Elected leaders make decisions every day that
impact Elgin Community College.
• Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act
• Prospective Job Creation Bill
• Health Care Legislation

5. Who should be doing it?
• Before legislators make a decision
on an issue, they need to hear from
an expert OR from someone they
have a trusted relationship with.

6. It takes TWO
There are two types of advocacy…
…a successful government relations
strategies utilizes both!

7. Stakeholder-Based Advocacy:
Used for: When legislators need to hear directly
from stakeholders being impacted or issue
experts.
Alias: Grassroots Mobilization
Example: Mobilizing students in support of tax
credits or financial aid increases.

8. Relationship-Based Advocacy:
Used for: Long-term goals, sensitive situations, local
issues, gateway
Alias: Grasstops Moblization, Lobbying
Example: A zoning issue with the Elgin City Council

9. The Role
of
ECC Trustees

10. The Role of ECC Trustees
• Community College Trustees are
unique in the advocacy process.

11. The Role of ECC Trustees
• Build relationships.
• And keep building…

12. The Role of ECC Trustees
• Cornerstone of successful advocacy
effort.
• Speak with ONE voice

13. HOW do we do it?
What does a strong advocacy effort
look like?

14. Ask the audience:
How many bills were introduced
in the 110th Congress?

15. Only 4 percent of bills
introduced in Congress
become laws.
# of bills introduced during the 110th
Congress:
11,059
(3724 in Senate, 7335 in House)
# of bills that became law:
442
Source: The Sunlight Foundation

16. The Q-factor : Quality!
• There are many instances in which it is not critical
that something be done well – only that it be done.
Government relations is not such an instance.
• If government relations is not grounded in a sound
strategy – it loses effectiveness - wasting valuable
time and taxpayer dollars.

17. The Five KEYS
• Educate key stakeholders on important legislative issues
in a timely, comprehensive fashion.
• Empower key stakeholders with the confidence to speak on
legislative issues as experts.
• Enable key stakeholders to mobilize quickly in times of a
legislative emergency.
• Ensure executive leadership knows when stakeholders
contact legislators.
• Engage community stakeholders on issues affecting the
college.

18. Part II:
Unlocking ECC’s
Advocacy Potential

19. A Recap
• What:
Advocacy is engaging in the legislative process to impact policy
and regulation.
• Why:
Legislators make decisions every day that impact Elgin
Community College.
• Who:
Advocacy is the responsibility of each person who has a stake in
ECC and Trustees have a special role to play in this. A
successful strategy utilizes both stakeholder-based and
relationship-based advocacy.
• How:
The Five kEys (Educate, Empower, Enable, Ensure, Engage)

20. The Big Three:
Steps to a
Successful
Advocacy
Strategy

21. Step 1: Identify Short-Term & Long-
Term Goals
• What’s critical now and in the future ?
• How can legislation impact this?
• What’s reasonable?
• What’s realistic?
• What’s the political climate?

22. Step 2: Determine which type of
advocacy to apply
• Stakeholder-Based?
• Relationship-Based?
• Both?

23. Step 3: Integrate the 5 KEYS
• Educate key stakeholders on important legislative issues
in a timely, comprehensive fashion.
• Empower key stakeholders with the confidence to speak on legislative
issues as experts.
• Enable key stakeholders to mobilize quickly in times of a legislative
emergency.
• Ensure executive leadership knows when stakeholders contact
legislators.
• Engage community stakeholders on issues affecting the college.

24. Case Study:
Pell Grant Program

25. Follow the 3 Steps
• Step 1: Is it a short-term or long-term
goal?
• Step 2: Determine which type of
advocacy would work best.
• Step 3: Integrate the 5 keys.

26. Tricks of the Trade
• Build sustainable tools
• Form follows function
• Think in 3’s
• Simplify

27. A Word on Associations:
• Great resource
• Valuable tool
• Symbiotic relationship
• Just one tool

28. 5-Minute BREAK

29. Now it’s your turn!
• Identify a short-term or long-term goal.
• Determine which type of advocacy applies.
• Integrate the 5 kEys.

30. Discussion

31. Long-Term Tools
• Legislative Partnerships
• Committee Hearings
• Author a Bill
• Elections

32. Long-Term Goal Exercise

33. Federal Legislative Outlook 2010
• Health Care
• Jobs
• Climate Change

34. Federal Political Outlook 2010
• Congressional Elections
• Illinois Senate
• Illinois House

35. Ten Tips for Successful a
Federal Lobby Day
• Schedule in advance, but prepared to flexible.
• Know your audience.
• Know your issue.
• Be brief. (Rule of 3 applies)
• Be compelling.
• Bring an expert.
• Be punctual.
• Be polite.
• Get a commitment.
• Say “Thank you.”

36. Questions???