Building Your Policy Campaign From Grassroots to Grass Tops

Building Your Policy Campaign: From Grassroots to Grass Tops CFSC Conference, Des Moines, IA October 10, 2009
Pam Roy: NM Food & Agriculture Policy Council, NM
Tawnya Laveta: Farm to Table, NM
Cindy Torres: Boulder County Farmers’ Market, CO

Choosing your policy issue. Define, Refine, Frame it
Consider your current and anticipated context

How? Building Consensus the right way.
Credible Research
Investigative Dialogue
Empowered Leadership & Representation
Avoid

Read the Landscape: to clarify your strategies
Appropriations? Deficit or Surplus year?
Popularity of your issue?
Election year for champs? Swing votes?
Local or Statewide approaches?
Consult your “policy partners” for strategies

Assessing Your Capability. Who is the “we” in your group?
Local or state policy council?
Issue-based coalition?
From which public/private sectors?
Work w/ your members’ strengths…but …
Anticipate gaps of your social/political capital
ID Capacity, Capability, Commitment for the Short-term & Long-term

Developing a Plan
Choose a “win-win” issue or strategy
Anticipate how others will benefit: grassroots, grasstops, public sector, private sector

Developing a Plan
2. Who do you need on board?
Community Champs
Policy Maker Champs
Sector Champs
Institutional Champs
Organizational Champs
Other Policy Groups
Foundations
Media
“ un-common” partners

Developing a Plan
3. Position your issue/policy strategically in the policy-making process
Know your:
Policy-maker Powerhouses
Policy Staffers
Sponsors
Executive Branch
ID “Resistance”
Start Early, Track Progress, Change w/ the Context

Developing a Plan
4. Inform & Educate Your Existing & Potential Partners & Constituents
Create:
Briefing Sheets
Earned Media Opps.
Social Networks
Radio Opps
Speaking Engagements
For Policy Makers & For the Average Citizen

Developing a Plan 5. Advocacy Training
Practice:
Talking to Policy Makers
Interviews for Radio
Interviews w/ reporters
Talking to Peer/Professional
Groups
Writing Op-Eds/Articles/Blogs
Train Credible Advocates Avoid Political/Social Liabilities

Be Responsive to the changing context

Prepare to….
Consider Plan B, C, D
Build short-term strategies to serve long-term goals
Be focused, concise, decisive
Know your bottom line for “compromise”
Don’t make up answers: “I don’t know, but I’ll find out for you.” And Do So!
Make new friends, but keep the old

Long-term Commitment Long-term Yields
“ Expert Witness” & Policy Advisor
Inside scoops
Relations with cross-sectors
Greater coalition potentials
Doors open for committed veterans … over time.

For more information
Pam Roy or Tawnya Laveta:
www.farmtotablenm.org
[email_address] or 505-473-1004
Cindy Torres:
[email_address]
National Conference of State Legislatures:
www.ncsl.org
Community Food Security Coalition:
www.foodsecurity.org (COMFOOD, FPC listserve, toolkit…)
Drake University Law School (Food Policy Councils)
http:// www.law.drake.edu/centers/agLaw/?pageID = fpcDataBase

Building Your Policy Campaign From Grassroots to Grass Tops

by Community Food Security Coalition on Oct 22, 2009

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Building Your Policy Campaign From Grassroots to Grass Tops — Presentation Transcript