Administrative Skills - Advocacy NC

Advocacy Makes A POWERFULDifference!
Tom Melton, Assoc. Director
Marshall Stewart, Assoc. Director

AdvocacyWhy?
The Situation
Projected budget shortfall
Implications
Significant ideological change
Smaller government, lower taxes.
Significant restructuring of priorities
Centralized to decentralized funding model.
Significant changes in Higher Education
Less state support, higher tuition.

AdvocacyWhy?
The Situation
Extension Budget Cut Implications
State/Federal investment
$22.7 million in county positions and programs.
$26.6 million in campus positions and programs.
County investment
$28.7 million in county positions and programs.
County Government provides County Extension Offices

AdvocacyWhy?
The Situation
10% or 30% Cut Implications
Several hundred positions
County and Campus combined
Limited programming

AdvocacyWhere is Our Funding?
The Situation
Agriculture Program Line Item
In Education Budget
Funds Research and Extension Programs at NCSU
Approximately $95 million total
Approximately $53 million to Research
Approximately $42 million to Extension

Advocacy
The Strategy
Strategic Leadership
Strategic Communication
Strategic Relationships
Strategic Organization
Strategic Action
A Culture of Advocacy!

Advocacy
The Strategy
Guiding Principles
3 Know’s
Know who you are.
Know who you are talking to.
Know what is important to who you are talking to.
3 Be’s
Be flexible.
Be relentless.
Be honest.

Advocacy
The Strategy - Advocacy is all about relationships, yours and theirs…

Advocacy
Know who and what is important to them
Know their interest
Do your homework.
This is not about you; this is about them.
Find something and someone that you have in common.
Know who you are talking to
It really is about who you know.

Advocacy
All politics is local.
Make friends when you don’t need them so that you will have them when you do need them (Lyndon Johnson).
Always be thankful (Rule of 7).

Advocacy
The Strategy
Utilize volunteer advocates from the area that they represent.
Training and preparation is key.
Figure out where the real power is.
Could be a staffer or a friend or a family member.
Know how to make your issue, his/her issue (Rule of 12).
Hit their office with it at least 12 times from various contacts

Advocacy
The Strategy
Be Flexible.
Politics is about compromise.
Politics is about negotiation.
Make sure you ask for enough.

Advocacy
The Strategy
Be Relentless.
Understand the importance of re-election.
Make sure you have a network (asset) that they see could be beneficial for them.
Follow the MONEY ($).
Review campaign reports to see who has their interest.

Advocacy
The Strategy
Be Honest
Don’t lie.
Don’t over-promise.
Don’t commit someone else unless you are 110% sure of their agreement.
Don’t agree to something that you are not comfortable with.

Advocacy
The Strategy
Next Steps
Get to know your lawmakers; make sure they know you.
Let them know how you can help them
Involve lawmakers/policy-makers in your programs.
Prepare your youth, volunteers and supporters with key messages --- use them in the media.
Do everything with high quality.
Develop a county strategy and report in!

Advocacy
The Strategy
Supporting Appropriations for Agricultural Programs Message Points for Legislative Contacts
Explain why a specific program area of extension or research is important to you.
Tell your representative that the Agricultural Programs budget lines in the state’s education budget support this program.
Ask your representative to minimize budget reductions to research and extension programs covered in the Agricultural Programs budget lines because the Ag Programs budget lines do not receive the benefits of funding from tuition or enrollment increases.

Advocacy
The Strategy
Develop 2 to 3 specific examples of how Extension programs make a difference for their constituents
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Community Rural Development
4-H Youth Development
Family and Consumer Sciences

Advocacy
The Strategy
Extension in ______ County makes a difference…
(YOUR MESSAGE HERE!)

Advocacy
The Strategy
Do’s and Don’ts
Do
Your homework
Use your networks
Act
Don’t
Lie, over-promise or over-commit
Agree to something you are not comfortable with
Get upset or lose your cool

Advocacy
The Summary
The Two Most Important Questions in Politics
How many of you know your legislators, policy-makers and/or influencers?
How many of your legislators, policy-makers and/or influencers know you?
The Bottom-line
It is equally important for you to know them and for them to know you.

Advocacy
The Summary
Know the facts
Build and use your influence
If we all do our small part, it will make a big difference for the people we serve
A Culture of Advocacy!

Administrative Skills - Advocacy NC

by nacaa on Sep 02, 2011

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