Advocacy Lessons from the Wizard of Oz - Policy Presentation at Prevent Child Abuse Iowa State Conference

1. Educating Decision Makers &
Telling Our Story
Strengthening Families Building Hope
May 2, 2017
Des Moines, Iowa

2. Why should we get involved?
If not now, when? If not you, who?

3. Public Policy
Public policy is generally defined as the course
of action (or inaction) taken by government
entities with regard to a particular issue or set
of issues.
Public policy is also a set of decisions we make
as a society about how we will care for one
another, our communities and the land.

4. Advocacy vs. Lobbying
Advocacy is the active promotion of a cause or
principle through education, current research,
and background information on a specific topic.
Lobbying involves conducting activities aimed at
influencing public officials regarding specific
legislation.

5. Advocacy is speaking on behalf of
others who are unable to speak for
themselves
• You are a voice for your constituents
• You are the only voice for your mission

6. Myths About Advocacy
Myth #1: You need to be a policy expert.
Myth #2: You need a thousand people.
Myth #3: You have to go to the Capitol.
Myth#4: People who work for non-profits cannot be
involved in policy making.

7. 501(c)(3) Organizations
(Public Charities)
Can and Should Advocate
• You already advocate for your clients
• You should advocate for public policies that
support those clients and further your mission
Alliance for Justice – www.bolderadvocacy.org

8. 501(c)(3) Organizations
(Public Charities)
Can and Should Lobby
• The “insubstantial parts test”
• The “expenditure test”
• Except for private foundations (where lobbying
expenses become taxable)

9. The “Insubstantial Parts Test”
• Is the default, requiring no action on your part
• Allows lobbying as long as that activity (or
related expenditures) do not become a
“substantial” part of overall activities
• Is undefined and case law is unclear

10. The “Expenditure Test”
• Select this option by filing IRS Form 5768
(less than ½ page)
• Sets a clear dollar limit on direct and
grassroots lobbying expenditures

11. Expenditure Test Limits
• Organizations that spend less than
$500,000 per year can spend 20% of
budget on lobbying
• Larger organizations
• plus 15% of the next $500,000
• plus 10% of the next $500,000
• plus 5% of anything additional

12. A Framework for Changing Public
Policy
Good Public
Policy
Electoral
Politics
Base
Building
The Wellstone Triangle
Wellstone.org

13. Advocacy Lessons from the Emerald City

14. Brainstorm:
What are the skills and tools you
need to make policy?

15. Build Relationships
• Connect with others.
• Ask for help.
• Build power along the
way.

16. The answer to every problem is
a person.

17. One-to-One Relational Meetings
Face to Face
Scheduled and Purposeful
2 people
Exploration and Exchange:
• What matters to you?
• What matters to me?
• Can we work together?
Commitment

18. Purposeful Curiosity
Sample Questions:
• Where did you grow up?
• How did you get from there to here?
• When did you first start doing
[whatever the person does now]?
• What were you doing before that?
• How did that change come about?

19. Define Goals
• What do you want to
accomplish or change?
• Assess the situation.
• Map out your course.
• Be aspirational!

20. Use your brain
• Use good strategy.
• Determine effective
messaging.
• Identify tactics and
activities.

22. Impact and Winnability
Impact
Issue
Issue
Issue
Issue
Winnability

23. Use your heart
• Be passionate about your
cause.
• Self-interest drives action
– to move people, speak
to their self-interest, not
yours.
• Desire trumps need –
people have needs;
people seek wants.

24. The Action Connection
1. Your Desired
Action
2. Your Audiences
3. Their Desires
4. Overlap
5. Core
Message

25. Be courageous
• Be willing to take risks.
• Recognize that
challenging authority can
be daunting.
• Support each other in
overcoming their fears.

26. Identify your
opponents
(and their weaknesses)
• Who opposes our desired
action?
• How can their opposition
be neutralized?
• Divide and conquer.

27. Behind the curtain
• Don’t be distracted by
majesty of the Capitol.
• Lawmakers are real people
with real lives.
• Lawmakers want to look
good to their followers.
• Most things are viewed
through “green glasses”.

28. Be kind to the
gatekeeper
• Be sure to nurture a
relationship with the
receptionist, scheduler, etc.
• They are juggling many
demands.
• Show them kindness and
you will be rewarded.

29. There’s no place
like home
• Connect with lawmakers
at home.
• Engage your family,
friends and neighbors in
your advocacy.
• Remember these
decisions affect people’s
lives.

30. Working With The Media
To Tell Our Story

31. Developing media strategy
• What is the problem or issue?
• What is the solution or policy?
• Who has the power to make the necessary change?
• Who is the opposition? What do they believe?
• Who can be mobilized to apply the necessary pressure?
• What messages need to be developed for which groups?

32. Developing story elements
• Identify authentic voices
• Use evocative symbols
• Use compelling visuals
• Develop media bites
• Calculate social math

33. Calculating Social Math
Social math is the process of translating large numbers to be
interesting to journalists and meaningful to audiences.
Using familiar things, break down numbers by
• Time (# per year, month, week, day, hour)
• Place (enough people to fill classrooms, school buses, a
stadium, a specific city)
• Dollars (spent on ice cream, shoes, coffee)
• Ironic comparisons (highlights value by comparing to less
important things)

35. Social Math

36. The average 12-oz can of soda contains about 10
teaspoons of refined sugar.
Social Math

37. Child abuse and neglect in
Iowa (2015)
727,868 children living in Iowa
7,877 victims
(unduplicated count)
1 victim per 93 children
1 victim / 3 classrooms
21 victims per day
1 victim every 67 mins

38. The cost of child abuse and
neglect in Iowa (2015)
National Cost is $85.5 Billion per year
7,887 Iowa victims
$986,596,196 per year
(Proportional share of national total)
$2.7 Million / day.
$112,625 per hour…

39. Developing media bites
• Keep it short 8 - 10 seconds
• Talk about what is important
• Avoid jargon
• Evoke a picture
• Present a solution
• Frame from the social/policy perspective rather than
individual/behavioral focus

40. Media bites
• Smoking a “safer” cigarette is like jumping out of a
10th floor window rather than a 12th floor window.
• Having a no-smoking section in a restaurant is like
having a no-peeing section in a swimming pool.
• AMC Theater large popcorn has 1,030 calories and
57 grams of saturated fat. That's like eating a pound
of baby back ribs topped with a scoop of Häagen-
Dazs ice cream.

42. Do your homework! Be prepared! Even
in your specialty a brush-up is needed.

43. The Secret Power of
POWER POSES
“Our body language
shapes who we are!”
– Amy Cuddy

44. Speak in 30 second quotes (or less).
Long answers are rarely used. Boil
down everything you want to say
before you say it.

45. Don’t go off the record when
talking to a reporter.

46. Lose your temper and you will
definitely be on the evening news.

47. Cry and you will definitely be on
the evening news.

48. Never lie. A reporter never forgets.

49. If it is appropriate, smile when
answering a reporter’s questions.

50. Be yourself. No technical jargon. Make
sure that someone with a 10th grade
education would understand what you
are saying.

51. Dress conservatively for television. No
bright colors. No thin stripes. If you are
on a set avoid wearing blue or green.

52. Don’t say, “no comment”, it makes you
sound guilty. Try, “I’ll find that out and get
back to you.” Then think of a good answer
and get back to them.

53. A simple yes or no to a question will keep
you from being quoted. Rephrase the
reporter’s question in the beginning of
your answer.

54. Do not repeat a negative. It
reinforces the opponent’s frame.

55. Relax. Don’t get paranoid.

56. A good interview offers information,
education and entertainment.

57. Read a newspaper (and Twitter) before your
interview.

58. In a television or radio interview consider
every microphone, every camera to be on at
all times. Don’t say or do anything you
wouldn’t say or do in church.

59. Top Secret

61. Identify 3 talking points and
stick to them like glue!

64. Bridging can be used to
•Return to “islands of safety”
•Deal with difficult questions
•Stay on the subject

65. Common Bridges
•Again…
•The key point here is…
•Let’s take that a step further…
•Let me add…
•That’s important, but the real issue is…
•You should also know that...

66. What if you can’t avoid the
question?
Touch briefly on the topic
then BRIDGE.

67. Reporter Traps
The
Negator

68. Reporter Traps
The
Paraphraser

69. Reporter Traps
The
Silent Lamb

70. Reporter Traps
The
Intruder

71. Reporter Traps
The
Phantom

72. Practice
Bridging

73. Other Tips
•Know how your interview will be used.
•Don’t fight narrative with numbers.
•If they give you a portrait, bridge to a
landscape.
•Practice, practice, practice.
•Choose your messengers carefully.

74. What is it we want…
What policies help children and families thrive?
What is “prevention” in 2017?

79. We can do it.
We have before.
Just as the United States made
a commitment in the 1960s to
address poverty rates for
seniors, we need to make the
same level of commitment to
address child poverty and the
prevention of child
maltreatment.

80. Looking Ahead
• Budget appropriations
• Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visitation
(MIECHV) Reauthorization
• Health Care Reform
• Tax Reform
• Child Welfare Finance Reform
• Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA)
Reauthorization

81. A snowflake is one of nature’s
most fragile things...
But look at what they can do when they stick together!

82. Jim McKay
State Director, Prevent Child Abuse WV
TEAM for WV Children
jim@teamwv.org
304-617-0099
Contact Info
http://slideshare.net/pcawv