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Ten Tips for Advocating with Public Officials

Ten Tips for Advocating with Public Officials. Nancy Bolt Nancy Bolt & Associates. What Is Advocacy?. Influencing people, particularly people in power such as government officials, to support your position and/or provide funding. Be courageous Educate yourself Know your official

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Ten Tips for Advocating with Public Officials

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  1. Ten Tips for Advocating with Public Officials Nancy Bolt Nancy Bolt & Associates

  2. What Is Advocacy? Influencing people, particularly people in power such as government officials, to support your position and/or provide funding

  3. Be courageous Educate yourself Know your official Determine your message How to best to communicate Leave concise information with links to more Be polite Realize other priorities may rule Ask for their support Report back Ten Tips for Advocating with Public Officials

  4. 1. Be Courageous • You have a right to talk to officials • They are ordinary people, even though elected or appointed to positions of power • Relax and be yourself

  5. 2. Educate Yourself • Belong to your professional associations • Learn what issues face the profession and your library • Be familiar with issues that face your local and national government • Be prepared to act quickly

  6. 3. Know your public official • What party do they belong to? • What other issues do they support or oppose? • What did they do prior to becoming a public official?

  7. 4. Determine your message • Be specific on what you want your official to do for you • Have a clear concise message as to why that relates to library users • Limit reasons to 3 or 4 points • Quantify as possible

  8. 5. How to Best Communicate • Depends on their preference • Email • Phone • Personal visit • Letters • Go where your official goes • Make friends

  9. 6. Provide Additional Information • Be concise • Tell a compelling story • Make more detail available • Offer to get additional information or talk to others

  10. 7. Be Polite • Always be polite • Be aware that they are busy • Never badger or threaten • Thank them for something they have done in the past • Realize officials have other priorities

  11. 8. Ask for Their Support • Ask directly for their support • Ask them to commit for your cause • Indicate others who also support your cause

  12. 9. Say Thank You • Thank the official for considering your request • Remind them in writing what you asked for • Be practical and willing to compromise – sometimes • Thank them a often as possible

  13. 10. Report back • Report your meeting to your library association or whatever group you are working with • Compile information about group efforts

  14. Helpful Resources • ALA Washington Office • www.ala.org/ogr • http://capwiz.com/ala/home/ • http://wo.ala.org/districtdispatch • CAL • http://www.cal-webs.org/committees7.html • http://capwiz.com/ala/co/home/

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