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Leading from Your Seat: Funding Advocacy Toolkit

Gini Pupo Walker, Executive Director, Ed Trust - TN

Corinn O’Brien, VP of Policy, A+ Education Partnership

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Presentation Overview

What is Advocacy and Why does it Matter?
Advocacy Strategies & Tools for Engagement
Meeting with Legislators
Tools to Support Legislative Advocacy
Q & A

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Key Takeaways

There is a role for me to play in advocating for school funding reform in Alabama.
Resources are available for me to communicate why school funding reform matters for every child.
I will take action to advocate for school funding reform in Alabama.

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Advocacy Strategies & Tools for Engagement

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Why does advocacy matter?

Advocacy is garnering public support for and raising awareness of a particular cause, issue, or policy

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First, we define and recognize that advocacy is the act of garnering public support for and raising awareness of a particular cause, issue, or policy. As an educator and important stakeholder in Alabama – you are an important voice by virtue of being here and taking part in our conversation today – you should trust that your voice matters and should be heard by the leaders at the State Capitol here in Montgomery.

The best advocacy campaigns are strategic, targeted, and supported by good data and up-to-date information. On the issue of state school funding, the tools and informational resources on the Southerners for Fair School Funding website are a great place to start as you begin considering how you and/or your organization or coalitions you’re a part of can be involved in state-level school funding advocacy opportunities.

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What is Advocacy?

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To expand the definition of advocacy a bit more, I want to uplift two quotes:
The first is from labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of the National Farmworker Association, fighting against the exploitation of farmworkers most notably in the Delano Grape Strike in 1965.

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The second quote is from human and civil rights activist Ella Baker, a force behind the scenes as a key organizer during the civil rights movement and mentor for many leaders in the student nonviolent coordinating committee in the South.

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Through both of these quotes, I see important themes of what advocacy is and should be. Delores Huerta spoke to the power of collective action and Ella Baker emphasized how advocacy requires the empowerment of others in the process.
With all of that in mind, we want today to be focused on how we can all leverage advocacy strategies to support tangible actions across Alabama.

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Advocacy Campaigns Are Targeted

What is your issue? How can you cut that issue into a specific ask or action?

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As you begin exploring advocacy, it’s critical to think about not only what is the issue you care about, but also how you can cut that issue into a specific action. This allows you to then answer the question of: who do you want your message to reach?
At Ed Trust, we always say we care about all the things, which is necessary, BUT in advocacy it’s vital to also think about who and what an individual campaign is for.

Most importantly, what is your specific ask under a particular issue and what will have the most impact? Once you define this, then you can better identify who in power can influence that ask, and what you want the broader public to know.
In organizing, a way to reflect on this is thinking about issue cuts, which means taking a characteristic of an issue and making your ask discrete and specific.

For instance, on a state level in relation to funding, at Ed Trust addressing funding and resource equity has been central to our policy agenda. When we talk about funding though, we always emphasize strategic action recommendations naming exactly what we mean under the issue, such as shielding highest needs schools from budget cuts, reporting school level spending data in accessible ways, and reducing the complexity of the state’s funding formula.
For our work in TN, we knew that our audience (who we wanted to reach) included the General Assembly, TDOE and the governor because they oversee the state’s BEP formula.
Also, when thinking about who you want your message to reach it’s also key to remember that in addition to considering where your issue lands at the local, state, or federal level, sometimes the main audience of an advocacy campaign could be also just be the general public if you are trying to shift opinion about an issue.

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Advocacy Strategies & Tools

Strategies

Coalition Building/Partnerships
Community Organizing
Legislative Advocacy
Strategic Communications
Litigation
Research & Data Analysis

Tools

Public Comment/Testimony
Fact sheets
Op-eds
Research Papers/Policy Memos
Meetings with Elected/Appointed Officials
Speeches
Social Media Campaigns
Text Message Campaigns

All advocacy campaigns are based in strategy and use tools to fulfill an agenda.

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There are a wide variety of advocacy strategies and tools at an individual’s or organization’s disposal to engage on a particular issue, as evidenced on screen. For the sake of brevity and to respect our limited time together today, I wanted to share a specific example and highlight just a few of the important ways Ed Trust and our partners have sought to build capacity and support advocacy efforts on the ground on the specific issue of school funding reform.

Through our statewide coalition in Tennessee, the TN Alliance for Equity in Education, we were grounded in our student-focused policy agenda and produced detailed materials that outlined key data points and our recommendations for school finance formula reform. These tools utilized research and data analysis that was critical in any effort to engage with legislators and other key leaders in funding conversations. As shared before, it is our hope that you too will use these resources and the rich abundance of information you’ve received today as you contact your elected officials in your local area as as coalition in Alabama.

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Advocacy Tips

How can student-serving & community-based organizations be most helpful?

LEARN: Lean into learning about funding and its role in improving education
SHOW UP: Go to school board meetings, attend town halls
SPEAK OUT: Draft op-eds, share stories, meet with policymakers, testify

How to best support legislative champions?

BE RESPECTFUL: Even when you differ, share information, keep coming back
BE RELIABLE: Share information and data, answer questions quickly, provide questions and supports
SPOTLIGHT THEM: Lift up champions, celebrate them

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Communicating about School Funding Reform

“School Funding Reform in 5”

The Need: Why is now the time to change how we fund our schools?
Why do we need a new funding formula?
What kind of formula do we need?
What would be different in schools if we had a new formula?
Will there be more accountability? How will we know if the money is spent well?

Internalize a talking point from each section

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Using Social Media to Advocate & Inform

Follow the Every Child Alabama Coalition on social media channels

Links are in the pre-reading & on our website

Share content with your networks, like our new “Why Funding Matter” series

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Using ECA Resources to Advocate & Inform

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Helpful Tips: Meeting with Elected or Appointed Officials

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Pre-Meeting Research

Power Mapping: Who has the power to influence this issue and how do we reach them?
Uncover any personal or professional connections to the targeted leader(s)

Organizations, mutual friends, houses of worship, shared community service, alma mater, etc.

Have they made any public stances on the issue or related issues before?
Understanding where an issue currently stands

Political viability & window of opportunity
Where is it in the legislative/policymaking process?
Identify champions/opponents

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The first step in pre-meeting research is power mapping and thinking through: who has the power to influence this issue and how do we reach them?

We’ve discussed in great detail today ways to identify who has what power and authority, and even who your specific legislators are. As you begin to think about any outreach or engagement, it’s important to research as much information as possible: what district they represent, key issues they campaigned on, any priorities they’ve publicly shared, any legislative committee assignments or leadership posts, but also looking at their alma mater, community orgs they’re aligned with, etc. All of these details provide a fuller picture of your connection to a given leader, and provide you with important insight into how they may lean on an issue or help inform your strategies for communicating with them.

There is a powermapping resource available on Southerners for Fair School Funding to support with this

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Pre-Meeting Research

If a group, coordinate availability in advance
Pick one person to schedule the meeting, with others in cc:

If possible, make request no less than a week in advance to be respectful of their time (standard is 2-3 weeks)
Keep in mind the importance of staffers and schedulers; key in process

Direct, concise language

State your purpose, but the real discussion will happen in the meeting!
Highlight who will be in the room – attendees and the orgs/communities they represent
Provide any materials/data points you may want them or their staffers to review in advance

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After planning out your meeting, the next step would be creating a timeline in advance. If you are a group, pick one person to schedule and cc others if possible no less than a week in advance if at all possible.
Throughout this process, it’s key to be respectful to all staffers and schedulers as they have a direct line to and influence on the elected leader you’re hoping to connect with. Always be considerate and professional in your communications – no one is too small or unimportant in legislative affairs. If you were trying to contact someone in the House or The Senate, you would find their legislative aides on the General Assembly website.
When framing your email, make sure you are using direct and concise language. The body should state your purpose, but not give too many extraneous details since the meat of the discussion will happen during the meeting.
Be sure to highlight who will be in the room, what organizations you represent and include any personal or professional connections you have to them.

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Conducting The Meeting

Pre-Strategize

Comfortably know the purpose of the meeting and the ultimate ask – the “why”
Identify who will uplift specific talking and/or data points – the “what”
Assign a dedicated notetaker

BE ON TIME! A few moments early is best practice, even in virtual meetings.
During the Meeting:

Keep intros succinct
Always communicate authentically and personably – share personal stories and information that makes the case
Listen attentively
Stay on topic!
Anticipate questions and/or pushback – be prepared for it!
Manage and respect the allotted time
Close with a repetition of the ask and any key takeaways

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Post-Meeting

Internal: Debrief with your team

Celebrate high points/wins
Identify opportunities for improvement/sharpening approach
Discuss lessons learned and share with relevant partners
Map out next steps

External: Know The Power of a Meeting Follow-Up!

Thank them for their time
Highlight any key takeaways from the discussion
Reiterate ask/points of emphasis
Offer to be a thought partner and resource moving forward

Relationship management is EVERYTHING!

Provide any additional data points, resources promised during the discussion, and/or offer updates on recent developments since you last met, if applicable
Set reminders to follow-up, if and when appropriate

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Internal: Next, a huge important next step is debriefing with your team.

Make sure to celebrate all the high points and wins from what you learned, and next identify areas for opportunities for your next meeting to sharpen your approach.
Thinking about coalition building, another critical reflection is sharing those lessons with any relevant partners so they have context for communicating with those legislators too and you can build on the conversations others have.

Last, but definitely not least, always thank them for their time and reiterate any key takeaways from the discussion and points of emphasis you want them to remember.

offer to be a thought partner and resource moving forward.
Provide any additional data points, resources promised during the discussion, and/or offer updates on recent developments since you last met, if applicable
Set reminders to follow-up, if and when appropriate

If there is something in the future that comes up, connect again to show you want to sustain the relationship through communication, as relationship management is EVERYTHING!

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Tools to Support Legislative Advocacy

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Alabama Legislature Website - ALISON

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Since our work is primarily conducted at the state level, this is an activity I like to do with groups I speak with – “Find Your Legislator.” I’ll give everyone a minute or so to complete this. If we still have your attention - and thanks again for rocking with us this morning!!!! - please go to https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/ and click “Find My Legislator” at the bottom of the page. Once at the page, enter your address and city or zip code information to find your state legislators. I’ll give everyone a few moments to do this. Once complete, please share your state Representative and state Senator with your colleagues.

Just like this tool helped you in locating your state legislature’s elected officials, there are also similar tools on the websites for the U.S. Congress at the federal level, as well as the State Board of Education and local school board. Tools like this are critical to begin identifying who are the voices elected by your community or appointed from your area to make key decisions in education policy.

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Find Your Legislator Activity

Please go to https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/and click “Find My Legislator” at bottom of the page
Enter your current address
Report your Alabama Representative and Senator in the chat

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Since our work is primarily conducted at the state level, this is an activity I like to do with groups I speak with – “Find Your Legislator.” I’ll give everyone a minute or so to complete this. If we still have your attention - and thanks again for rocking with us this morning!!!! - please go to https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/ and click “Find My Legislator” at the bottom of the page. Once at the page, enter your address and city or zip code information to find your state legislators. I’ll give everyone a few moments to do this. Once complete, please share your state Representative and state Senator with your colleagues.

Just like this tool helped you in locating your state legislature’s elected officials, there are also similar tools on the websites for the U.S. Congress at the federal level, as well as the State Board of Education and local school board. Tools like this are critical to begin identifying who are the voices elected by your community or appointed from your area to make key decisions in education policy.

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Finding Legislative Text

At https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/, you have a variety of tools at your disposal to search bill text

Search bar
Bills Tab

You can search by sponsor, subject/issue area, bill name, etc.

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Navigating Bill & Amendment Pages

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Navigating Bill & Amendment Pages

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Bill Language - HB88

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Navigating Bill & Amendment Pages

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Fiscal Notes

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Accessing Floor/Committee Livestream

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Accessing Floor/Committee Livestream

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Accessing Floor/Committee Livestream

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Key Takeaways

There is a role for me to play in advocating for school funding reform in Alabama.
Resources are available for me to communicate why school funding reform matters for every child.
I will take action to advocate for school funding reform in Alabama.

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Questions?

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