AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN PLANNING MANUAL

Transcription

1 AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN PLANNING MANUAL 2016, American Heart Association 11/16DS11666

2 Acknowledgements The American Heart Association Advocacy Campaign Planning Model was originally created for the Association by an internal staff team. This version has been adapted for use by Voices for Healthy Kids. The Association expresses our deepest gratitude for their hard work in designing, editing and testing the new model. Team Leads Lucy Culp Amy Shope Manzi Writing Team Rachel Callanan Allyson Frazier Allyson Perron Drag Megan Tucker Tim Vaske Betsy Vetter Contributors Kimberly Amazeen Jill Birnbaum Terri Broussard Williams April Brumfield Katherine Bryant Tonya Chang Mark Fisher Robin Gahan Carter Headrick Jamie Morgan Megan Myers Jeffrey Ranous Nikole Souder-Schale Amy Stone Stephanie Tama-Sweet Jennifer White 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 2

3 Module One Introduction A great, winning campaign begins with engaging the right people and lots of thoughtful, strategic planning. Conversations with stakeholders and an honest assessment of the policy landscape will get you started on the right course. Assembling the right core team for your campaign, setting clear goals and establishing a working timeline are the first steps toward victory. Volunteer and partner engagement should play an integral role throughout the policy assessment, agenda setting, campaign plan development, and implementation process. Involving the key partners and volunteers at the beginning of the policy process builds ownership and helps ensure active participation throughout the campaign. Regular communication helps ensure the key partners stay engaged throughout the campaign, so make sure to establish a communication schedule to keep them informed. Consider including when you will meet face to face, phone calls, and updates. American Heart Association staff engage a State Advocacy Committee (SAC) for this purpose. The SAC is typically made up of a variety of volunteers, representing a diversity of ideas, perspectives, geography and interests. They will play an integral role throughout the policy assessment, agenda setting, campaign plan development and implementation process. This section will walk you through the important steps to take before deciding to pursue a policy campaign. Once you decide to move forward, this section will also take you through the beginning stage of drafting your campaign plan. 1. READINESS ASSESSMENT Prior to deciding whether or not you will focus on a specific goal or policy area, a readiness assessment should be conducted. This can be an informal look at the internal and external (coalition) capacity and resources available to you or it could be as formal as completing a campaign asset inventory exercise where a deeper assessment takes place. The readiness assessment can also be an exercise to gauge the overall political environment as it relates to the coalition s policy priorities. Finally, the readiness assessment is an opportunity to identify the role the coalition should take on the identified policy priorities. Keep in mind that the priorities may not be the most politically or socially favorable, but are needed to ensure that equity is achieved within health policy. Here are some questions that you may want to consider when conducting a readiness assessment for each policy area. Mission Impact Is the policy priority critical to your organization s overall mission, or the mission of the larger coalition? Or are there other priorities that should be elevated that may have a larger impact within the state and/or local community? Does the policy naturally rise to the top in relation to advancing the mission? Can the policy be achieved within the next legislative cycle or will it take multiple sessions to achieve the intended outcome? Have you considered short term, intermediate and long term goals? If regulatory, consider the time it will take the pass and any intermediate policies or programs that will advance the effort. Does the policy priority move the needle within the state and/ or community on advancing health equity by addressing health disparities or does it maintain the status quo? Political and Legislative Environment What type of policy change is needed (e.g. state-level statute, regulations, local ordinance)? Is the overall political environment supportive for the policy priorities or is there opposition? If there is legislative or agency opposition, how strong is it and can it be overcome through effective campaign organizing? Does the political will and capital exist to get the policy passed? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 3

4 Are there key champions identified who can get the policy passed? Have they publicly expressed commitment to supporting the issue? Are the potential legislative champions a part of the political party which controls the House, Senate or Executive branch? Is there an upcoming election that could have an impact on the political structure and make-up of the Legislative and/or Executive branch? Is there an opportunity for a ballot initiative? If so, is there potential funding? Who would be the opposition and what funding sources are available to them? When do you anticipate the policy can be achieved? Has a bill been introduced in the past that aligns with the policy priority? Did the bill pass and if so, was it an incremental step forward? Can that experience be capitalized upon for future efforts or has political capital already been spent? Coalition Environment Does a coalition already exist that can help lead the policy to success or does a new coalition need to be formed? If a coalition already exists, can your organization participate without taking on a leadership role and still achieve the goal win? If one does not exist, can you convene one in the amount of time needed to get the policy passed? Are there authentic leaders and stakeholders that can be engaged that represent communities of color, economic, business, development, healthcare, or other stakeholders who may have interest in the policy outcome? Is there organized opposition to the policy priority or goal? If so, how organized are they and can that opposition be overcome through effective campaign organizing? Is there adequate coalition resources and leadership to move the policy campaign forward? Implementation and Evaluation Once passed, who will be responsible for implementing the policy? Who are the experts who can help inform and advance how the policy is implemented (e.g., volunteers, researches, agency staff)? What community based-organizations will benefit from the policy? Are ongoing appropriations necessary to sustain the effort? If so, how will that work be prioritized in the future? The Implementation Checklist (see attached, link will be included) will help ensure that the right people are engaged early, both to help advocate or advance the campaign and to ensure it is implemented effectively. For a number of policy priorities, further evaluation is needed. Are there state or university institutions that can assist with this evaluation? When making the decision on moving forward, it s important to remember that there are a number of policy priorities that your organization, and the coalition you re working with, see as priorities. Given the high number of opportunities, it can be difficult to determine where to prioritize. With that it in mind, it s important to keep in mind the health impact these policies will have on key populations, including low income and communities of color. 2. DETERMINE YOUR POLICY LEVER Once the Readiness Assessment process has been completed, you should have your top policy priorities identified. Your next steps should be to schedule a meeting with your key stakeholders and coalition members to discuss the outcomes of the Readiness Assessment. This discussion will help you determine who can assist with developing the campaign plan. 3. DEVELOPING A CAMPAIGN PLAN A. Core Coalition Team When beginning the campaign planning process, it is helpful to start to define and build a core team. It is important to think about both traditional and non-traditional partners for this core team. Items and questions to consider when defining the team that will be working on policy: Being the lead on the campaign can ensure that you are driving the policy bottom line to align with what we need it to be. Is your organization leading this campaign? What is the benefit of having your organization lead the campaign? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 4

5 Is your organization an expert on the policy issue? Can your organization bring volunteer expertise to the campaign? Is this a new campaign? If so, how do you engage partners? Think strategically about what resources the partners bring to the campaign. How do you make sure that they prioritize this issue? Is this an ongoing or existing campaign? How do you bring new partners to the table? How do you make sure you are bringing new strategies and ideas to the campaign? How is this campaign going to be different? How do you take a different approach? What can you learn from previous campaigns? Is your organization playing a more supportive role in the coalition? How should your organization s role be defined? What resources and expertise can you bring to the table? What partners can you bring to the table? For an active campaign, it is important to define who our key partners and coalition members are. What value does each partner bring to the campaign? What resources does each partner bring to the campaign? It is equally important to define early what key demographics and expertise are we missing so that we can try to recruit them early in the efforts to address the gaps. Be clear with partners what roles they will each play. It is important to make sure early on if the partners have the same goals or do they have competing goals/interest. For example, roles may be: Outreach to lawmakers (key targets); Outreach to grassroots/grasstops with a willingness to engage them on this issue; Do they have relationship with media and willingness to use it for this campaign? Are they willing to allocate resources to the campaign? Are they an issue expert? Prioritize key partners that have outreach to our priority populations and that health equity is represented. Define roles for your internal colleagues. Who should be involved in the campaign: contract lobbyist; Grassroots staff; Communications; Social justice; Community Outreach Staff; Development; and your organization s leadership team. When thinking about your internal colleagues it is equally important to think about the resources they can bring to the campaign. Do they have a key relationship with a lawmaker? Do they have writing expertise? Can they engage their key volunteers? Can they engage key media contacts, community partners, representatives of priority populations, hospital partners or other stakeholders? Are they willing to engage their Board or executive leadership? Do they know if their volunteers are also donors to key campaigns? It is critical that you also define the roles for volunteers and coalition leadership within your core team. Should they be part of initial campaign planning to buy into the idea/campaign? What are the needs/wants that you will be asking from volunteers: ex. media spokespeople, provide expert testimony, a survivor perspective or medical perspective Do they have key relationships with legislative leaders/targets? Are they campaign donors for key lawmakers (very different relationships)? Would they share that with you? Would they be willing to engage their own personal or professional networks to support issue/campaign? B. Setting Goals The goals you establish for your campaign will inform every aspect of the plan, so it s important to set them thoughtfully. Begin by establishing your goals at each of the levels outlined below: Overarching goal: This is the big picture goal, and serves as an important reminder to the campaign team of why we re doing the campaign in the first place. While this goal may not be entirely achieved by the current campaign, significant progress toward it 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 5

6 should be made, resulting in real improvements in the health of our communities. This goal should resonate with the public as we make the case for our campaign and explain the potential impact of the policy change we re trying to achieve. Examples: Reduce consumption of sugary drinks (State). Ensure everyone in (State) has access to healthy food choices. Campaign goal: This goal is winning the specific policy change we re seeking, and should make an impact on the overarching goal we ve set. Try to be as specific as possible with this one. Examples: Remove sugary drinks as the default beverage in restaurant kid s meals. Establish and secure funding for a Healthy Food Financing Initiative in (State). Incremental goals: There are likely several incremental wins you must achieve as you work toward your campaign goal. These are things like securing a sponsor, adding a particular number of cosponsors, favorable passage or report on your bill from a particular committee, and passage by one chamber of your legislature and then the other. List the incremental goals in your campaign. Planning specifically for these steps along the way gives your campaign team tangible and manageable ways to move the policy closer to passage, without becoming overwhelmed by the very big job of the overall campaign. Be sure to celebrate these incremental victories with your partners and volunteers, and build off the energy and momentum from your success to tackle the next incremental goal. Examples: Secure lead sponsor, and bi-partisan co-sponsors, for restaurant kid s meal bill. Pass healthy food financing bill out of House Health committee. C. Timeline and Milestones: At this stage, it s important to set out a general timeline for your campaign and specify any milestones the campaign must reach. These important dates will inform subsequent parts of your plan by letting you know when to deploy resources and implement particular tactics. Revisit and update your timeline regularly throughout the campaign, as you finalize other parts of the plan and as circumstances shift. Be sure to include the following elements: 1. Campaign launch 2. Legislative session beginning and end dates 3. Bill filing deadline or other deadlines to move legislation or regulation 4. Committee meeting dates 5. Legislative recess periods or other key times to influence decision makers 6. Holidays or special observances that could serve as a hook in your campaign, as well as those that could be a hindrance. 7. As you finalize tactics or events later in the process, be sure to add those (Lobby days, poll releases, etc.) 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 6

7 Module Two Decision Maker Advocacy Introduction Who are decision makers? These are the individuals who will decide the fate of your campaign e.g., legislators, agency officials, council members, governors. Understanding these decision makers and assessing their positions is a vital component of your plan. This section will guide you through wisely choosing your sponsors and champions, shoring up your supporters, winning the undecided votes, neutralizing the opposition, and ensuring you have the votes you need before a policy proposal is considered. Much of this work can be done with non-lobbying time and funds but it is important to know where the line is and when your activities become lobbying. The FAQ at will be helpful. Before you can do any of that, you will need to assess where relevant decision makers stand. Consider putting the committee or legislative body into a chart like this: YES (those who are with us) UNDECIDED NO (those who are against us) Lawmaker u Lawmaker x Lawmaker z Lawmaker v Lawmaker w Lawmaker y In order to determine their position, you may need to do some research. Have they made any public statements on your policy, either at events or to the press? Have they introduced or voted on legislation that supports or challenges your policy? If not, consider having a volunteer call or meet with them to ask their position. It s a relatively easy conversation but an incredibly valuable piece of information in return. A Note About Regulatory and Local Campaigns: While this module is primarily focused on state legislative campaigns, many of the same principles on identifying and moving your targets, as well as working with opposition, also apply to regulatory efforts and local campaigns. Executive agency lobbying rules vary by state. Be sure to know your state s rules and requirements. If you are working on a regulatory or rulemaking campaign, it is important to first learn whether the decision making body is appointed or elected. This will determine whether your advocacy efforts are lobbying or non-lobbying in nature and should also shape your campaign plan. If the body is appointed, you should learn the priorities and position of the Appointer in addition to those appointed. Aside from these differences, the advocacy process for rulemaking is largely similar to state legislative campaigns. Advocates can and should weigh in on the policy development in a method appropriate to their targets. Tactics may include meeting with the decision makers, attending public meetings, providing written comments, sending s and using media advocacy campaigns. For more information on Agency Rulemaking visit Know the Rule: An Overview of State Agency Rulemaking. If you are working on a local campaign, it is important to first clearly identify the path to achieve policy success. For example, in many states the counties have jurisdiction over departments of health but cities have jurisdiction over some parts of health budgets. In this case, you might be working on a campaign that requires both a policy change and securing an appropriation to fund the policy. You may need to have a campaign plan that targets both the City Council and County Commission. Additionally, before beginning a local campaign, you should confirm that there are no preemption concerns that prevent the decision making body from approving your policy priority. Once you have identified the policy path forward, the types of advocacy activities needed will be similar to your statewide legislative campaigns CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 7

8 1. SPONSORS Who is the bill sponsor? The bill sponsor is the lawmaker who will author the policy and work to push it through the process. This person can also be the bill champion (see next section). Remember: Don t just think about who has filed it previously or who is a friend to your organization. Here are some key questions to help you make a strategic choice: A. Do they have a leadership positon that could help move the bill quickly through the process? Do they chair a key committee? Sometimes the strategic decision is NOT to have a committee chair as your sponsor, but to ensure the Chair s willingness to work with your sponsor. Are they part of leadership, or do they have influence over key decision makers? Don t Forget: Even if you are working on an issue that leadership likes, it can quickly kill your campaign if they do not like your sponsor. B. Are they willing to engage their own colleagues and fight to move this issue? C. Are they willing to do the work and outreach to help move the bill through the process? D. Do they have a personal connection to the issue or could they be seen as an expert? Do they or does a family member have a personal of connection to the issue? Are they willing to share their story publicly and with their colleagues? Do they have a stronger passion because they are personally effected? Do they have a medical background or professional connection to the issue? Do they agree with the issue we are trying to push? Are they willing to share their expertise with their colleagues? For example, if they have background as a PE teacher, are they a good person to lead your PE bill? E. Take a look into the staff that works for the member. Do they even have staff? If not, who are the individuals they look to for essential research and other work that staff members might do? F. What is their relationship with the opposition? Would they truly be willing to fight for your issue if conflicting relationships exist? Outreach for potential sponsors and co-sponsors is a great activity for volunteers. Consider the relationships that key volunteers might have with sponsors and co-sponsors. As constituents, they hold a lot of weight and can be a valuable asset, as it will only help propel the policy throughout the process and will create a sense of ownership among volunteers. 2. CHAMPIONS Who are champions? Champions are those decision makers at the legislative, agency, or local level who are on your side and can help work the policy though the process. Champions can be critical to the success of a bill. Sometimes these are your bill sponsors, other times they may not be. Working closely with your champions can mean support in a number of ways a member on the inside who can help move your bill through the non-public committees, speak up for the bill in committee, in caucus, or on the floor, use their access to work legislative targets or gain valuable information about what s happening behind the scenes that may impact your bill. Identifying and cultivating champions is very similar to sponsors, and often they overlap. As you work to identify sponsors, remember that some of the best champions are members who are unable to sponsor your bill, either because of their position in leadership or based on strategic decisions not to sponsor. When creating a list of champions, please consider the following: 1. List your potential champions and timeline for outreach. 2. How will you communicate progress of your campaign, keep them engaged and support them? 3. Do they sit on key committees that will hear or be needed to move the bill? 4. Do they have the ability to influence your targets? 5. Are they willing to engage their colleagues and/or caucuses and fight to move the issue along? 3. SUPPORTERS Who are supporters? Supporters are those decision makers who will vote in favor or support your issue when it comes before them. While they may not help to champion a bill through the process, they are critically important to getting the votes you need and demonstrating the support for your cause. Supporters do not need to be aggressively targeted to change their position. However, it is important to keep them educated on the issue and its progress. It is also important to demonstrate the support of their constituents, to ensure their ongoing backing of the issue CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 8

9 4. OPPONENTS Who are the opponents? These are decision makers that will be working against you. Knowing your opponents in a campaign is critically important. Being able to address opposing arguments and being prepared for what the other side of an issue may say or do, can be the difference between success and failure. The following exercise will help you determine an opponent s level of no. Consider including your core team and stakeholders in this discussion so you can fully consider your power of influence. Understanding where each decision maker is on the issue is important so that you spend your time wisely and leverage your power maximally. There are 3 levels of NO you should consider when forming your list of opponents: No - not worth working: These are decision makers that you have no power to influence and will actively work against you/ your issue. It is better not to work this group and focus your energy where you can have an impact. No possible to neutralize: These decision makers are not steadfast in their opposition and you believe you have some ability to influence. While these decision makers may not be willing to vote with you, they may be willing not to fight or even agree not to speak in opposition. You will want to identify this group and work to influence so that you limit your active opposition. No possible to become yes: These decision makers may be simply saying no due to lack of information or contact from your side. Using your power of influence you believe that you can move these no votes to yes. Who is working against you? The questions below will help you establish if there is any opportunity to neutralize or move an opponent. Why do you believe this decision maker is a no? For example: a previous vote they ve cast, a conversation where they told this to you or a partner or a public statement, such as in the media or at an event What do you know about this decision maker and their motivation for opposing your policy? Is the opposition driven by ideology or a commitment to an individual/organization that is in opposition to the issue? Did something happen in the decision maker s district which resulted in the bill? Is the decision maker doing the bidding of their party leadership? How committed is the decision maker to the other side? Do they take campaign contributions from an opposing organization? How hard will this decision maker work against you? If continuing to educate and provide information to the decision maker is going to fuel their opposition & hurt your campaign, move them to the not worth working category and focus your efforts elsewhere. If the decision maker is in a position of power, i.e. caucus leadership, you may need to consider alternative tactics to influence or neutralize them. Do you believe that this decision maker could be convinced not to work against you or even moved from their opposition? If no, move this decision maker to the category of not worth working. (For instance this could be someone closely tied to the beverage industry) If yes, consider these questions to figure out your next steps: Do you have influence over the decision maker? If not, can someone else influence them? Consider the following groups and what role you can play in driving them to use their influence to further your policy campaign. Grassroots or grasstops (high-level advocates) from their district Key Contacts (someone with a personal relationship or connection to the decision maker) Community organizations Media (Do you know the media that this decision maker listens to?) Other decision makers (Who?) 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 9

10 5. TARGETS Who are the targets? Targets are the key policymakers who will decide or have significant influence over whether a bill, regulation, or rule is advanced, passed, or thwarted. Targets are always individuals, not a group, (i.e. the media, county council or legislature) They are NOT your sponsor or champion you already have them on board! (unless you are about to lose their support then you can make them a target) The number of targets should be small and manageable you will likely need to prioritize your list of targets to be effective when implementing tactics you identify. A. Identify targets After identifying your pathway for your policy, conduct an analysis of who will be the key deciders or who can wield significant influence over a decision. (Committees, agencies, regulatory bodies, etc.) Legislators chairs and members of the committees your policy must pass through; leadership Governor/mayor and/or key members of the administration or executive branch Local elected officials, appointees, or staff who will determine the future of your policy: City council members, county commissioners, staff, etc. If your policy is a multi-year effort, consider who may hold future seats of power on your issue (for example if there is an election ahead and political parties may shift power who is the likely legislative leadership, chairs, etc. Who will be in line to take over? You may want to make them a target if you anticipate the multi-year effort will ultimately end up under their control.) B. Identify Influencers Decision makers can be influenced or swayed in a variety of ways. The list below will help you begin to assess strategic ways to influence your targets. Are they swayed by constituents? Assess our volunteer capacity in each target s district Assess our coalition partners volunteer capacity in each target s district Are they swayed by grasstops leaders school board members, business leaders, etc. Assess board members, volunteers, and coalition partners to see if any of them have sway/connection with the target Are they swayed by public pressure media (paid or earned); social media Do they have an online social media presence? Would paid ads or earned media such as letters to the editor have an impact (positive or negative)\ Caveat care must be taken to assess whether positive or negative media/social media attention will bring positive results for your campaign or backfire. Who are their donors/campaign volunteers? Do we have relationships with any of them do we have volunteers who have connections with their campaigns as volunteers or donors? What lobbying organizations support their campaigns? Do we have relationships with them? (i.e. unions, medical associations, etc.) Resources: A product of M+R, Pathways of Influence reports have proven helpful in past campaigns; AHA provides a howto guide for conducting research available online at voicesforhealthykids.org/campaignplanning or you can hire M+R to conduct research and produce the report. Vote Count Before bringing any bill up to a vote, it s important that you work with the sponsor to ensure you have your vote count. Generally speaking, there shouldn t be any major surprises on a bill vote as long as you have done due diligence to see where the committee members and caucuses stand. If you know that you do not have the majority needed to move the bill forward, it s important to communicate this to your sponsor and work with them to either defer the bill vote or identify additional legislators that can help persuade the unknowns / hold-outs. In some cases, even if you know you will not have the votes, it is worthwhile to move forward with the committee hearing / debate. This is a good way of putting legislators on record as to where they stand by allowing the friendly members on the committee to debate with their colleagues. However, it s important that you have an understanding with the chair and the sponsor that the bill will not be called for a vote. List all decision makers voting on policy Chamber Party Position Comments Jane Doe Senate R Yes Bill Sponsor John Smith House D No American Beverage Association donated to campaign 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 10

11 Module Three Stakeholder Engagement Introduction A critical piece of any campaign is engaging and working closely with stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement is how you build and maintain relationships with anyone who might care about or be impacted by a policy longstanding coalition partners, state agencies, experts in the field, and community based organizations, just to name a few. A campaign is only as strong as the people and organizations committed to its success. Having diversity of ideas, view points, and strengths is critical. As part of relationship building, you must emphasize mutual benefit. To make sure a partnership is mutually beneficial, supporting partners on mission-aligned objectives is key towards relationship building. If you want your partners and volunteers to show up when you ask, you must do the same for them. This section will help walk you through how and when to engage and build partnerships with different types of stakeholders. 1. INTERNAL COLLABORATORS Internally, who are your key partners? Engaging your staff teams early in a campaign will dramatically improve your ability to mobilize stakeholders and volunteers throughout the campaign. Collaboration Meetings: Meet with partners one-on-one, or within functional teams, to discuss the campaign goals and brainstorm tactics, outreach, and other information gathering they may help with. Incorporate these ideas into your campaign plan. Depending on your organizational structure, examples include: internal communications staff may be able to help with media strategy; community outreach staff may help identify community partners to join your coalition; development staff may help secure additional funds to support the campaign; board members may have contacts with key policymakers or be good spokespeople on the issue. For example: At the AHA, Youth Market staff may have good contacts to support school-based policies with expert testimony, spokespeople, or implementation support. Highlight Campaign Within Your Organization: Work with your internal partners to identify opportunities to highlight and build support for your work. Incorporate these ideas into your campaign plan. (Examples: Issue is showcased during an event through video or spokesperson; grassroots outreach through petition sign-ups is conducted at events to bring volunteers together around your mission.) Stay Connected: Keep internal partners and key volunteers informed about the campaign through updates, attending board meetings, and presentations at their team meetings. Please Note: At the AHA, there are a variety of internal partners who help to support advocacy work. If you are interested in connecting with these teams, please work with your AHA Advocacy partner. Some examples include: Youth Market staff may have good contacts to support school-based policies with expert testimony, spokespeople, or implementation support. Quality and Systems Improvement staff work with key hospital decision makers and can help make those connections. Communications staff provide a wealth of information about working with the media and innovative approaches to getting our messages out on social media. The Community Health and Multicultural Initiatives Teams provide a critical link to the work happening in communities and help to pursue local and institutional policy across the country. Development staff partner both to help fund campaigns and make connections with key volunteers CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 11

12 2. COALITION Coalitions are critical to achieving your Voices for Healthy Kids policy lever. Through coalitions, the campaign is able to amplify its voice and make a lasting impact. At the same time, coalitions allow you to build lasting organizational connections that can also address future policy priorities. When planning your policy campaigns, it s important to first identify if there are existing coalitions that are working on a policy or if one needs to be built. A. Existing Coalition: If an existing coalition is in place, it s important to have a strong understanding of what type of coalition it is and to explore the following questions: How long has the coalition been around and have they been successful on past policy campaigns? What does the membership of the coalition look like and do the members have the capacity to take on one or multiple policy issues? What is the current status of the coalition? Is it functioning well, with members collaborating and working together? Or, does attention need to be paid to building or rebuilding relationships? Do all of the members have the capacity to engage in lobbying or are there members who may have restrictions placed on them due to funding or being part of local / state government? Note: this will inform you on how best to engage different coalition members in the campaign. Is it more informal with a loosely based group of advocacy organizations working together on a policy or issue area, or is it more formal with by-laws, committees (grassroots, media advocacy, lobbying, etc.), strategic plans and a clear decision making structure? Are there shared assets and resources, or is it more autonomous in nature with each member working independently towards the end goal? Are there member dues? If so, what is received in return? What is the process for setting the advocacy goals of the coalition, as well as the bottom lines? Is there a deal-breaker document? If there is disagreement on strategy, what protocol needs to be followed? Who are the major players within the coalition and do they represent the communities with greatest need in the state or community? Are those community-based organizations, representing priority populations, in coalition leadership positions? If you are working with an existing coalition, it is imperative that the Voices for Healthy Kids policy lever is a top priority for the group. Expectations should be established for all coalition partners and it should be clear that you are the campaign lead for this issue. B. New Coalition: When no coalition exists to address a particular policy, you will want to consider building one. With a new coalition, it s critical that there is a clear vision and defined purpose established early on, in relation to the policy lever. It s also critical that the coalition be composed of the communities that will benefit most from the policy; in other words, that the equity partners are engaged from the beginning. As you re forming the coalition, here are a few things to consider: What type of coalition do you want this to be? Will the coalition be more long-term or will it be short term focused around the specific policy objective? Is there a need for memorandums of understanding, by-laws or formal agreement on deal-breakers? How will decisions be made in the coalition and what does the leadership look like? Is there diversity within the leadership structure and decision making? What are the expectations of members to commit direct resources (grassroots networks, contract lobbyists, funding for campaign tactics) vs. indirect or in-kind resources (staff time)? Will the coalition consist of both members who can and cannot lobby or will it be limited to only those with lobbying capacity? Will the coalition have a committee structure? Who will take on the role of organizing the coalition and ensuring that tasks are assigned and members are held accountable? What tools will be used? Will membership dues be required or other financial commitment of the coalition members? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 12

13 In addition, it is important that there is a clear understanding amongst the leaders about who will be invited to join the coalition and who is allowed to extend that invitation. While it s important to have a diverse coalition that represents stakeholders across interests, geography, socio-economic and multicultural diversity; it s also important to ensure that members are not invited who could pose a significant conflict of interest for other members. Over the years, several resources and guides have been developed that may assist your work, including campaign asset inventories (an assessment of the resources and contributions each coalition member brings to the campaign), draft MOUs and Statements of Principles, sample decision making guidelines and rules of engagement. Resources may be found within the Voices for Healthy Kids PowerPrism website: org/campaigns-login.htm. 3. PUBLIC AGENCIES Maintaining relationships with the relevant state and local agencies can be critical to your campaign. Often, the agency responsible for implementing or enforcing your policy will have influence within the Executive Branch and the legislature. When working with state agencies, the following questions may be of help: What state/local agencies have an interest in this policy? What is their position on the issue? For instance, do you know the position of the Governor on this issue? Will the Department of Public Health or Education be in support of the policy initiative? Will they be able to provide you important state-level information? 4. OTHER STAKEHOLDERS What organizations/groups would have an interest in this policy but have not been engaged or don t yet have a position that you know of? Remember to include organizations that represent multicultural audiences or focus on social justice or health equity. Are there education groups that have an interest in the policy, perhaps doing research in the policy area? Consider universities that could provide important data analysis or have received grant funding to work in the issue area. Are Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, or Tribal Institutions working in this area? Are there businesses that have interest in this issue? Do you know their position? Consider minority owned businesses and those that may add to the diversity of your engaged partners. Are there other non-traditional allies that might be interested in this issue? Faith groups, the environmental community, social justice, etc. What organizations/groups have an interest in how this policy is implemented but may not have a role in the lobbying or campaign activities? It is critically important that we engage stakeholders, whether they can lobby or not, to ensure we fully understand the impact of our policies and that they right groups are prepared to implement once the policy passes. Remember to include organizations that represent multicultural audiences or focus of health equity. Examples: Department of Health, Department of Public Instructions or Education, groups that implement programs in schools. 5. OPPOSITION While some opposition may be clear, and we would not want to alert them to our work, sometimes it can be strategically valuable to meet with stakeholders you believe will oppose. You may want to consider whether you or a partner have a contact within a potential opponent s group. Either way, it may be helpful to find out how strongly they will oppose the effort or what resources are at their disposal. What organizations/groups will oppose the policy? As you make this list, ask yourself: What is the motivation behind their opposition? Is it ideological something that others believe in? (For instance the tea party believes in small government and so they don t support government funded programs.) Do they have a financial or legal stake in this policy? How vocal is this opposition do they have a presence with the media, social media, with legislators or the public? Does this organization have grassroots that they will activate to oppose you? Have you developed a response to their opposing views on the issue? Will it hurt the effort to alert this group? Does the opposition know of your intentions to work on the issue? If you were to alert them, what would be the consequences? Could engaging this group have the potential to lessen their opposition or even move them to neutrality? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 13

14 Module Four Grassroots Introduction Policymakers frequently indicate that constituent contact is a leading factor in their decisions to support or oppose policy proposals before them. Our power to persuade often lies in humanizing policy issues by bringing affected constituents and their stories to the policymakers attention. We may do that by coordinating s, phone calls, press outreach, in-person meetings, or an array of other tactics, but one thing is certain... your volunteers, partners and community advocates make your campaigns stronger, and engaging them is vital to your success. Campaigns may require varying levels of grassroots support and all will not benefit from the same list of tactics. It is important to consider the issue, the political context, the targeted decision makers, and the advocates who will act before crafting your plan for engagement. Close integration between the staff leading grassroots and the staff leading all other aspects of the campaign, such as government relations staff, is instrumental in advancing a strategic campaign and achieving success. From the outset, grassroots and other staff partners should establish a plan for regular meetings and feedback throughout the campaign. The fundamental elements of a high-quality grassroots campaign are: 1. Recruiting the right advocates 2. Educating and Engaging your network 3. Recognizing volunteer contributions Recruitment As you consider advocate recruitment, it s important to remember that both quantity and quality are important. Large numbers of supportive and engaged advocates can help make a show of strength when needed, but sometimes, the actions of just a few high-quality advocates can make your campaign a success. Throughout the year, you will be presented with numerous opportunities to grow your network, and you should seize those opportunities to recruit larger quantities of active advocates to the Voices for Healthy Kids Action Center. Within the context of a policy campaign, however, you want to focus on strategic, targeted recruitment to identify the right advocates. Decision-maker targets drive recruitment Resources are often limited. Staff and volunteers have only so much time, and budgets can be tight. It is important we direct our limited time and funding to the most strategic areas if we hope to drive greater campaign success. You should focus your recruitment efforts based on the most essential lawmakers those you ve targeted for the campaign. A single call to a lawmaker from the right person can often move a campaign further, faster than more calls or s from advocates unknown to that lawmaker. You want to invest your limited resources in finding those right people. First step: Conduct Pathways of Influence research for each of the decision-maker targets already identified in your campaign plan. This in-depth research can help point you toward valuable connections with the decision maker you are trying to influence. Thanks to Pathways of Influence creators, M+R Strategic Services, a template has been provided for conducting your own research. Please review the document at access www. voicesforhealthykids.org/campaignplanning. Provide a network analysis for each decision-maker target and identify the recruitment needs for those targets based on what you ve learned about them : Key Contacts: Currently? Amount Needed? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 14

15 Voices for Healthy Kids Action Center and other online grassroots networks Currently? Amount Needed? Identify events in the targeted decision-maker s district/ward/ precinct that may be good for recruitment of decision-maker s constituents (if applicable) Do coalition partners or stakeholder groups have events in the area where recruitment activities could take place? Please note: When working and recruiting in a coalition, agree in advance how and by whom coalition advocates will be engaged during and after the campaign. Are there community events you could attend to conduct recruitment? Issue-driven recruitment You may need to engage a particular audience based on the issue focus of your campaign. Ask yourself: Who is most likely to be highly engaged in the issue and willing to take action? Identify coalition partners and groups of interested constituencies who are likely to be passionate about the campaign (ex. physical education teachers if you are working on PE policy) Recruit a diverse base of grassroots support. Be creative, and think of stakeholders and unusual allies. Seek to develop new connections. And be sure you are engaging the communities who will be impacted by the policy change. Paid Acquisition Utilize online services that specialize in petition-gathering and advocate recruitment. Once you share information about your issue, you pay for those advocates who engage and provide their contact information so you may continue to communicate with them about the campaign. This recruitment tactic typically requires a significant investment. Recruitment Resource: Peer-to-peer recruitment kit. Engagement: Relationship Building: Even when communications are primarily online, establishing a relationship with volunteers is the key to having them consistently take action when needed. Always send welcome messages to newly recruited advocates, welcoming them to the network, introducing the current or upcoming issue/s and yourself, and inviting their contact. Relationship building is especially important for grasstops or leadership volunteers. If you are asking them to take on greater roles within the network, it is important that you understand their motivation and their availability to work with you. When you understand these things, you can help shape a volunteer experience that mutually benefits the advocate and the campaign. You can find a series of interview questions for new volunteers on the campaign planning website. These questions are also great for longtime volunteers who are interested in greater roles and for whom you don t know these answers. Whenever possible, having this conversation in person or over the phone is preferred. *Building, cultivating and maintaining relationships with your advocates is a year-round activity, important to your overall success, but certainly not restricted to the timeline of your campaign. Education Before you can ask advocates to contact decision-makers, you must educate them on the issue at hand. Otherwise, you ll find yourself with unprepared advocates when you need urgent action. Education should be a priority early in the campaign, and can be done in a variety of ways: A newsletter is a great vehicle for issue education. Direct communications to introduce the campaign and educate advocates are also effective. Consider offering conference calls or webinars to provide information on an issue and its status- this opportunity may appeal particularly to your higher level advocates. Be sure to choose a time for these calls that works for volunteers- not everyone is available during normal business hours. You must be flexible in order to meet the needs of your volunteers. Regardless of the medium; helping your advocates and the public understand your policy priorities and their potential impact is vital to your success. Take pains to distill complex policy language into everyday terms that anyone can understand. Activation The right grassroots tactics, executed at the right time by the right advocates, have the power to drive your campaign to victory. So how do you know which are the right tactics? Consider these factors: A good tactic will always have the purpose of persuading your decision-maker target. How will your tactic influence the target? Does it demonstrate a large base of support amongst their constituents? Or bring to light compelling personal stories about the impact of the policy in their district? What tactics are most likely to move your target? To find out, ask what has moved them in the past. Are they sensitive to public pressure from media placements? Do they respond to calls from community leaders? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 15

16 Creativity Rules! Some of the best tactics are novel ideas that haven t been tried before. Newsworthy tactics bring more attention to your campaign. Who will implement the tactic? Is the tactic something your advocates can realistically accomplish? If you d like to hold a press event, do you have enough advocates to make a strong showing? If you choose to drive phone calls to a target, are your advocates comfortable making calls? Or do they require training? Also, consider the target research you did did it identify any groups or messengers who could be particularly influential? Who is the best messenger for the tactic? Who has the appropriate, compelling story? Do you have or can you request resources to support your tactic? Who is responsible for organizing and implementing the tactic? Be sure to assign very specific responsibilities to ensure successful execution. Be sure you ve taken the time to research and know your target, and choose your tactics according to what you ve learned. Research can point you to the best method for contacting and persuading a decision maker, but the wrong tactic can turn off your target and have a negative impact on your campaign. Though not an exhaustive list, below are some tactics in which our grassroots advocates are frequently engaged. Meetings with decision makers Phone calls to decision makers s to decision makers Social Media contact with targets Providing testimony at public hearings Rallies or press events Lobby Day at the Capitol Drop-by visits to lawmaker s offices Raising the issue at town hall meetings Theme, Messaging and Communications: Theme Choose a theme for your campaign to help unify communications throughout. A consistent theme can also give the sense of something big and help drive momentum, allowing advocates to become deeply invested. The campaign theme might be a fun hook, like the Endangered Stinky Sneaker disappearing because kids no longer have Physical Education in school. It could also be something less silly, like the Closer to My Grocer campaign which addressed the lack of access to healthy food in food deserts. Either way, it should speak to the heart of your issue, be memorable, and be woven throughout your communications for the duration of the campaign. Voices for Healthy Kids has developed themes and accompanying creative for all of the issues we support. These incredible resources provide you with completed work so you can simply localize and put into action. Visit getinvolved to link to all the Voices for Healthy Kids toolkits. Messaging It is helpful to establish key messages for your campaign- ideally, you would develop the top 5 message points that will appeal to lay/public audiences. These should clearly illustrate the problem we are trying to address and indicate how the policy change we are pursuing is the solution. Once established, these message points become the foundation for all campaign communications and outreach. They may be repeated many times over the course of the campaign in your communications to advocates. That s okay! The repetition makes it much more likely they ll share your messages with others after reading or hearing them. Voices for Healthy Kids has conducted extensive national, state and local message research and has used experts to translate the findings into user friendly messaging. Visit voicesforhealthykids.org/messaging to see the latest in framing your campaign with the messages with the greatest likelihood for success. Media Advocacy LTE, Op-Ed, Ads Site Visits for decision makers 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 16

17 Grassroots Communications It is important to plan a full campaign messaging arc which includes an introduction to the campaign, education about the issue and our potential impact, regular campaign updates, and activation requests. You can create a rough plan for these messages early in the campaign, understanding that timing will be adjusted as the campaign moves along. Still, planning ahead will help ensure you are not missing steps. If you fail to do the early steps, you will have a limited response to your calls-to-action. However, if you fully bring your audience along throughout the campaign, advocates have shown they respond to requests for action in far greater numbers. Remember to celebrate even the small victories and campaign milestones with advocates. It will help keep them motivated to work toward the next milestone and the ultimate goal! Be sure to acknowledge advocate contributions throughout the campaign, and especially as you celebrate success! Finally, consider how you can capture personal stories and utilize them throughout the campaign. Remember, your strength is in your volunteers and your ability to put a human face on sometimes complex issues. Stories will move decision makers and help drive your campaign to success CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 17

18 Module Five Media Advocacy Introduction Critical to any campaign is how it is communicated to decision makers, volunteers and the public. A strategic approach to working with different types of media can greatly enhance a campaign, while being unprepared for media questions can significantly derail your efforts. Also important, from an internal perspective, is working in close collaboration with communications colleagues whenever they are available. In this section, you will learn how to strategically and effectively work with the media to influence decision makers, and the general public, while moving a campaign forward. Message Development The most persuasive messaging, stories and facts will help make your case for your issues. Voices for Healthy Kids has done much to develop messaging and build a base of key facts and research for key policy priorities. Instead of reinventing the wheel, check in with the messaging resources at voicesforhealthykids.org/messaging and the web-based toolkits at to see what messaging and evidence has been developed around your issue. Additionally, talk to your Regional Campaign Manager and participate in issue-based affinity calls where you can connect with successful campaigns on similar issues around the country to utilize those resources and messaging. Key collateral or campaign materials you will want to develop as resources for your campaign may include: fact sheet on the issue, sample media release, presentation slides, etc. Always use the toolkits as your first stop for available materials. [Note: Science review will be necessary for these resources!] Messaging Tips Messaging should be strategic identify the themes and facts that will be most persuasive to your target audience/ policy-maker targets. This messaging may be different than the messaging you use directly with your grassroots network. Make it as local as possible policymakers want to see how this issue impacts their jurisdiction. Make it personal an emotional connection will be more memorable than messaging that solely relies on facts and figures. Identify a compelling story families that can t walk to school, a school that has successfully implemented PE, moms who need access to healthy foods (for example check out the story at: battling-food-deserts-big-bend/ /, etc. Use the public opinion research Voices for Healthy Kids has conducted on the issue area as the basis for all communications. Visit messaging for overviews on research takeaways. Apply additional information gathered from any local polling or focus groups what values/messages are resonating in your market? (See public opinion research tactics) Work with your communications staff to build the development of key messages, stories and the best facts to support your case into your campaign plan timeline. Be prepared to adjust your messaging if the key messages are not resonating with your target audience. Spokespeople It is important to identify key advocates who can serve as a spokesperson for your policy. In fact, the messenger may be just as important, or, at times, even more important than the message itself. Once someone agrees to take on that role, training is critical both in campaign key messages and in how to talk to the media. Consider keeping a list or a database of spokespeople, including their area of expertise and contact information. This will enable your team to quickly respond to any media requests CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 18

19 It is critical that you include priority populations. As you develop your spokespeople ask yourself are authentic voices who represent the communities that will be most impacted by or benefit from the policy leading? All of the advocacy priorities of Voices for Healthy Kids have an equity impact, and it's important that the spokespeople engaged in the campaign represent the populations which are most impacted by the issue. Priority populations include communities of color, low-income communities, rural communities, etc. When recruiting advocates and spokespeople from priority populations, it s important to ensure that it is their voice and experiences that are being shared. Coalition partners and stakeholders who represent priority populations are critically important when it comes to identifying, recruiting and training these spokespeople. When identifying a spokesperson for your campaign, be sure to start with your target audience and consider how they will receive the message. Members of your coalition or partner organizations might be a good place to start. Consider 'outside of the box' spokespeople to talk about the issue, for example: A math teacher or school administrator speaking to the importance of physical education programs, a business leader speaking in support of safe routes to school, etc. For any policy issue, consider identifying leaders who live in the legislative district of your target decision makers. Other key considerations include: Consider area of expertise. Can they help add credibility to the issue? Some examples of expert spokespeople include: A community member who is recognized as a trusted leader A registered dietician for competitive foods, sugary drink tax A physician or nurse for prevention policies A Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program manager or city planner for SRTS, complete streets or walking and biking appropriations campaign Youth advocates for school-based policy priorities A parent or child care provider on early care and education priorities If you don t know of experts related to your policy, consider working with external partners and coalitions. Consider the connection. Do they have a personal story? Survivor of heart/stroke/diabetes) When working to recruit survivors consider social media recruitment, casting calls or outreach through partner organizations. Priority Populations- are they a member of a community most affected by the issue area? Prevention message (i.e.-obesity related issue) Family connection (loss of a loved one, can be a powerful message) Consider their geographic location. Where is coverage needed? Do you have different areas of the state/city covered (including urban and suburban areas)? Do you have different key districts covered? Who should you specifically recruit to cover this? Proactive vs. Reactive Media Advocacy Strategies Your campaign plan will have a communications/media advocacy section with tactics identified to proactively advance your campaign. Unexpected challenges or opportunities arise in every campaign so it is important to plan for reactive media advocacy strategies there is much that can be prepped in advance to ensure seamless responses. Proactive Media Proactive media refers to publicity gained through promotional efforts. You can send out a news release, quote, etc., and you contact reporters and directly pitch your story to them. Resulting coverage is referred to as earned or free media. You can use paid media strategies to augment earned media. There are several ways to promote issues utilizing proactive tactics in a campaign. Work with your communications team and partners/coalition to develop earned media advocacy tactics and incorporate them into your overall campaign plan and timeline. You should be in touch regularly with your communications partners so that you can capitalize on media that happens during the campaign. Sharing coverage through your social media accounts and through s to your contacts can reach those who may have missed the initial coverage. Building relationships with media contacts that may have interest in your issue, will help ensure earned media during your campaign. Work in collaboration with communications staff to build these relationships. Planning Steps Meet with your communications team to: Review the Issue Campaign Establish a regular meeting schedule 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 19

20 Discuss media contacts who may be interested in the issue? Reporters that cover the state legislature are just one group are their others? For example: What about the food reporters for healthy food access? Education reporters for Early Care and Education, Out of School Time and Physical Education? Business reporters for healthy food service in public places? Where are your targeted districts? Are there local newspapers in those communities? Other media opportunities: blogs? Proactive Tactics Letters to the Editor is a letter sent to a publication out issues of concern from its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through conventional mail or electronic mail. The Engage section of the relevant toolkit will be helpful as it provides tips and sample LTE resources. Visit voicesforhealthykids.org/getinvolved to access the toolkits. Opinion Editorial (Op-ed) An op-ed ("opinion editorial") is a written prose piece typically published by a newspaper or magazine which expresses the opinion of a named author usually not affiliated with the publication editorial board. The Engage section of the relevant toolkit will be helpful as it provides tips and sample Op-ed resources. Visit voicesforhealthykids.org/getinvolved to access the toolkits. News Conferences a prearranged opportunity to provide information and point of view to the media on a particular issue. May include elected officials, advocates, scientists, physicians and other issue experts. Media Releases or Statements - A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy. Advance Media Quotes a quote from a spokesperson (can be standalone or part of a larger press statement/release) that is sent to select media (in advance of the full press release or statement being issued), with the goal of getting coverage in preview news stories/stories that come out as breaking news Meetings with reporters/editors face-to-face encounters with local reporters or editors, if they can be arranged can be very helpful in establishing real connections with the media. Editorial Board Visits a meeting with the editorial board of a newspaper to provide education on a specific issue. Media Roundtable an event in which the media are invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on an issue with other members of the media. Review the Media Roundtable How-To Document on the campaign planning website voicesforhealthykids.org/campaignplanning Maximize Earned Media Repost and share supportive materials (including advertisements) online on social media pages and on your website. Consider boosting your social media efforts with paid ads. You can spend as little or as much as your budget allows. Encourage volunteers to look for opportunities to respond to local media stories. Once a letter to the editor is published, ask the volunteer to send it to their decision maker. New scientific study released? Is this an opportunity for a response or statement about your issue? Once the op-ed is published, format it and drop it to all the legislative office. Doing a decision maker drop of information? Volunteer testifying or submitting testimony for the record? Writing a comment letter? Make sure you also give copies to media reporters. Consider kicking off the policy campaign as part of an event and invite the media to attend. Don t be afraid to brainstorm ideas with your communications partners and consult with the Voices for Healthy Kids media advocacy staff to explore other opportunities to increase visibility, reach and engagement. Reactive Strategies Be prepared with talking points, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), counter-arguments, and answers to tough questions you know will arise. Brainstorm a list of opposition arguments and questions you don t want to be asked and prepare a response to each one. Ensure that members of your advocacy and communications team are regularly monitoring media, social media, and blogs for any coverage of your issue. Establish a rapid response team to react to opposition or seize opportunities. This will be your communications staff, advocacy staff, coalition partners and key spokespeople who are trained to quickly respond with the correct talking points and counter-arguments. Be strategic in your response every criticism of the issue does not warrant a response. Sometimes the best response is to let 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 20

21 the comment on the news article, the blog, letter to the editor, etc. quietly fade into the background rather than amplify it with a response. Work with your communications staff to determine when a response is warranted. Paid Media Paid media refers to media that is purchased to publicize your message. There are many paid media strategies that may be pursued. Some examples: radio ads, banner ads online, newspaper ads, billboards, bus signs, television ads, podcast ads, social media ads or boosts and Google AdWords. Paid media can get very expensive so should be carefully planned to reach your target audience/s and maximize impact through grassroots tactics such as incorporating the ad in an action alert to be shared with lawmakers. Key questions to consider before you pursue paid media strategies: Who is your target audience for the paid media? If this is not your campaign target, how will the audience be able to influence your target? Remember: Micro-media markets can bring strategic value to your campaign at a much reduced cost. Examples of micromedia markets include outlets like neighborhood newspapers, school newspapers, church bulletins, and other newsletters like updates from local chambers of commerce. When using these tools, be sure to identify outlets based in your targeted decision makers district and work with volunteers to make sure your target audience sees the messages. Volunteers can take a picture of the article and send the photo via social media or to the decision maker or cut out the church newsletter update and mail it to the decision maker s office. These activities can be an easy and fun way to engage volunteers and bring more attention to your policy priority at the local level. What media advocacy strategy will best reach that audience and influence them? What is your budget for paid media? (this may narrow your choices to less expensive tactics) What is your timeline? Many paid media strategies can take weeks to set into motion for two reasons 1) if the ad is considered political the publisher often requires pre-approval and 2) it will take time to design or record an ad/image. How to pursue paid media strategies: Check your budget What can be done with the funds you have or is it possible to tap coalition partners to help with in-kind design work or direct financial assistance? Do you have lobbying dollars or non-lobbying dollars for the paid media? (This will determine the focus of the ad; whether it is educational (non-lobbying) or has a grassroots call to action (lobbying)). Work with your Regional Campaign Manager or your grant staff to determine what is permissible with non-lobbying dollars. Design work and messaging: Work with communications team to navigate the design process. Always start with the Voices for Healthy Kids Toolkits that have ads and creative developed and ready to localize for your use. Can the paid media be done in-house or do you need to find an external consultant to produce the ad/image/recording? Are there examples from other states or ads from the Voices for Healthy Kids toolkits that may be customized for your state? Ensure your message is appropriate for the funding source (lobbying v. non-lobbying). Consider strategic placement: paid media should be placed strategically to reach the intended targets. Examples: run ads in statewide newspaper (expensive) v. local newspaper of key lawmakers (usually less expensive); ethnic media outlets, such as NNPA newspapers and AURN networks; radio ads are placed on networks with an audience/geography you are trying to influence; billboards are placed at strategic locations where your intended audience will see them (such as the freeway off-ramp near your capitol building or a target s neighborhood); and capitalizing on existing Google searches by your target audience with pay-per-click Google AdWords See social media below for more information on paid social media strategies. Social Media Voices for Healthy Kids is committed to meeting people where they are, which means we simply must be present on the social media platforms where so many in our audience already spend their time. Not only can we engage with our advocates right there in the newsfeed they are already scrolling- we can engage with decision makers and their staff on these platforms as well CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 21

22 It is also a great place to emphasize youth engagement. Given the very public nature and visibility of these engagements, it actually takes fewer contacts on social media to get the decision maker's attention than it takes with more traditional means of communication. Best Practices Be social. Think twice before posting anything that doesn t tag an individual or group. Don t shout into the din. Be a part of (and initiate) conversations, which by definition involve give and take. Organizing on social media is the same as any other kind of organizing. Which means it s having a series of conversations about policies and initiatives that you think people should be interested in (and acting on). It also means listening (as well as posting), and modifying content based on what you hear. Foster your followers. Like their comments. Retweet/favorite their tweets. Heart their Instagrams. Repin their Pinterest posts. Engage so they feel like part of a movement you re building together. Hashtags are mandatory and must be accessible. If someone who knows nothing about your issue can t decipher it (i.e., #PassCNRnow) it needs to be rethought (#KeepSchoolMealsHealthy). Be prepared to bring great content (and potentially resources) to the table. Be choosy about what you post and share. Demonstrate your consideration for your audiences time and attention by only posting compelling, timely materials (thought-provoking/funny/motivational/urgent/a combination). Everything can t be urgent. Mix up your content if all you post are calls to action, your audience (and platform algorithms, in some cases) will tune you out. A motivational quote and landscape photo is OK! Don t be afraid to show the trolls out. If something s negative, work directly with your communications team on the best way to approach it. Look into having a comment policy ( Platforms and How to Use Them Facebook. Still our internet town square. Audience is increasingly older, with younger users moving to newer platforms. Micro advertising buys are cost-effective ways to boost your posts, page, and brand (and increasingly necessary to get in front of both new and existing audiences). Live. An exciting new tool to share events/days of action in real time to your followers. Twitter. A great way to reach influencers, as well as new and existing allies. Character limit forces you to be concise. Consider making and regularly updating Twitter Lists of important influencers, media and legislators, so you can easily search whether a subject is getting pickup in a certain community. Periscope. Similar to FB Live, helps followers feel they re in inner circle & getting updates first. Twitter Chats and Thunderclaps can be useful ways to engage a large number of influencers Instagram. Advertising threshold has required significant investment ($100k+) but that s slowly coming down. Recently crossed 400M monthly active users, who feel a personal connection not possible on Twitter. Needless to say, quality of images shared must be high. New features (re-shares) rolling out. Pinterest. Similar to Instagram, users feel a close connection and curate their walls with care. YouTube. Content creators increasingly influential, and followers consider themselves more than fans. Meaningful connection offers an opportunity for your message to come from a highly trusted source. Check on your organizations policy on closed captioning. An inexpensive option for closed captioning can be found at rev.com. Breaking Through Organize a day of action. Enlist allied groups and stakeholders to join you on a specific day with a coordinated hashtag and, if possible, a Twitter chat to increase the likelihood your issue trends. Asking followers to engage with a target. Most applicable to Twitter. If an elected official, be sure that advocates identify themselves as constituents (can also be incorporated into a day of action). Making moments and weaving them into a story. #LoveMustWin by Freedom to Marry was successful because it told personal stories of couples who were being kept from publicly declaring their love, but that was just one element. They also asked their audience to share visuals and photos of themselves holding campaign materials, send messages to decision makers, contribute funds that came with fun gifts ( same socks marriage socks), and convey the overall sentiment that this was an unstoppable, winning campaign. Without social media, that sentiment would have been impossible to build CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 22

23 Public Opinion Research - Polling & Focus Groups Public Opinion research can help campaigns best understand how the public thinks about, talks about and processes information related to the issue. Research findings provide insight into how to best craft messages to engage the public in a conversation about the campaign, and results demonstrating broad public support may be publicly released to create momentum and build even more public support. Voices for Healthy Kids has translated extensive public opinion research into user-friendly overviews. Please review them at voicesforhealthykids.org/messaging. Note: Voices for Healthy Kids has extensive experience with public opinion research. Before you undertake any research project you must check-in with your Regional Campaign Manager who will put you in touch with our Policy & Public Opinion Research Manager who will provide our process, guidelines and learnings from prior research. There are two main forms of formal public opinion research: Quantitative research projects (i.e. polls, surveys) should be used to gauge levels of support at baseline and over time for your issue campaign, test terminology for effectiveness, and determine which position frameworks work best for target audiences. Qualitative research projects (i.e. focus groups) should be used in issue campaigns where not much directly relevant research has previously been conducted, or where we are still learning how to communicate about the issue to particular audiences. Usually focus groups precede polling, or are standalone projects. Occasionally they are conducted following a poll as a deeper dive into the results. When considering whether or not to incorporate opinion research into your campaign strategy, we recommend answering the following. Answers can also inform your request for proposal: Description and intention of the poll, survey, or focus groups. What is the overall purpose of the research? (Is the intent to craft messages, or perhaps to show support for your work?) What do you hope to learn? Where do you plan to conduct the research? What is the population that you plan to study? Is this research for internal or external use? Content. What are some examples of questions that you d like to ask? Research scan. Has your team conducted any research on this topic in the past? Or do you know of any existing research at a national, state or regional level? Consider how you can you build off those learnings to create an even stronger survey or focus group guide. Dissemination. Do you plan on releasing results to external audiences, including policymakers and/or the media? How do you want to use the results? (E.g. to create an educational onepager, campaign ad, etc.) Consider in advance which results might be releasable, and which are intended only for internal circulation, as that can help inform what kind of questions you include. How and with whom do you plan to share the results? What is the timeframe for releasing the results? These questions will determine whether the poll will be used for lobbying or nonlobbying, and may have budget implications. Partners. Does your team have any partners or coalitions that you want to include in this research project? What role do you envision that partner or coalition playing? Are there other surveys being planned where questions could be added? Timeline. What is the desired timeframe for the research project? Are there any important events or activities coming up where this research would be especially useful? A typical project timeline takes six weeks from start to finish. Budget. What budget is available to you to do this project? While cost varies, market research shows a strong, state-wide poll may cost between 30 and 36k to conduct. Contracting. Is there a research firm that your team has worked with before and/or would like to work with on this research project? Or are there nationally-recommended firms that should be considered? It is important to consider the quality and reputation of the selected firm. Sometimes local isn t best and vice versa CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 23

24 Health Equity Checklist American Heart Association Advocacy Campaign Plan Model Equity Checklist State Advocacy Committee Assess the composition of your state advocacy committee. Does the committee represent communities of color, faithbased leaders, youth advocates, business leaders, or other key stakeholders? Consider diversifying your state advocacy committee to include a wide range of perspectives and experiences. Readiness Assessment Identify high-need communities based on the following factors: unemployment, poverty, educational attainment, and median household income. Consider taking a windshield survey in high-need communities to assess community needs, assets, and opportunities. Assess if there are other non-aha policies priorities being addressed by potential partners or coalitions (e.g. minimum wage, voting rights, criminal justice, etc.) you would like to engage. Are these issues areas competing priorities to your public policy agenda? Campaign Plan Assess what resources are needed for priority population partners to fully participate. Encourage partners to apply for the Voices for Healthy Kids strategic campaign incubator fund grants to support campaign goals. Include language within the overarching goal that addresses health disparities and advances health equity. Decision Maker Advocacy Establish relationships with members of the quad-caucuses Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and African American. The American Heart Association has national relationship with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL)and National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL). Stakeholder Engagement Assess the diversity of your coalition. Invite non-traditional partners and restore previous partnerships that may have diminished. Grassroots Advocacy Tap authentic voices representing communities of color to engage decision makers and your advocacy network. Media Advocacy Engage diverse media outlets such as National Newspaper Publishers Association papers, urban radio networks, and Hispanic newspapers. Campaign Management Include a budget line item for community outreach specifically in priority population communities and neighborhoods. Maintain equity language within proposed legislation to prioritize underserved communities towards acquiring technical assistance, resources, and equitable implementation CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 24

25 Module Six Campaign Management: Introduction Now that you ve decided what you ll do to carry your campaign to victory, this module will help you capture how you ll do it. Here, you ll plan for regular meetings, assign task managers and deadlines, and plan your budget. This module also contains instructions for submitting audit documentation and the steps you ll take after your campaign concludes. Voices for Healthy Kids is joint initiative of the American Heart Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and as such, is not allowed to engage in lobbying. Lobbying is an important part of a campaign, so you need to ensure that you have adequate funding and resources to cover your lobbying activities outside of your Voices for Healthy Kids grant. Don t forget to take a look at for additional resources. Campaign Tactics and Timeline Capture the various campaign events and tactics you ve identified throughout your plan in one place, like the grid below. Be sure to capture the responsible person and deadline for each task, tactic or event. Schedule regular meetings of your campaign s core team including the policy, grassroots and communications leads. These meetings are your chance to talk through your tasks and tactics and share updates to keep everyone on the same page. If any element of your campaign should shift, be sure to revisit your campaign plan and make adjustments as necessary. Maybe a new sponsor signs on and you no longer need to target that member or direct tactics at him or her. Perhaps an unexpected legislative opportunity arises or you have a change in financial status. You must be flexible enough to adjust your campaign plan to meet the changing circumstances. Budget Running an effective policy campaign requires resources. Start by considering what your campaign needs to be successful. Draft the budget required to win first, and then seek the funds. Please see the attached budget at campaignplanning. Determining Campaign Needs Refer to your plan and the tactics you intend to employ. The items below are suggested but your specific campaign may have more or less. When planning your budget, seek to determine accurate cost estimates. Campaign Administration: Who will manage/coordinate the campaign? Do you need to hire someone? (Even if you believe that you are going to do this function, you should include your costs in your budget and notate as an in-kind contribution to the campaign.) Remember to also include the cost of benefits for anyone that you would hire. Do you need a grassroots organizer? Will your staff need office equipment? (Computer, printer, cell phone, camera, etc.) Website Development do you need to create a website for the campaign? American Heart Association National Center can help create campaign websites, often for a fraction of the price of an outside consultant. That said, you ll need to plan far enough in advance to ensure that there is time to build the site. Printing and Campaign Materials do you need to brand materials or provide printed copies for meetings, events, etc? Will your campaign require the help of any contractors? For example, a campaign coordinator, lobbyist, communications/ media firm. Be sure to thoroughly research and vet potential contractors and be strategic in your hiring CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 25

26 Campaign Tactic or Task Target Person Responsible LOBBYING Meetings to secure bill sponsor Senator Martinez John Sept- Nov Timeframe Deadline Status Dec. 10 (pre-file deadline) Meeting with Gov. staff Governor Wilson Francesca Fall Jan 1 Informational mtgs with all Health committee members Campaign intro to advocates Senator Anderson (com chair) (movement building task) GRASSROOTS Zeke Fall Dec 1 Melinda December Dec 10 Complete Mtg scheduled for Nov. 9 In progress/ 3 of 7 scheduled In progress/ scheduled Issue Training Call All targets Zeke January Jan 20 Not started Issue One-pager drop-off at legislative offices Senators Gerry November November 30 Complete MEDIA ADVOCACY Press conference at City Hall Mayor Rossi Janet May May 24 Scheduled Letters to the Editor City Council Member Petrov STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Franz Mar- May May 15 Letters drafted/ in review Meet with DOT Leg liaison Gov. Willis Sue July-Sept Sept 1 Complete Coalition Member Recruitment meeting Message research/focus group Craft Campaign Budget Movement building task CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT Campaign building Campaign building Jose May-July July 3 scheduled Sue June- August Sept 1 In progress/ scheduled Jeff July- Sept Sept 24 In progress Meetings Where will stakeholders meet? Will you need to rent space? While you may build in some dollars for meeting space, try to rely on office spaces available through coalition members and stakeholders. Have you considered utilizing a minority business owner as a vendor for your meeting? Will you need to provide refreshments at meetings? As a coalition working to improve health, you can use the American Heart Association Food and Beverage Guidelines. What other considerations are important to your stakeholders? Consider timing, location, child care and travel implications for your target audience. Travel and Lodging Figure in costs associated with travel for attending meetings and advocacy events including any overnight hotel stays, mileage, and meals. Don t forget to include attending national trainings or issue related conferences that may be important to your work. When considering this travel, include airfare. Some funders will not allow for air travel unless it is built into the proposal. As best as you can, identify these training events well in advance so it can be included in the proposed budget. Tactics Once you ve identified the tactics required to win, include cost estimates for each in your proposed budget. You may want to secure funding to support tactics like the following: Recruitment of Advocates Advocacy Trainings and Events Polling Advocacy Day Patch-through calling/phone banks Town Hall Media Advocacy, such as paid ads or a media roundtable Video 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 26

27 Seeking Funding Please reference the Association s Corporate Donation Policy Consider meeting with development staff to identify funding opportunities for your campaign. (Executive Director, Foundations Director, Major Gifts, Individual Giving and Mission Advancement) Restricted and Unrestricted Funds: When drafting your budget, consider that some of your needs will be lobbying and others non-lobbying. Think this through carefully and refer to Voices for Healthy Kids resources on this subject. Restricted funding may not allow for lobbying expenses so you will want to have some non-restricted money available for these costs. Restricted Funding Resources often come from local, state or national foundations with a vested interest in your issue. The foundations team and National Center consultants can help identify potential funders, prepare grant applications, and assist with grant management requirements. Unrestricted Funding sources may include direct donations from campaign supporters or for-profit businesses or other organizations that support your issue. You may also want to consider direct fundraising, but please coordinate with your local development staff. In-Kind: Make sure you inventory your campaign partners to determine what can be provided in-kind to the campaign. These items can include such items as office space, meeting space, lobbying, printing materials, communications and grassroots coordination. Voices for Healthy Kids Funding Opportunity: Equity and Building Sustainable Partnerships Incubator Funding Often smaller, local organizations are struggling with funding issues and yet you need their support in your campaign. Would providing them some funding help sustain their efforts? By including some funding for your equity partners, you build the relationship, increase the diversity of your campaign and secure help not only on this issue but potentially others in the future. This investment can also demonstrate your commitment to populations your issue seeks to benefit. This funding is not a donation, but it allows them to be an active participant in the coalition and helps to maintain their institution. Health Equity In order to truly impact the health of our communities, health equity tactics must be embedded in the foundation of each campaign, going well beyond one or two tactics. It is our intention to consider priority populations and historically marginalized communities in each section of campaign planning and management. With this in mind, you should use the following questions to help guide your work: Do the leaders of your campaign reflect the diversity of your community and state? (age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location, etc.) Are your grassroots activities inclusive of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences? Do your primary stakeholders represent all Americans? Have you considered traditional priority population organizations (e.g. NAACP, National Council of La Raza, Urban League, etc.)? Have you considered working across other sectors that work within the intersections of equity (e.g. education, civil rights, labor, finance, faith-based, etc.)? Have you considered champions from minority caucuses (Women, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian American, LGBT, etc.)? Do your action alerts, communications, and messaging reflect the priority populations in your community through pictures, language, and culturally competent components? Is your budget inclusive of any dollars needed to support strategic engagement through in-person events and minority media outlets? Including equity at the very beginning of your campaign is critical to your campaign s success. The inclusion of diverse partners will hold your coalition and campaign accountable to pass an equitable policy and to demand equitable implementation. If additional assistance is needed, consider this one-pager and graphic available at campaignplanning. Examples: social media campaign, host outreach/engagement events, etc CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 27

28 POST-CAMPAIGN Success Promotion Promoting campaign successes is important as you continue to grow the movement to help all children grow up at a healthy weight. Incremental successes should be celebrated throughout the campaign (successful hearing, editorial published, ad placed, etc.). Promoting campaign successes (even incremental) helps to keep volunteers, staff, coalition partners, and lawmakers engaged and enthusiastic about AHA s advocacy work. How to promote campaign success: Publicize success on blogs, social media, action alerts, newsletter, in-person presentations to key volunteer groups, leaders, and staff. Thank lawmakers and volunteers publicly. Be sure to comply with the Lobbying and Campaign Guidelines regarding proximity to an election. Tag them on social media. Interview them for blogs or newsletter articles. Issue a media release with quotes from or about the lawmakers/volunteers. Issue action alerts thanking lawmakers for support/ leadership. Provide awards to key leaders in the campaign key lawmakers and active volunteers. Follow up with a media release or LTE to lawmakers local paper recognizing their leadership. Develop a one-pager on your successes We Did This framework with headline/one-liners to make it memorable for staff and volunteers. This is a good tool for development staff to use when meeting with donors and volunteers to demonstrate the impact of their contributions. Host a celebration event to honor volunteers, staff, coalition partners, and lawmakers who played key roles in the success. (Good opportunity to give out awards.) Recognize key staff and volunteers in internal communications or internal coalition communications. (Call people out by name if possible.) Ensure that Voices for Healthy Kids staff have the information they need to include your success in internal and external communications. Evaluation Revisit any policy evaluation you did prior to launching your campaign. Were there metrics you measured then for which you need a comparison measurement at the campaign s conclusion? For example; if you surveyed the public to assess sugary drink consumption prior to launching your campaign, you will want to conduct the same survey to see if the results have changed after your campaign. Success can be found in unexpected places! Even when you ve failed to pass your desired policy, your campaign may have had a lasting impact on public behavior. Be sure to plan for this evaluation, including allocating necessary budget and resources to conduct the survey, polling, etc. Implementation Support After a successful campaign, implementation of a new policy or regulation is critical to achieving your public health goals. What role can you play? Be sure to understand who is responsible for implementation; not just the agency, but an actual person. Make contact and offer your expertise and organizational resources, as appropriate, to help ensure successful implementation. You may even consider setting aside campaign resources in the beginning to run educational ads that will help ensure a new policy is adopted and implemented as intended. Assisting with implementation, can demonstrate the campaign s leadership in the policy arena and commitment to improving public health. Refer to the Implementation Checklist Campaign Debrief After any campaign success or failure, an after-action review should be conducted. This is an opportunity to evaluate how effective the campaign was and identify what you should do differently in future campaigns. Some questions to think about include: What was the primary goal for this campaign plan for the year? Did you meet the goal? If you met the goal, what were the key factors that contributed to that success? If you met the goal, what steps are now needed to assure adequate implementation and evaluation of your policy outcome? If you did not meet the primary goal, what secondary goals were achieved, if any? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 28

29 If you did not meet the primary goal, what were the barriers that kept you from meeting the goal? Who were your targets, and did your campaign tactics influence them? What were your campaign metrics (number of meetings with decision makers, online or offline grassroots actions, media placements, etc)? How did these impact your success or failure? Did your state advocacy committee provide input into the development of the plan and/or review the plan? Explain. Were priority populations and the communities most impacted by this policy change actively engaged in the campaign? Did you update your campaign plan as circumstances changed during the year? Are there any other comments you want to share related to this campaign plan? Do you think you will continue to work on this plan next year? What do you think will be different next year that will make it more likely you will achieve the goal? What resources (financial and otherwise) are needed to help you meet the goal in the future? Are there any funding opportunities to meet this need? Is it time to move on from this issue into another policy area? This evaluation should be helpful for you as you start to think about your plans for future campaigns. Did you meet frequently with your grassroots, communications, development, community health, multicultural health staff (if applicable) during the year to coordinate the implementation of the plan? 2016 CAMPAIGN MANUAL Page 29