April Recovery Ready Communities Collaborative Meeting Minutes
In lieu of our regular meeting agenda, New Futures hosted an Advocacy 101 workshop for the group!
New Futures – Advocacy 101 Workshop
- Why does nonprofit advocacy matter?
- We speak for the needs of NH residents
- Nonprofits CAN advocate!
- Advocacy is educating legislators and other officials about your work and what your organization does
- Nonprofits CAN lobby
- If it constitutes 5% or less of annual budget
- Nonprofits must be nonpartisan
- Advocate on an issue
- Conduct candidate forums for all candidates
- Voter education on issues
- Voter registration
- Candidate education
- You can always advocate by educating without taking a direct position
- Advocacy does not equal lobbying
- Lobbying
- Attempt to influence a politician or public official to support a cause
- Calls to action
- Asking people to communicate with a legislator to:
- Share a position on an issue
- Providing a legislators contact information
- Identifying the legislator as someone who represents the audience
- Direct lobbying is:
- Communication,
- With a legislator,
- That expresses a view about specific legislation.
- If you are not doing all three of the above, you are not lobbying
- You cannot use federal grant funds to lobby
- Lobbying
- What is allowed?
- Examine or discuss broad social, economic, or health problems that does not refer to specific legislation
- Educate the public (personal health problems, health issues, etc.)
- Respond to a request from a legislative body for technical assistance or advice
- Examples of Advocacy
- Calling elected officials
- Participating in a public hearing
- Social media
- Coffee with an elected official
- Legislative events or breakfasts
- Advocacy & Social Media
- Build awareness (spread information & resources
- Call to action
- Encourages others to join you in taking action
- Power in numbers
- Increases the number of people taking action as well
- Stories humanize policy
- Stories are more memorable, relatable, and repeatable than data alone
- Learn more about ways to advocate on public policy in NH
What’s Next
- Next month, we will be wrapping up the 2025-2026 season of meetings by finalizing some of our work and preparing for exciting events this summer!
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 12, 10am-11am, in person at the Makin’ It Happen office.
Want to be added to the email list for the RRCC? Please click here to subscribe!
