Transcript Effective Advocacy for Trustees

What Trustees Need to
Know About Advocacy
Influencing policy before Congress
and the Administration
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What is ‘advocacy’?
All actions intended to influence lawmakers’ positions
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Letter-writing
Direct meetings
Phone calls
Social media contacts
Advertising campaigns
Public meetings or hearings
When is advocacy appropriate?
• Enhancing and protecting community colleges
• Bringing pressure to lawmakers for good of community
• Establishing positive two-way relationships
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Why we advocate
• Legislators have many competing interests
• Special interests can obscure the public voice
• Sharing experiences from the inside is helpful and
informative
• Democratic process provides many opportunities to
engage policymakers
• Sometimes being in the room is half the battle
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What do we advocate about?
• Funding and resources are primary
• Majority of community college funding comes from state and local
• BUT: federal student aid and workforce programs remain
significant sources of institutional operating revenue (outside of
tuition)
• Legislation
• Regulations, guidelines, reports, and commissions
FEDERAL
STATE
LOCAL
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Federal Student Aid is like a
Three-Legged Stool
• Each leg of the higher education stool represents an important
part of federal assistance offered to enhance student access.
Federal Loans – Stafford, Grad, PLUS, Perkins
Grants – Pell, SEOG
Tax Credits – AOTC, Section 127, Coverdell, SLID
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Impact of Federal Student Aid on Your Campus
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Why trustees?
• Set the mission of the college
• Carry out the board’s duties and responsibilities
• Lay citizen, representative from the community
• Politically connected
• Ideal representative/advocate for the college
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Areas of trustee expertise
• Academic programs
• Fiscal management
• Personnel
• System planning
• Admissions requirements
• Tuition and fees
• Graduation, achievement rates
• Rules and regulations
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Elements of effective advocacy
• Learn the basics of the legislative process
• Know the issues
• Create a consistent message that is clear and
relevant
• Support and encourage the president’s role as
influential advocate
• Attend the ACCT National Legislative Summit
• Visit your Senators and Representatives in DC
• Invite legislators to visit the campus
• Build relationships with policymakers and staff
• Continual conversation and dialogue
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The Key to Effective Advocacy:
A Common Message
 Simple, short, relevant, and clear
 Consistent message
• When advantageous, trustees and presidents should
have same message
• Help legislators know they are making a positive
decision
 Visibility
• Backup advocacy with public and media relations
 Develop long term relationships with policymakers
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The Hill Meeting
Know your legislator
• Their district – major cities and
economic centers other than your college
• The name of the Congressional staffer you may be
meeting with
• Have they visited your campus?
• Representative’s educational background
• Committee assignments
Know the process
• Bill numbers, content, status
• Necessary steps to moving policy
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Successful Meeting Tips
 Be on time, flexible, friendly, and brief
• Arrive early and be willing to wait.
 Ask for support
• Gauge a member’s level of support for community college
priorities
 Ask about your member’s priorities
• As with any good relationship, it is give and take
 Collect business cards
• Remember to leave behind your business card and college
information
 Send thank you note
• Establish a long-term relationship
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Action Items
Face-to-face communication is best
• Be visible - Attend fundraisers, grassroots support
• Invite your legislator to small social functions with
college officials
• Invite your legislator to speak at graduation
• Encourage use of college facilities for town
meetings/forums
• Invite legislative staff to tour campus
• Never hold a public event without inviting your
local public officials
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Importance of Persistence
 Goal: ongoing, second-nature support
• Two-way relationship
• “Community colleges? You bet we support them,
they are a top priority for Congress!”
 Things to remember:
• Representatives and Senators relate to their local
colleges
• Congress must understand the role and priorities
of the community college system
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ACCT Advocacy Toolkit
www.acct.org/advocacy
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Worksheets
Op-ed template
Letter to state legislators template
State advocacy press release template
Customizable state advocacy advertisements
Glossary, Key Policies, Links and Articles for Advocacy
Capitol Connection and Latest Action in Washington (LAW)
Receive email updates: [email protected]
• Breaking news: follow and friend us:
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Twitter.com/CCTrustees
Facebook.com/CCTrustees
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Contact Information
Jee Hang Lee
Vice President for Public Policy and
External Relations
202-775-4450
[email protected]
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Thank You
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