Transcript Federal Connections Workshop

Becoming a Library Advocate
A Presentation for the Mortenson
Center Associates
Presenter: Stephanie Vance
Topics
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What is Advocacy?
Why Advocate?
Six Basic Advocacy Steps
Practice Makes Perfect!
The One Little Thing That Makes ALL the
Difference
What is Advocacy?
Thoughts?
Why Advocate?
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Gain Attention and __________________
Increase __________________________
Help _____________________________
understand the benefits of libraries
And, most important
Everyone Else Is!
Six Critical Steps for Advocacy
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What do you want?
Who should you ask?
Who should do the asking?
What is your message?
How should you deliver your
message?
How should you follow-up?
Step One
What Do You Want?
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The Problem with
“Educating”
Define the Goal
– Repair / replace
facilities
– More computers
– More staff (for more
hours)
– More recognition
Expressing that Goal
–
Specific and measurable
Step Two: Who Should You Ask
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What is the “chain of
command”?
Who makes the decisions?
Is there more than one avenue
or audience?
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University leadership
Policy makers
Opinion leaders
Students
General public
Step Two (continued)
Who Should You Ask
Once you’ve figured out the chain of command, you’ll
know who your audience is. Now you need to figure
out:
•What
(or who) influences them?
•If policy makers, how did they get into office?
•If policy makers, what jurisdiction do they serve?
•What are their personal interests?
•Personal relationship to libraries?
Step Two: Who Should You Ask?
What will you learn about your audience?
1.
2.
3.
Step Three
Who Should do the Asking?
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Who is best to deliver your message? (sometimes
it’s not you!)
Build a list based on your knowledge of the
audience
Identifying coalition partners
Approaching coalition partners
Utilizing coalition partners
Brainstorm about potential partners!
Step Four: What is Your
Message?
Developing a winning message: what
resonates
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Useful and relevant facts, figures and statistics
Personal, thoughtful messages that bring the
issue alive
Being specific
Brevity
Connections to interest / passions of audience
Let’s Practice!
What’s Your Message?
Step Five: How to Deliver the Message
Direct and Indirect
Plan of Action: Delivering the Message
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Direct
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Meetings / site visits
Public hearings
E-mail
Written communications
Phone
Plan of Action: Delivering the Message
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Indirect
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Events
The media
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Earned media
Paid media
Communications in which you are the conduit
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Petitions
E-mail campaigns
One Terrific Technique For
Delivering the Message
Site Visits
How to set up a GREAT site visit
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Decide who to invite
Sketch out a plan
Issue invitation
Logistics
Recording the event
Site Visits
What Are YOUR Ideas?
Step Six: How to Follow-Up
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There’s one thing that always works in
advocacy…
The One Little Thing That Makes ALL
the Difference
Persistence
Persistence
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than
unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will
not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence
and Determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan
“Press On”, has solved and will always solve the
problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge
Or, for the more “Zen” oriented…
Persistence can grind an iron beam down into
a needle.
Ideas for Follow-Up
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Working with the Mortenson Center and
professional organizations
Ask, ask and ask again
Go for the “easy” ask when dealing with
opposition
Build long-term relationships
What to do when it’s all falling apart…
The Five Minute Action Plan
Based on everything
we’ve discussed, what
three things will you do in
the next six months to
advocate for your library?
The Advocacy Pledge
Repeat after me…
Contact Information
Stephanie Vance
Advocacy Associates
1640 19th St., NW
Second Floor
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 234-1353
www.advocacyassociates.com
[email protected]