Transcript Document

Advocacy and Public Affairs
It’s Not Just Tennis
Barry Ford, Director of Education, Advocacy & Public Affairs
2011 Training of Advocacy Consultants
Palisades, New York
June 21-25, 2011
Overview of Presentation
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What is Advocacy in the USTA Context?
What is our approach?
Advocacy Plan, Agenda & Approach
Departmental Structure
Public Affairs Effort
Resources
Discussion / Q & A
What is Advocacy?
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Effort
To Convince
Decision-Maker
What you want (Program, Facility,
or Proposal)
• Will help them get what they want
Advocacy in the USTA Context
Passion and
Knowledge of
Tennis
The Needs and
Objectives of
Schools,
Communities,
Colleges, and Local
Governments
Sustained Public
Support
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Public Policy
Change
Our Core Belief
The sport of tennis can improve:
• schools,
• communities,
• opportunities for youth
• quality of life for all.
Our Approach
• Do not focus on Tennis
• Concerns of the public official or public
agency
• Tennis facilities and programs are tools
that help solve public problems?
• How does getting you what you want, help
the decision-maker?
USTA’s Advocacy Agenda
• Tennis Facilities open to and easily
accessible to the public
• After-School Programs featuring Tennis and
Education Programming
• Tennis in Public Parks with Quality Staffing
and Programming
• Preservation, Growth and Strengthening of
Tennis on College Campuses
Public Sector Focus
• This Agenda Primarily Targets Public Sector
Decision-Maker
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Government Leaders (Executive and Legislative)
School Administrators and Educators
Park Officials
Public College Leaders
• But not exclusively so.
+ Private College Leaders
+ Influential Civic Leaders
Things Public Sector Decision-Makers
Care About
• Health
+ Obesity
+ Chronic illnesses
• Community Development & Public Safety
+ Engagement of Youth
+ Safety of Seniors
+ Security and Opportunity for Families
• Education & Youth Development
+ After-School and Physical Education
• Economic Development
+ Large-scale tournaments
How can Grassroots Advocacy grow the game
of Tennis?
• New Resources
+ Assist with your grant requests
+ Access to Local and state funds-MONEY
• New Opportunities
+ After School Tennis and Education programs
+ Keep Varsity and Recreational tennis at colleges healthy
+ Help build new tennis courts or refurbish old courts
• Sustainable Local Government support
+ Access to courts in public parks, Tennis in the Parks
+ Make tennis sustainable part of the community infrastructure
+ Helps to increase the teaching of tennis in school P.E. programs
Advocacy Circle
Schools
Facilities
•Community-Based
•Youth & Families
•Sustainability
•Public Support
Parks
Colleges
Build a public facility for youth and families. All get to play.
Education, Advocacy & Public Affairs
Education, Advocacy & Public Affairs
Director
Barry Ford
Advocacy
National Manager
April Croft
Schools Tennis
National Manager
Jason Jamison
Schools Tennis
Coordinator
Christina Hope Tolley
NJTL
National Manager
Dan Limbago
NJTL Education
National Manager
China Fanning
NJTL
Coordinator
Emily Sandor
Administrative Asst.
Geoffrey Ardolino
Public Affairs Strategy
Purpose
USTA’s Public Affairs Strategy is designed and is being
executed with the goal of persuading key policymakers
in the Federal Government that TENNIS and Tennis and
Education programming can be and is an important
tool in addressing the public policy issues of concern
to them.
Public Affairs Strategy
Positioning
• USTA as partner vital to the Federal Government’s efforts
to address priorities related to health, wellness,
educational opportunity, public safety, and childhood
obesity.
• USTA as a service provider and supporter of members of
the military, veterans, wounded warriors and their
families
• USTA as resource for policymakers in Congress and the
Administration
Let’s Move! Collaboration
Public Service Announcement
• Features Michelle Obama, Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi
• Promotes healthy lifestyles through tennis
200,000 Children Receive “PALA”
• Physical activity for 60 min per day, 5 days per week, 6 of 8 weeks
• Led by NJTL – includes JTT, Schools, CTA, TIP, Wheelchair, Military
3,000 Tennis Courts In 100 Communities
• Tennis courts will include permanent QuickStart Tennis format lines
• USTA commits to building in neighborhoods nation-wide
To participate visit: WWW.USTA.COM/PALAChallenge
PALA = New Opportunities
USTA-Let’s
Move!
Collaboration
200,000
PALA
Participants
Positioning in
Washington
Recognition &
Celebration
To participate visit: WWW.USTA.COM/PALAChallenge
Section Survey
HIGHLIGHTS
• 11 responses from 17 Sections
• 6 sections have Advocacy Committees
• 4 sections have their own Handbooks
• 3 sections have basic rules and
procedures for advocacy
Working with local government
to access public tennis courts
Engage with the City Council and Parks &
Recreation Leadership
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They should be aware of you and your work
before you need something from them
Attend and be vocal at Council Hearings
Be on agenda for Parks Planning Commissions
Get to know the needs of the Park and
Recreation Agency and strategize on how tennis
programming can help address them
Where possible develop join use agreements
concerning access to public courts
Working with local government
to access public tennis courts (cont.)
• Build goodwill inside of the decisionmaking body
• Get your allies on Parks and Recreation
Commission
• Have a Parks person on the Board of
Directors of the local CTA or NJTL
• Sponsor Park and Recreation events
• Work collaboratively with local CTAs,
sections and states to build relationships
What other advocacy resources and the USTA offer:
either from National or at the Section level?
• Data
• Formal letters or declarations sent to Mayors and
City Councils thanking them for supporting tennis.
• Funding for local advocacy consultants to work
with tennis constituents on major issues.
• High Profile PR efforts, like White House, are key
• More advocates registered on Big Serve – current
number is 1649
• Share information on advocacy efforts
• Success stories
• Webinars/Local Workshops/Consultant Trainings
Advocacy Tools & Resources
Advocacy Website, The Big Serve
www.usta.com/thebigserve
Advocacy Tools & Resources
Advocacy Handbook and online training
module (Available Spring 2011)
Additional Tools & Resources
• Advocacy 101 Curriculum Delivered by
Adjunct Faculty
• Training of Advocacy Consultants
• College Presidents DVD and College
Coaches Video
• Section Advocacy Handbooks and CDs