If you’re like me, your work of advocacy on public, political issues began with a click. It was an easy beginning. I’d see something on Facebook, or in an e-mail or article, asking me to sign a petition that would change the world for the better. “Sure,” I’d think, “I agree with this!” CLICK. Add my name and zip code. Done!
The trouble with what I call click-and-go advocacy is that it can give us the illusion of having done something when, really, we (pretty much) haven’t. I’m sure those e-gathered “signatures” get tallied and delivered to politicians, with all kinds of bluster about how important this issue is to voters. But any politician knows that the difference between real engagement and mouse clicks.
Mouse clicks don’t change the world. But engagement can.
I am not an expert in advocacy. But over the past several years, I’ve learned some things that could help us take a step beyond those pre-packaged, low-impact petitions:
1. Say It Yourself. If you want an elected official to hear your position, say it to them yourself. Nearly every one of them has a phone number, an e-mail, and sometimes a web page that accepts online submissions. Or you can write an old-fashioned letter, after you find their address online or in a phone book. (At least I think those still exist.) Politicians create ways of hearing from voters because they want and need to be responsive to their citizens. (Or at least look like they are trying to be.)
It’s much more effective if you ask for action on a particular bill or pending question. “Please fix the healthcare system” isn’t very meaningful. “I’m calling to ask the senator to co-sponsor Senate Bill #_____” is direct and actionable.
It’s even more meaningful if you take the time to say why you hold that position. We’ve all experienced the ways in which personal stories are more compelling than just a bare opinion or an appeal to statistics. When you can share your own story, or tell about someone you know, and how this measure will make a difference, it gives the lawmaker something real to think about and, ideally, something they in turn can use when they talk with others about the issue.
2. Say It in Person. Many elected officials have actual offices with hours when they’re open, when you can at least talk to their staff. Many will announce times when they are available on their district to meet with residents.
If you’re going to their office, it is helpful to call ahead and see if you can make an appointment ahead of time. When the Iowa legislature is in session, you can go to the statehouse and send a note in to your legislators and, if able, they’ll come out and talk with you. As I said above, it’s helpful for you to be specific about your request and share your reasons for the action you want them to take.
3. Say It Together. I would never have had the courage to do any of these things if it were left up to me. The first several times I did actual in-person advocacy, I did it with a group of people, some of whom had way more experience than I did. I watched them to see how to act in these spaces, and what might be helpful (or unhelpful!) along the way.
Plus, our impact is multiplied when we show up together. It can make a difference when we’re not a lone voice, but we’re part of a group of people with shared interests and possibly a common identity. (Like, say, members of the United Methodist Church, or volunteers with NAMI.)
4. Say It Strategically. A bunch of individual contacts to a legislator can make a difference. But an organized effort, bringing together a range of voices in common cause, can do even more. It’s what anthropologist Margaret Mead famously said:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
There’s a call for organization and strategy behind those words. When we work with coalitions toward particular goals, our impact is multiplied. Random is much less effective than focused.
If you want to join with others in the work of advocacy, there are so many ways of getting connected! Find a community organization that works in the area you care about, and see what they are doing on public policy. Chances are, they have an event or a newsletter or some other advocacy effort going on! Here are a few examples:
- United Methodist Advocacy Day. Happening tomorrow, Thursday, January 30, 2020 in Des Moines. Includes advocacy at the statehouse, after some initial conversation and training. (If you’re part of a different denomination, chances are you have something similar going on. If not, you’re always welcome to join with us! Check back at the link to sign up for regular updates from our legislative advocacy team.)
- NAMI Iowa Day on the Hill, February 25. An opportunity to learn about lobbying and join your voice with others working on mental health issues.
- AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy). This group held their lobby day today, but if you’re interested in organizing in central Iowa, I hope you’ll connect with them. This group, more than most, works from a broad range of grass-roots conversations to determine priorities and carry out advocacy. Many churches are partners in AMOS.
As I start to write a list like this, I am struck by how endless it could be! I hope you’ll pause for a minute and think about an area, or the issue, that you might be feeling called to work on. Then do a little looking. There are so many organizations doing such great work. Search them out, locally or beyond, and see how you might get connected.
5. Say It over Time. I have found that it’s easy and tempting to do some advocacy on some issue and then move on. But the work that will make a difference will take more sustained effort, by a team assembled around that purpose. My friend Bill Mefford—whom I mentioned last week—offers an invaluable resource for that work through the local church, in his book, The Fig Tree Revolution: Unleashing Local Churches into the Mission of Justice (Cascade, 2017). He says there:
I believe that local churches are the locus of God’s transformational work in the world. Local churches are where people experience missional engagement, recognition of their own privilege and prejudice, and the grace of repentance from racism, classism, sexism, agism, and other debilitating forms of relational death. It is in the local church where one finds the wonderful invitation to follow Jesus into liberating, incarnational relationships among people directly impacted by injustice. God wants to change the world and I believe that God will do it from the ground up. (p. 125)
Bill’s book uses the Biblical story of Esther to illustrate the various facets of advocacy. Mordecai and Esther become advocates because of circumstances they would not have chosen. They find themselves in the right place, with the right information, and sufficient courage, to change the trajectory of violence that would have wiped out the Jewish people. Through their story, we discovery multiple facets of our own story.
One thing I particularly appreciate about Bill Mefford’s book and leadership is his question, “What are you changing?” (p. 68-69) He notices our tendency to develop structures that stop at raising awareness or examining the issue. Thinking about it is the easy thing; doing something is more challenging! Most of the time, we need change, not another group engaged in thinking about how great it might be for change to come about. Bill offers an actionable, accessible approach to organizing for change. This includes creating a vision, identifying the team and who has what relationships, developing a strategy, and then utilizing resources wisely to pursue it. (chapter 8) Any church team focused on advocacy would find this book helpful.
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There’s so much more that could be said about how and where to begin. You will find some great resources if you’ll connect with groups that are engaged in advocacy. They want you to learn how to do this work! I’d love to hear how this has happened for you. If you’re still at the “click-and-go” stage, I dare you to take the next step. Call your senator’s office. Write an e-mail, or go to a legislative advocacy day. I have found these occasions to produce a great rush of adrenaline, patriotism, and hope! Maybe that will happen for you, too.
Will you be foolish enough to believe your voice could make a difference? We’ll talk more about that in the final piece of this series, next Wednesday.
Just so you know you ARE being read. 🙂