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Libraries from Town Hall to Washington, DC: Have Your Message Heard!

Libraries from Town Hall to Washington, DC: Have Your Message Heard!. A Presentation for the New Jersey State Library Trustees Presenter: Stephanie Vance. Topics. What Influences Elected Officials Tips and Techniques for Breaking Through the Chaos Practice Makes Perfect!

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Libraries from Town Hall to Washington, DC: Have Your Message Heard!

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  1. Libraries from Town Hall to Washington, DC: Have Your Message Heard! A Presentation for the New Jersey State Library Trustees Presenter: Stephanie Vance

  2. Topics • What Influences Elected Officials • Tips and Techniques for Breaking Through the Chaos • Practice Makes Perfect! • The Top Ten List of Things Elected Officials and Staff Hate to Hear • The One Little Thing That Makes ALL the Difference

  3. Is Government Broken? • Number of bills introduced in a Congressional session • Percentage of bills that pass • Number of bills related to the renaming of post offices and federal buildings • Number of legislators in the NJ Legislature • Each member of the NJ House represents approximately how many people? • Average time for a meeting with an elected official

  4. Why is This Important?How Government Policies Affect YOUR Life

  5. How Government Policies Affect YOUR Life (Continued)

  6. How Government Policies Affect Libraries

  7. Factors that Influence Elected Officials What factors do YOU think influence an elected official?

  8. Personal _______________ Friends Staff Family Jobs / ____________ Issues in Their Districts The _______________ ___________________??? The ________________ Their Own ____________ and Passions MOST IMPORTANT Their Constituents Representative Democracy reflects and amplifies the POWER of the Grassroots Potential Factors:

  9. What Doesn’t Influence Elected Officials (you might be surprised!) • Logic • Polls • Irrelevant statistics • Policy requests tied to campaign contributions

  10. Why Should YOU Advocate? The POWER of Grassroots Elected officials pay attention to the people who elect them, but only if those people know how to use their “Power of Constituency” This is why YOUR voice is so important

  11. But don’t just take my word for it!

  12. How to Have Your Message Heard! • What do you want? • Who should you ask? • How should you ask? • How should you follow-up?

  13. What Do You Want? • You must “Make the Ask”

  14. Policy-related Support for a bill Support for funding initiative Support for change in policies Relationship Building Newsletter Article Public Statement One minute or five minute speech Site visit Website statement Two Kinds of Asks: Policy Related and Relationship Building

  15. Where can you find this out?

  16. Who Should You Ask? Key Questions • Who do they care about? Why are you relevant? • What does the elected official care about? • How can you frame the message?

  17. Tips on Dealing With Staff • What Are They Looking For? • Remember, Your Issue Is One of Many • Staff Contact Has Advantages Over Member Contact • Institutional Memory in an Elected Official’s Office Can Be Short • Expect (and Appreciate) Youth

  18. How Should You Ask? Follow the SPIT Rule • Be Specific • Be Personal (and Positive) • Be Informative • Be Trustworthy • Oh, and be brief!

  19. Let’s Practice!

  20. The Top Ten List: What Staff & Elected Officials Hate to Hear 10. But I thought my appointment was with the Council member! 9. Here’s some reading material for you – our 300 page annual report 8. How much of a campaign contribution did your boss get to vote against (or for) this bill? 7. I assume you know all about bill number 1234

  21. The Top Ten List, Continued 6. No, I don’t have an appointment but I promise I’ll only take ½ hour of your time. 5. No, I don’t really need anything specific. 4. What you’re telling me can’t be right. I heard Jon Stewart from the Daily Show say otherwise. 3. We have ten (or more) people in our group. 2. What do you mean we have to stand in the hall?

  22. … And the number one item? • No, I don’t represent anyone from your district. I just thought you’d be interested in what I have to say.

  23. The One Little Thing That Makes ALL the Difference Persistence

  24. 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

  25. Or, for the more “Zen” oriented… Persistence can grind an iron beam down into a needle.

  26. What can you do to be more persistent? • Ask, ask and ask again until you get an answer • If you get an answer you don’t like, ask a different question • Utilize all the resources at your disposal (NJSL, NJLA and the NJLTA as well as the ALA and other acronyms!) • Find out this afternoon about more advocacy techniques – and maybe even create your own campaign! • Learn more about advocacy… Where can you find more resources?

  27. Where else?

  28. 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 library issues in New Jersey?

  29. The Advocacy Pledge Repeat after me…

  30. Contact Information Stephanie Vance Advocacy Associates 1640 19th St., NW Second Floor Washington, DC 20009 (202) 234-1353 www.advocacyassociates.com info@advocacyassociates.com

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