1 / 25

How to Spread Your Message And Grow Support for Your Cause

How to Spread Your Message And Grow Support for Your Cause. Raising Your Voice. With a phone call, letter, or meeting, we can communicate our individual viewpoints or needs to our representatives.

milstead
Download Presentation

How to Spread Your Message And Grow Support for Your Cause

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. How to Spread Your Message And Grow Support for Your Cause Raising Your Voice

  2. With a phone call, letter, or meeting, we can communicate our individual viewpoints or needs to our representatives. But, to influence our leaders on the big issues, it takes the effort of lots of people, working together to communicate a message.

  3. In a Democracy, decisions are made based on what the people think is right. Our elected leaders rely on feedback from the people they represent to let them know how they should make the decisions and policies that impact our communities. But they can’t rely on the word of just a few people. They need to be sure that they’re making decisions that will be good for the most people possible.

  4. To get our leaders to work on the issues we care most about, they need to hear from a lot of us! Part of the job of advocates is to get the word out to our fellow citizens, and to encourage them to join our causes.

  5. Four Ways to Raise Your Voice • Join or Start a Group • Bring Attention to an Issue • Share Your Story • Lend Support and Speak Your Mind

  6. Join or Start a Group Online • Google.com • Search for Groups Using Keywords • ex: Developmental Disability Advocacy Groups • Combine Keywords using the + symbol • ex: disability advocacy groups + New Jersey • Look for exact titles or names using the “ “ symbols • ex: “People First New Jersey”

  7. Join or Start a Group Online • Meetup.com • FREE to use • You can use your existing Facebook or Google account to sign in (if you have one) • Search for groups in your area OR start your own • Share the group on your blog or social media accounts

  8. Join or Start a Group Online • Facebook.com • FREE to use • Search for groups in your area OR start your own group page • All you need is a Facebook account • Great way to share information with your group members

  9. Join or Start a Group Offline • Tabling at Community Events • Local Events like Farmers Markets, Street Fairs, Parades, Township Celebrations, Flea Markets, etc. • Contact info for event organizers can usually be easily found online. Ask for a table at the event

  10. Join or Start a Group Offline • Tabling at Community Events • Lay out a tablecloth; be creative; make your table inviting • Bring fliers and basic info about your group • Set up posters and a poster board with photos of your group, basic info (time, location, “About Us”, etc.) • Have a sign-up sheet • Give out candy or other goodies • Be knowledgeable and friendly. Don't be afraid to engage people. Call them over!

  11. Join or Start a Group Offline • Post Fliers • Post fliers on community bulletin boards at your local supermarket, library, municipal building, etc. • Ask small business owners (like delis, gift shops, barber shops) if you can post fliers in their window • Reach out to your local CILs, Family Support Organizations, County Arcs, etc. to keep fliers at their office

  12. Join or Start a Group Offline • Basic Information for Fliers • Who, what, where, when, why • Topics your group discusses, or your areas of emphasis • Contact information • Also a great way to promote events your group is organizing

  13. Bring Attention to an Issue Using Social Media Tools • Facebook and LinkedIn • Write regular status updates and posts about the issues you care about • Engage your social media friends and followers. Ask for responses to general question. Start a conversation! • Take pictures or video on your smartphone and share them easily. • Use Facebook Live to broadcast your advocacy activities • Twitter • Post (“tweet”) as often as you like, or share (“retweet”) the posts of others • Remember, there is a strict limit on how long a tweet can be (140 characters), so keep it simple!

  14. Bring Attention to an Issue Sharing Articles • Social Media • Most online articles have an option to share on social media. Just click the icon for whichever service you use. It’s that simple! • Emails to family and friends • You can also copy the web address of the article you wish to share, and paste it into an email to friends, family, or colleagues

  15. Bring Attention to an Issue Sharing Informative Web Links • Facebook & LinkedIn • Simply copy the web address and paste into your “Status” bar • Twitter • Has a limit on how long a message can be. Use bitly.com to shorten the web link and save space!

  16. Bring Attention to an Issue In Print • Letter to the Editor • Keep it simple – no more than one page in length • Type it out (or have someone type it for you) • Speak from the heart and make it personal • Mention where you live (type of home, the town you live in) • Include facts about your issue • Include a “call to action”ex: “We need to contact our leaders and tell them to protect Medicaid!” You can find a list of your local newspapers at: http://www.njpa.org/njpa/member_newspapers/county_map.html

  17. Share Your Story Starting a Blog • Blogger, Tumblr, Weebly, and more! • You can write about any topic you like. There are no rules – It’s your own personal space! • Most offer basic accounts that are free to use and require little to no online experience to setup • Always remember to let your social media friends/followers know when you’ve posted a new blog entry

  18. Share Your Story YouTube • Easy to use and free – all you need is a google account • If you have a smartphone or computer with a camera built in, you have all you need to get started! • Use YouTube for “vlogging”. Like a blog (which is written), you can share your views, tell your story, or bring attention to an issue using your own voice, on camera • For the tech savvy, use Windows Live Movie Maker on your PC or iMovie on your Mac to edit together video clips along with graphics and text

  19. Share Your Story Facebook/Instagram • Photos and videos can be accompanied by text • Join ongoing conversations using Hashtags • Make it personal Snapchat (for smartphones only) • Tell a Story using multiple pictures taken throughout a single day • Great for documenting a “day in your life”, an advocacy event you’re attending, or a protest/demonstration in which you’re participating

  20. Share Your Story In Print • Letter to the Editor • Op-Ed (share your opinion) • Can be longer than a Letter to the Editor • Should include all the important facts on the issue you’re writing about • You’re not only expressing your opinion on a topic. You should ALSO express an opinion on what needs to be done moving forward to improve our communities (offer a solution)

  21. Lend Your Support andSpeak Your Mind Start a Petition • Change.org • Act.ly (specially designed for twitter) • MoveOn.org Post links to your petition on your social media, webpage, or blogSend petition results to your representatives

  22. Lend Your Support andSpeak Your Mind Social Media • Twitter and Facebook Tags • Use the “@” symbol to tag your elected leaders. When you tag someone, they get a notification that you were talking to/about them • Using Hashtags • This is a great way to start or join ongoing conversations about a given topic • Use the “ #” symbol to insert a hashtag. When someone then searches for that hashtag in Facebook or twitter, they’ll see all the comments that have used it. • Retweeting and Sharing • If a friend, fellow advocate, or public figure tweets or posts something that you think is worthwhile, share it with your social media friends and followers too!

  23. Lend Your Support andSpeak Your Mind In Person Go to: • Town Hall Meetings • Public Forums • PTA and School Board Meetings • Demonstrations and Protests

  24. Lend Your Support andSpeak Your Mind In Person • Know what you want to say (write down your main points on flashcards or write out a statement on a sheet of paper) • Make a sign or poster (be creative but keep it simple) • Seek out and talk to the press! • keep an eye out for anyone wearing a nametag or badge that says PRESS • at meetings, public hearings, etc., you'll usually find them in the back or on the sidelines writing in a notepad or typing on a laptop. • Keep an eye out for anyone with a professional looking photo or video camera. Don’t be shy!

  25. Questions?

More Related