Speaking Truth to Power:
How to be an effective advocate
Nancy Delaney, Oxfam America
June 22, 2013
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Mozambique’s Family Law
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El Salvador’s Campaign to Prevent
Gender Violence
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Lobbying for Social Change
Does advocacy make a difference?
In-person visit
Phone Call
Email, Letter,
Petition
Media, Polls,
Voting blocks
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Getting a meeting
► Call your Member’s office
– request to speak with
the scheduler
► Explain who you are and
why you want a meeting
► Staff may ask for a fax or
email requesting a
meeting.
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Five steps to effective lobbying
5. Follow up
1. Prepare
4. Ask
2.Connect
3. Educate
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Step 1: Prepare
► Read background
materials
► Research your
Representative – show
them you know your
representative
► Anticipate the reaction –
what’s the context
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Useful research tools
Know who they are &
their interests:
► Biography
Web resources
Read the newspaper
thomas.gov
► Press Releases
► Relevant votes
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov
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Step 2: Connect
► Thank staff person for their time
► Identify yourself as a constituent
► Explain why you care about
women and girls – “ I believe all
women deserve to be selfsufficient.”
► Tell them what you want to talk
about, e.g. the specific piece of
legislation
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Step 3: Educate
► No Need to be an Expert - Talk about
what you know
► Present the issue – if possible, offer
personal/local/state angle –
always helps
► Give factual information – have at
least one key fact on hand.
“In some rural areas of Nepal,
72 % of women are illiterate”
► Be concise
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Step 4: Make the “Ask”
► Be clear what you want your
representative to do
► Ask your Senator/
Representative to vote for
a bill, co-sponsor specific
legislation, etc.
► Ask where your legislator
stands on your issue
► Ask for a commitment
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Step 5: Follow up
► Send a thank-you email or letter to the staff you met
► Restate important points discussed
► Include commitments made
► Send any information the staffer/Member
requested.
If you don’t follow up,
it is like the meeting never happened.
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Walk Thru & Recap
Agenda for meeting
Connect| Start with a
personal connection. Why is
this issue important to you?
Prepare I Do your homework
• Have something nice to say about
something the Congressperson has
done in his or her district.
• Bring a paper and pen to take
notes.
Educate| Deliver your
talking points
Ask | Ask them to commit to
a particular action.
Follow-up | Write a thankyou note and follow up with
them.
• If going with others, practice your
roles
• Have two to three talking points
written down
• Be prepared to answer questions
about your position, but remember–
you don’t have to be an expert!
• Have two leave-behind packets
prepared.
• Be flexible – expect the
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unexpected.
Questions?