5 Advanced Steps to Mastering Advocacy
Once you’re practicing some of the basic ways to advocate for the arts, you can start to expand your efforts with these steps.
Adapted from Americans for the Arts Fundamentals of Local Arts Management.
1) Know the systems
Find out which organizations, government units, and agencies set policies that could affect cultural development. Besides the city council and mayor or city manager, this might include the parks department and commission, the school board and department, the department of public works, and the planning department. Learn how each works, how policies and decisions are made, and who or what influences decision makers. In some communities elected officials have more power than the city manager or other staff, while in other communities the professional staff might have a great deal of clout.
2) Develop skills
Develop personal contacts with key staff and officials. Be sure you put their names on your mailing list and schedule informal visits annually or semiannually so that they come to know you not only when you are asking or complaining about something. Ideally they will come to rely on you as a friend, trustworthy contact, or resource person on whom they can count. It is a good practice to publicly recognize officials and other decision makers for their support. Don’t overlook key support staff. They can be allies or detractors depending on how they’re handled, and they may have the ear of their boss.
Establish communication with other organizations and coalitions that are working on related issues or toward compatible goals.
3) Establish a network
The ability to generate calls, letters and/or email to decision makers or the press is the backbone of most advocacy campaigns. An organization’s political clout is often measured in relation to the number of constituents it can activate in a short amount of time. Everyone has heard stories of how officials count letters and calls to gauge constituent interest and opinion. The objective is to be sure that, within eight to 24 hours, you can mobilize supporters to make contact with decision makers. Email lists and phone trees are key elements of any good advocacy effort. You should be organized to mobilize your board, members and audiences. Keeping in regular communication with your advocates will make them feel connected with your cause and ready to act on your behalf.
A local organization’s advocacy network can be an asset when used to assist allies and public officials in their own fundraising and advocacy efforts.
Establish communication with other organizations and coalitions that are working on related issues or toward compatible goals.
4) Track issues
It is a good idea to designate board members as liaisons to key commissions and agencies. Monitoring such things as the budget development process or the availability of an underutilized funding may prepare you to act early and informally on your own behalf. It is important to be strategic about how and when you make the public aware of issues. Consider the general climate of the community when planning the launch of any kind of campaign. Be aware of events and activities happening on the local, state and national front, and put this knowledge into play when making public announcements. For example, extreme care should be exercised if launching a capital campaign for an arts center while several other building projects are occurring in the community.
5) Be prepared to tell your story
When you have something to say, you will need to deliver the message clearly and concisely as possible. Telling the right stories and substantiating with statistics can increase the impact of your case. Facts, not hype, are key to establishing your credibility. In arts advocacy it is particularly critical to connect with the relevant issues and concerns of the community. The arts stimulate economic growth by generating tourism revenue, creating jobs, and through expenditures of arts organizations toward the creation, promotion and showcasing of their craft. The arts are the primary way in which communities preserve and celebrate their culture and heritage.
Try to always stay on a positive note. Keep your message focused on positive results and mutual benefits. For instance, use local statistics to show that the arts successfully educate children, attract tourists, stimulate business and generate local and regional partnerships – all of which benefit the entire community.