Week 7- Level 2 Challenge Option: Form Your Own Advocacy Group

Form Your Own Advocacy Group

The last several decades have seen a rise in citizens' and corporations' use of professional advocacy groups to address sociopolitical issues. The most successful groups use conferences, lobbying, and paid media to persuade lawmakers to support their legislative and regulatory agendas. For this Challenge, you will assume the role of executive director for a new advocacy group and write a two-page, double-spaced memo to a group of donors that would potentially be interested in funding your organization.

PREPARATION

Use the resources provided below to think about and research the following:

1. An issue area and position around which you will mobilize individuals (i.e., citizens, elected representatives, corporations, etc.)interested in advocating around the issue and a particular position you pick regarding that issue (e.g. for/against, support/don't support, etc.).  NOTE: The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank,” has a wide range of surveys broken down by topic and demographic group. Use the surveys found at http://www.people-press.org/topics/ Links to an external site. to find an issue of political debate around which you can organize and identify some demographic characteristics of voters inclined to support your side of the issue. Be sure to include and cite two polls in your memo. Remember that there are advocacy groups that support the majority viewpoint and there are groups that speak for (sometimes very small) minorities. The breadth and depth of support will impact your strategy.
2. Strategies to keep your base of support engaged by donating money to your organization and influencing lawmakers and public opinion. NOTE: An advocacy group’s base, if managed and mobilized correctly, can be a very effective tool for shaping public opinion and pressuring lawmakers. Strategies such as writing op-ed columns and letters to the editor to establishing social media campaigns or endorsing specific political supporters, the best advocacy groups find ways to keep their donors united behind concrete policy goals and broader ideals. The advocacy organization provides information, organization, and the assurance that the donor will make a difference. Donors, in turn, provide money, time, and grassroots communications within their own social networks. Peruse the following strategy guides to gather ideas, and cite them as you lay out your strategy:  PolicyLink: http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.5153189/k.47F4/Advocating_For_Change.htm Links to an external site.)  CARE (chapters 8-10): http://www.care.org/getinvolved/advocacy/tools/english_03.pdf Links to an external site.
3. A legal classification for your advocacy organization that fits with your issue and strategy.  NOTE: Your organization’s legal category goes hand-in-hand with the types of activities you decide to pursue. The general rule: the less direct political campaigning the organization does, the easier it is to raise funds. Donations to 501(c)3 charitable and educational organizations (like UF) are tax-deductible for the donor and tax-exempt for the receiving organization. Donations to 501(c)4 social welfare organizations are not tax-deductible for the donor but are tax-exempt for the receiving organization. They are also not limited by campaign finance rules and the names of donors do not have to be disclosed. Look at the descriptions of different legal categories on Open Secrets (http://www.opensecrets.org/527s/types.php Links to an external site.) and explain why the legal category you picked is a good fit for your group’s mission and activities.

ACTION

Write your 2-page, double spaced memo in a way that will convince potential donors that you will be running a viable organization.  Organize your memo across the following three categories:

• issue area and position around which you will organize and the group of people you think will be interested in mobilizing around the issue and position.
• strategies you will employ to keep your base of support engaged so that they donate to your organization and influence lawmakers and public opinion.
• legal classification for your advocacy group that fits with your issue and strategy.

NOTE: When writing the memo, remember that your big donors are serious people without much extra time in their day: keep the language simple and clear and respect the page limit. You want to keep your job as executive director of the group and avoid a jail sentence, so do a good job.

REFLECTION

Write a 1-page, double-spaced paper in which you address the following: How does/would an advocacy organization be more or less effective than an individual citizen? As an individual citizen, what do you believe would be your chances of successfully lobbying a legislative body to address an environmental crisis? In other words, do you feel that you have any agency?  Do you think an individual citizen can effectively and legitimately lobby to a legislative body? 

SUBMISSION

Please make sure to submit the following through Assignments:

• Your 2-page, double spaced memo
• Your 1-page, double spaced reflection paper

RESOURCES

RUBRIC