Advocacy 101

Educating public officials about the value of sport in advancing the lives of people with disabilities and specifically the benefits your programs deliver to people in your community is essential to creating more inclusive policies, programs and resources. This section takes you through the steps you can take to engage public officials in your community, state or at the federal level in supporting your programs.

Why is it important to build relationships with public officials?

Increases visibility and awareness for your program
Enhances your ability to affect public policy
Engages a potential new resource or funding source
Builds support for your program

Define your objectives for reaching out to public officials

What are the goals, objective and benefits of the advocacy effort?

Who is the Target Audience?

The target audience depends on the issue and who has jurisdiction. Some likely targets include: Mayor, City Council, County Commissioner, State Legislators and Senators, State Agency Officials, Governor, U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, or Federal Agency Officials.

What Resources will be required?

Some knowledge of local, state or federal advocacy
Commitment of resources (staff, board time, may require travel)
Strategic use of resources (advocacy effort aligns with organizational priorities)
Board member participation (when relationships exist)

What now?

Develop the message
Conduct meetings
Secure champions
Mobilize stakeholders
Keep the momentu