YPR Advocacy: Public Policy 101

While getting the results you want may be difficult, making the pitch for the policy change you want to see isn’t! In our own ways, we’re all advocates for something—whether it’s asking for that raise, trying to get into your school of choice, or speaking up on behalf of our children. One way or another, we’re all advocates.

Now that you realize just how easy it is to advocate, here are a few things to keep in mind in order to be as effective as possible.

• Data and research are critical, as they help to make a concrete case to the public, the media, and policymakers about the problem and the efficacy of the proposed solution. Moreover, for existing problems, it helps to have data to show the impact those problems have had on you or your community more broadly. In other words, reliable data and facts about the issue can help make the case for policy change and are important in influencing and convincing policymakers of the need for change.

• Effective communications require the right messaging and framing targeted to the right audiences. Effective messaging and framing can build awareness, change public perception, and move people to action. Importantly, those messages should target the individuals you are trying to persuade by considering their motivations. For example, if a lawmaker in your community is an avid supporter of creating a balanced budget, they may not be eager to fund a costly workforce development program. What can you say to this lawmaker that appeals to them, even if they are hesitant to approve legislation that would cost taxpayers more money?

Of course, lawmakers are always motivated by the need to represent their constituents, so when we advocate for public policies that improve communities, it is important to emphasize stories from your participants about the impact your programs have had on those participants’ lives. In fact, telling your story is easy and effective and has the potential to engage elected officials and the public on a deeper level. 

• Educating and engaging policymakers is important even when you don’t have a specific ask. Educating your lawmakers is the most direct opportunity you have to influence policy. It allows you to develop strong relationships and create policy champions who will advocate for the kinds of changes that benefit the people and communities you serve.

• Building a strong, diverse, and engaged partnership base will amplify your impact. You can be an effective advocate on your own, but if members of your networks and coalitions can sound a unified voice, your chances of success will multiply. By building relationships with your partners and identifying the ways in which your partnership can be mutually beneficial, you will be able to bring partners to the table to reinforce the messages you use to influence the policymaking process.

Highlighted below are commonly used advocacy strategies and examples of calls to action that can inform and influence future policymaking. Not all of these examples will be relevant to your advocacy efforts at any given time but instead are meant to serve as starting points as you brainstorm strategies to strengthen your advocacy efforts.