Mini-Guide: Advocating for Policy Changes as an Association

Advocacy is a critical part of many professional associations’ work. Whether you aim to impact local, state-wide, or national policy decisions, your advocacy efforts can make a major difference in the lives of your members and the future of your profession. Plus, your members can join the fight — empowering them to get involved in advocacy deepens their relationship with your association, boosting engagement and retention.

If your association is new to advocacy or you aren’t sure what the process entails, don’t worry. This mini-guide explores the basic elements of association advocacy and what you can do to get started.

Understanding the policy and its impact

The first stage of advocating for a policy change is research. Your association must dig into the details to ensure you understand what the policy entails, how it affects your members, and what the current public perception is. It’s also important to understand any requirements or limitations that apply to your association as a tax-exempt entity.

Before you decide to publicly advocate for a policy change, conduct thorough research and ensure you can answer questions like:

• How does/would this policy affect members?
  
  
• How important is this policy compared to others affecting our members
  
  
• Are members aware of this policy?
  
  
• What do members currently think of the policy?
  
  
• Have members supported similar advocacy efforts in the past?
  
  
• Would prospective members think of our association more favorably if we endorsed or advocated against this policy?
  
  
• Is the policy controversial among members or the wider public?
  
  
• Would members react positively to our association advocating for/against this policy?
  
  
• How would other stakeholders feel about our association advocating for/against this policy?
  
  
• Does our association have the resources/reach to realistically affect this policy decision?
  
  
• What would happen if we were successful in changing the policy?
  
  
• What would happen if the policy remained as is?

Gauge members’ awareness of and opinions on the issue by monitoring your association’s discussion forums, analyzing relevant engagement data, or sending a survey to ask members’ opinions directly. You might create a blog post discussing the policy and see whether members engage with it or ask discussion questions in your online member communities.

With this insight, determine whether this advocacy campaign is feasible and how you should present it to members if you move forward.

Setting achievable goals

Next, outline several realistic goals for your association. While your ultimate goal is to successfully change the policy, you need smaller, achievable goals to get there and make members’ voices heard even if the policy change doesn’t go through. 

For instance, you might set a goal to meet with 50 legislators about the policy or to raise awareness among members by 25%. Consider your association’s priorities as you set incremental goals, and determine what actions you need to take to achieve them. These actions might include:

• Making public statements to announce your association’s stance on the issue and the desired outcomes of your advocacy efforts.
  
  
• Contacting relevant legislators about changing the policy, explaining your association’s position and the importance of the members you represent.
  
  
• Lobbying key decision-makers to persuade them to change the policy or speak up for your association’s interests.
  
  
• Raising awareness among members and the wider public about the importance of the policy and how they can help.
  
  
• Getting media attention to put pressure on decision-makers and boost awareness even more.
  
  
• Hosting events where members can advocate for the policy change with your association’s support.

Determine the time, effort, and resources needed to complete each action, then create a campaign plan that incorporates all of them. Outline who should be involved in action, including staff, members, volunteers, or your board members. Then, draft a timeline around key dates like legislative sessions and voting days. 

Many of these details might change as the advocacy campaign gets underway, but having a concrete plan will help you navigate those changes and stay on track.

Leveraging your network

Your association’s network of members, community leaders, and other influential people and organizations is a valuable asset for your advocacy work. The right connections can expand your reach and help you get your foot in the door with those who make policy decisions.

Consider who in your association’s network might be able to connect you with political decision-makers or give your association access to new audiences. Present your case to these individuals and explain why you need their help to enact this policy change and how it will impact your community as a whole.

Specifically, you can increase the power of your advocacy by working with like-minded organizations. Whether you partner with a like-minded organization for the entirety of your advocacy campaign or just host a joint phone bank to call legislators, these partnerships can boost your association’s reach and help you attract more attention to your cause.

Engaging members in advocacy

While the main purpose of your advocacy campaign is to change a policy that affects your member community, you can also use your work to get members more involved in your association’s day-to-day activities.

Plus, members often want to get involved. They understand the power in numbers when it comes to advocacy, and they want to do their part to further your cause. By volunteering to advocate on your association’s behalf, they can make a greater impact on their community and make new, beneficial connections in the process.

To engage members in advocacy, you might take steps like:

1. Creating a page on your website or an advocacy microsite. Depending on the extent of your advocacy efforts, create a landing page about this policy change or an entire microsite to promote your association’s advocacy work. Include important details about the policy and how to take action, and ensure your site follows association SEO best practices to increase your site’s visibility on search engines.
   
   
2. Sharing educational resources. Your members likely don’t know the details of the policy you want to change, even if they’re aware of the issue. Create and share resources to inform them of what the policy entails, how it affects them, and why it’s important to your association.
   
   
3. Encouraging members to take action. Use a variety of marketing channels to promote your advocacy campaign and ask members to act. Use clear, straightforward calls to action that ask members to sign petitions, contact their representatives, and share information on social media. Provide all the tools they’ll need to take that action, such as an email template they can copy or a social media infographic to add to their story.
   
   
4. Sending regular progress updates. Keep members engaged throughout your campaign by sending updates about your association’s activities and the policy change’s progress. You might send text alerts about petition deadlines or emails about the success of your latest conversations with legislators.

Use your association management platform to track your efforts and individual members’ engagement with the campaign. Take note of members who are especially involved, and send personalized thank-you letters to show your appreciation for their support.

No matter the end results of your association’s advocacy efforts, remember to keep members in the loop and share your results with them. Report on the actions you took, how many members participated, the impact of the legislation, and what future advocacy work might look like. Together, you and your members can drive positive policy change that makes a difference for your community.