We’re now onto the third part of our series on nonprofit communications, discussing how to incorporate advocacy into your messaging. As always, huge thanks to The Nonprofit Roundtable for putting on such a great event.
Ilir Zherka is currently the Executive Director of the National Conference on Citizenship, but he spent 10 years at the helm of DC Vote, a nonprofit working toward getting DC residents full representation in the House and Senate. During that time, he increased the organization’s advocacy efforts, culminating in a protest on Capitol Hill that resulted in 41 arrests, including his own and that of DC Mayor Vincent Gray. Zherka revealed that it took years of strategic planning to up their advocacy efforts, and incorporate them into their communications strategy. He shared DC Vote’s first (failed) attempt at advocacy, in which people dressed in ape suits to protest legislation under vote. It failed because advocacy was not part of DC Vote’s communications at the time, and didn’t fit in with their messaging and other works. Breaking the mold so dramatically actually took attention away from the message and only got people talking about the medium.
Zherka emphasized that nonprofits must first communicate the need for advocacy, then take baby steps toward implementing an advocacy plan. There’s no point in pushing ahead towards advocacy if your board, your staff, and the people you’re trying to serve don’t understand the need for it. However, once you have the team on board you can begin to take small steps toward advocacy. Take part in a larger protest, start a letter writing campaign, get your followers to Tweet with a specific hashtag. Once your organization has started incorporating advocacy, you can ramp up your efforts. [spacer height=”20px”]
Important parts of nonprofit advocacy include knowing the message and finding a way to communicate successes. So you protested outside a Congressman’s office, great! Why did you protest, and what did you achieve? People supporting your organization want to know that your efforts affect change, so be sure to share what you’ve accomplished, and why it was important.[spacer height=”20px”]
Another major factor is striking when the iron is hot; that protest that I mentioned above was noteworthy because it occurred when Congress was trying to add riders to a bill that would have negatively affected the District. Knowing when to act is just as important as knowing how to act.[spacer height=”20px”]
Finally, you have to stand for something that is related to the people you are serving, not the allies you have. After all, a company or person that supports you now may not support you in the future. But the people you serve will continue to rely upon your aid and advocacy, so keep them at the front of your mind when planning your next move.[spacer height=”20px”]
Featured Image Credit: Keith Ivey