Planning a Grassroots Legislative Campaign

Grassroots advocacy and community organization played a major role in this past year’s Presidential election. Never before has the Internet been utilized to organize such a massive grassroots campaign.   Read here how Moveon.org sought to motivate a nation to action during the never ending election season.

This week’s Sunday paper provided the perfect introduction to lesson eight.  One of the biggest shocks of my new career in public relations was that grassroots efforts are not always what they appear.  Read on…

The past few days have brought battalions of grassroots soldiers to Pennsylvania’s Capitol as the budget impasse loams large and state employees brace for partial or nonexistent pay checks.  Needless to say, the climate inside the Capitol is tense at best.  Now is definitely not the time to bring concerns to the legislators in a Johnny/Jane come lately format.  Grassroots efforts should have been executed months ago with little but a thank you left to deliver at this point.  I have served more as cheerleader this week than lobbyist as I try to support my elected compatriots.  It is PR firm against PR firm, caucus against caucus, and strategy against strategy as the Commonwealth buckles down for overtime.  In reality, only a few leaders serve as budget negotiators at this juncture.

Lesson eight attempts to teach students the elements of a sound grassroots campaign and assist learners in developing a plan to engage memberships of associated professional organizations in efforts that prove helpful and not harmful in advocating for affiliated causes.

Give seven tips for organizing a grassroots effort.

List the seven components of a grassroots campaign as defined by the text.

Plan a visit to your facility for an elected official.

Please read chapter six in the text entitled, Build the Right Plan.

Perhaps you would like to hire a group to help you organize your grassroots campaign for an elected office.  The DNC can help you.  http://www.grassrootscampaigns.com/index.php.

The animal rights movements tells their supporters how to grassroots lobby.  Are livestock producers this well organized to tell their stories? --   http://animalrights.about.com/od/gettingactive/a/GrassrootsLobby.htm

Visit web sites for agricultural organizations in your state (Farm Bureau, Grange).  How easy is it to find way to become involved in the groups grassroots lobbying efforts?

Do a web search for lobbying firms who organize grassroots efforts.  Pick one that might be able to help your cause.  What appeals to you and where might the shortcomings fall?

Find out the contact information the legislative chair of your professional organization.  Volunteer to assist.

Visit Dr. Jackman’s NAAE web site and see the extension work he does with advocacy.  Congratulations to Dr. J.

A sincere and thoughtful grassroots campaign can change perception, policy and ultimately the lives of citizens.  Planning such an effort takes an ongoing broad based effort.  Many of the grassroots organizations today are facades for private or corporate interests so it pays to investigate further and look for the real Oz behind the grassroots curtain.

This lesson focused on grassroots.  What about grasstops?  For us aggies, we would say grain!  Find out what grasstops efforts entail:

1.  Complete the worksheet on page 208 for a group you hope to organize in a grassroots effort.

2.  Find a quote similar to the ones listing on figure 7.8 of the text.  The words should motivate readers to engagement.  Share with the class.  Here is mine: Action is the antidote to despair. Joan Baez

3.  Using the Checklist 7.15 as a guide.  Develop a plan for an elected official to visit your facility.  Plan to follow through.  This assignment can be done as an extension to previous assignments.  The venue may be a fair, competition, convention et. Al. as well as to actual physical facilities.