1 Strengthening Your Chapter Advocacy Program Chapter Leaders Webcast November 20, 2008

2 Presenters Jim Coppola, New England Chapter Past President; Chair, Chapter Advocacy Task Force Bob Freudenthal, APWA Past President; Chair, Government Affairs Committee David Lawry, APWA Director, Region V; Chicago Metro Chapter Past President; Chapter Advocacy Task Force

3 Task Force on State, Local and Provincial Advocacy Established after April 2007 GAC meeting Appointed by President Frevert Charge to identify potential resources and tools to enhance and support advocacy within chapters Timeline of Activity  Met September 2007  Series of conference calls from October – March  Report to GAC April 2008  Report to Board June 2008

4 Task Force Members Jim Coppola, New England, Chair Ron Calkins, Ventura Doug Fredericks, Sacramento Daryl Grigsby, Washington David Lawry, Chicago Metro Richard Ridings, Texas Joel Riggs, Kansas City Metro Ric Robertshaw, Ontario

5 Task Force Approach Define advocacy Legislative/Regulatory Promotional Financial Major areas of effort Survey of APWA chapters Survey of potential advocacy partners

6 Key Findings “Proactive” chapters identified  5% “highly” and 58% “somewhat” engaged; Proactive in efforts to influence legislation Partnering with organizations is common  ASCE, WEF, AWWA and State Municipal Leagues One-quarter have Government Affairs Committees Most Chapters want to do more in Advocacy No chapter provides Advocacy training Major obstacles: Time constraints and lack of training

7 Recommendations & Next Steps: Government Affairs Committees (GAC) Establish chapter Government Affairs Committee Establish a process for determining chapter positions and priorities Establish a process for approving plans and goals GAC should include members who are committed and who want to play an active role in advocacy

8 Recommendations & Next Steps: Coalition Partners State Municipal Leagues State County Associations Provincial Municipal Associations –Establish relationships with these important groups –They are a resource on the issues –Chapters are a resource to them

9 Recommendations & Next Steps: Coalition Partners (Con’t) Build strong relationships with state & provincial leagues and county associations by: –Serving on committees –Establishing chapter liaisons to work with staff –Monitoring their activities and positions Ensures chapter activities and messages are harmonized with local elected officials

10 Recommendations & Next Steps: Coalition Partners (Con’t) Other Public Works Associations State Executive and Regulatory Agencies

11 Recommendations & Next Steps: Building Coalitions Many potential coalition partners are already active public works advocates State, local and provincial organizations provide the best resources for advocacy engagement

12 Recommendations & Next Steps: How to Build Effective Coalitions Make appointments to meet with these groups Volunteer to serve on a legislative committee Invite coalition members to chapter events Learn from coalition partners by reading their position papers and testimony Attend meetings with coalition partners

13 Recommendations & Next Steps: Track and Respond to Legislation Be selective when choosing a legislative initiative to undertake Meet with legislators Broadcast chapter-wide alerts Use the resources of your coalition partners Develop and present testimony at public hearings

14 Recommendations & Next Steps: Keys to Success Prioritize your issues Define your objectives; know what your goals are Don’t take on too much at one time Be prepared -- know the history of the issue and players involved

15 Recommendations & Next Steps: Keys to Success (Con’t) Know who you need to work with Know the decision-making process and its timeline; who makes the decisions and when Get to know key staff Communicate with your members on the status of the issue and your accomplishments

16 Tips for Success You are the experts –Do your research –Develop issue briefs –Prepare your messages –Send letters (on chapter letterhead if possible)

17 Tips for Success (Con’t) You are the experts –Prepare talking points for all meetings –Know your audience –Have a leave behind – your supporting materials –Follow up – send thank you letters –Follow through

18 Tips for Success (Con’t) APWA, APWA chapters and APWA members acting on behalf of APWA cannot: –Engage in partisan political activities –Endorse candidates for office –Contribute to or raise funds for political campaigns

19 Tips for Success (Con’t) Know and understand state and local laws and requirements Rules governing reporting, disclosures vary from state to state, locality to locality –Chapters are responsible for knowing, understanding and complying with all state and local laws, ordinances and regulations as they pertain to lobbying and advocacy –State laws typically prohibit use of public funds (in some cases chapter funds derived from public sources) and other public resources (computers, phones, )

20 Tips for Success (Con’t) Contact and work closely with State Municipal League/County Association for guidance on state and local requirements –Do’s and Don’ts for Public Officials Other Resources: –Secretary of State, State Legislature and other state agencies

21 Tips for Success (Con’t) –Ensure chapter activities and positions are consistent with APWA national policy and positions Positions and priorities posted on APWA advocacy site, Contact APWA Washington Office with questions or to request assistance, –Ensure chapter actions and positions align with state league and county association partners

22 Resources: APWA Web Site APWA Washington Office APWA State and Provincial Advocacy Pages APWA Advocacy and Government Affairs Guidebook Chapter Advocacy Task Force Toolkit Use APWA’s Web site as a resource for policy and positions

23 Case Studies Tennessee – Telecommunications Act of 2007 California Chapters – Collective Action Underway Georgia – Successful Coalition Building Massachusetts – New England’s First Steps

24 Questions?

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