Working in Coalition in NYS to Protect and Preserve SNAP Nicholas Buess Community Mobilization Manager Food Bank For New York

What is advocacy? Who does it? ●Direct Service Providers advocate for client to receive existing services ●Experts conduct research and educate decision makers & the public ●Community Leaders represent voices of their membership ●Community Members can use direct action to demonstrate their power and affect change ●Relational influences: friends, colleagues, media ●Political: elected officials have legislative; voters have electoral ●Economic: Organized constituents have consumer power ●Legal & Regulatory: Constituents are equal under the law as Targets ●Disruptive: For example, Occupy Wall Street Organizing Community Advocacy What is Power? Who has it? Existing Power Relationships Challenging Power Relationships

Goals Organizational Considerations Constituents (and Opponents) Targets (Decision Makers) Tactics Constituents use tactics to demonstrate power to targets to get the target to say yes to our goal to affect positive change in peoples lives while building our organization and power Midwest Academy’s Advocacy Strategy Chart

Goals Organizational Considerations Constituents (and Opponents) Targets (Decision Makers) Tactics Capacity Development Target Engagement Advocacy Strategy Chart

Tips Examples ●Coordinated communication demonstrates your power and allow a broad base of Constituents to engage quickly ○Post Cards, Paper Plates, s, Letters, Faxes ○Phone Calls ●Relationship Building ○Event Participation ○Site Visits ●Accountability ○Legislative Hearings ○Round Tables ○District Meetings ●Direct Action ○Advocacy Days ○Rallys ○Protestes ●Building Relationships ○Foster with year-round engagement ○Don’t always have an ask ●Messaging our ask ○Personal stories ○Tailor facts to Target’s district ○One ask per action ●Showing your Power ○Always identify as constituents, online and in person ○People = Power: share how many constituents you represent ○Utilize grasstops ●Tactics that challenge Power Relationships are inside your constituents’ comfort zone, outside your target’s ○Don’t start your strategy with a tactic Notes on Tactics

Case Study: The Hunger Cliff Campaign Strategy ●Goal ○Protect SNAP ○Reject Agriculture Committee proposals ●Organization Capacity ○Support team ●Constituents ○New Yorkers ○Member emergency food programs ○National Partnerships ●Targets ○NY Senators Schumer & Gillibrand ○NYC Cong. Delegation ○US Cong. Members ●Tactics ○Online ○Local ○In Person

Hunger Cliff: Message vs. Goal Meal Gap is the result of multiple policies. Different threats to SNAP and other nutrition programs shift our short term goals & targets. Using the Meal Gap as a metric helps us explain how policies hold us back from, or push us towards, a Hunger Cliff.

Hunger Cliff: Constituents ●Identify partners ○Current and future ○Clients ○Grasstops ●Capitalize on your constituents’ Power ○Example: high-profile partners can generate targeted issue attention ●People = Power. Recruit or join issue campaigns. Always highlight your partnerships to demonstrate the power of your coalition.

Hunger Cliff: Tactics ●Online: Web, Earned Media, Social Media ○LostMeals.org ○HungerCliff.org ○Op-Ed placements ○#HungerCliff Thunderclap ○#IStandWithThe47Million campaign ●Local: Coordinated messages from Constituents ○Paper Plates ○Post Cards ○Letters ○Faxes ○Phone Calls ●In Person: Legislative and in-District work ○DC Advocacy Days ○In-District Meetings ○Warehouse and Program Site Visits ○Consistent communication: events, thanks, constituent services

Accountability Sessions Meeting with your Electeds ●Know your elected officials name and face ●Visit them in their office ○Fast way to demystify the legislative process ●Watch out for deflection ○“There’s only so much money in the budget we make decision about” ○“You have the Representative’s support, but Rep’s hands are tied” ○“Talk to the other side of the aisle” ●Practice your pitch ○Predetermine roles ○Roleplay ●Always follow up after a meeting

Bust Advocacy Myths Organizing for the next fight To-do Today ●Myth: You need to be a policy expert to be a good advocate ○You are an expert in your experience and your demand ○Joining a coalitions can connect you to policy experts ●Myth: We will see change because we are are on the side of a moral cause ○Right ≠ Win ○Constituents must use their power to affect change ●Myth: Other issues are more important or more pressing ○Budget, politics and people’s lives are not zero sum ○Social justice requires many changes ●Open a (work) social media account ○Focus on Twitter ○Already have a following? Take the SNAP Challenge ○Always identify as a constituent when communicating to an elected office ●Join the FRAC.org mailing list ○Comprehensive, national updates ●Find your community’s Meal Gap at: map.feedingamerica.org ●Communicate with your elected officials ○Join their list ○Invite them to your events; attend theirs ○Arrange a site visit during recess (Aug)

Planning ahead ●Join local, regional and national action networks ●Build your organizational capacity ●Work with partners like regional food banks to include SNAP priorities in your organization’s policy platform ●Work with all levels of government to build your Relational Power ●Don’t accept any legislation that sacrifices SNAP or anti-poverty programs to pay for another program Food Bank For New York City members engaging in collective action

Working in Coalition in NYS to Protect and Preserve SNAP Nicholas Buess Community Mobilization Manager Food Bank For New York