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(Alliance News Service) —
Shepherding Change at the State Level:
A Study in Successful Advocacy

Five years ago, Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH) was becoming increasingly overwhelmed with the mounting costs of caring for the state's most vulnerable children. MBCH officials decided they could no longer afford to rely on charity dollars alone, and began to explore how the agency might leverage funding by using tax credits from the state.

That was the seed of an idea that finally bore fruit on June 12, 2006, when, at a ceremony in the Springfield office of MBCH, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt signed into law the Residential Treatment Agency Tax Credit Act that was championed by Dr. Raymond (Bob) Kenison, MBCH president, and the entire agency. The legislation enables qualified residential treatment centers to apply for tax credits that they can then pass on to private businesses or individuals in exchange for donations.

The legislative victory serves as a prime example of the advocacy role social service agencies can play in affecting significant policy change on behalf of their clients and other vulnerable children and families.

Growing Your Reach, Honing Your Message
Kenison's time-tested leadership and the expansive network he had put together—which included strong contacts with several legislators and within the governor's office—were certainly key factors in enabling MBCH to be successful. But there were several other components to the initiative that can be important to agencies that may not have well-connected friends and advocates. For instance, it helped that MBCH is a statewide agency and is a member of the Missouri Coalition of Children’s Agencies, of which Carmen Schulze serves as director. Having an existing, statewide network builds grassroots support and therefore credibility with "grasstops," or decision makers. But the most important ingredient for success, according to Kenison, was that he made it a habit to frequently visit the state capitol of Jefferson City to network with friends, other advocates, and legislators.

Maximizing the 3 P's of Advocacy:
Presence, Patience, and Persistence
The key, Kenison explains, is making sure people know you and your issue, and the best way to do that is to be present in legislative halls as often as possible. Being present is a reminder to decision makers that you and your issues should be at the table.

“The Alliance focuses on members, on specific practices, policies and strategies—tools that help members advocate on behalf of children and families throughout the nonprofit sector. By comparison, Families International’s role is to oversee the group of affiliated corporations to help them work together in fulfilling their respective missions.”

Since much in politics and policy depends on whom you know, cultivating new and existing friendships is a continuous and critical process. Kenison recommends maintaining a sense of friendly professionalism in which you help out your friends and colleagues as much as possible so they can return the favor in the future. It is this kind of good-natured give-and-take relationship that is often at the root of productive collaborations. The importance of having lots of friends and collaborators cannot be overstated.

Kenison says he kept an eye out for what he calls "look-alike hearings" on matters that were similar to his issue in order to stay current on the facts, changes that might occur, and key players associated with the issues. This helped further his presence and networking.

Given that people are very busy in the legislative field, patience should be practiced in equal measure with presence and persistence. In addition, nonprofits can offer legislators time and expertise, which policymakers appreciate since term limits in many states make it difficult for them to know in-depth the many issues and strategies they encounter.

It is important to note that term limits have shifted the power, in this respect, to legislative staff, for-profit lobbyists, and nonprofit advocates. This presents advocates and policymakers an opportunity to become well-grounded resources for one another.

Patience and persistence can be difficult, but can also pay off in the end. Kenison says he continued to focus on strengthening existing relationships in the legislature and building new relationships with the right people in the right places for several years.

Organizing the Best Coalition for Your Objective
A turning point came when Kenison and the coalition of agencies working on the issue decided MBCH should be the lead agency to spearhead the advocacy campaign. Under this plan, Kenison had more autonomy on all aspects of the advocacy campaign while enjoying the expressed support from the backing agencies. Kenison had become a fixture in Jefferson City over the years, but progress was being slowed by having too many voices at the table with different members' agendas pulling the initiative in many different directions.

From this point, Kenison relied on knowing the right legislators to continue a solid and long push to successfully shepherd the legislation through both houses. A key ally was Senator Bill Stouffer, who in January 2006 introduced Senate Bill 614, which Governor Blunt signed in June 2006.

Not all advocates enjoy the connections Kenison has in the legislature and governor's office, so they need to build influential networks to be successful. No one succeeds by "going it alone" in advocacy. Kenison's experience was no different. He utilized a coalition that was largely informal and made up of legislators.

• Help legislators solve their problems, not just yours.
• Utilize the strengths and contacts of board members.
• Be alert, ready to recognize when a policy change is needed for your constituents.
• Be smart, able to visualize what that policy change should be and what the necessary advocacy strategy would be to reach that goal.
• Regardless of the size of your agency, use what resources you have to build as much grassroots support as you can and leverage it with decision makers.
• Focus on maximizing your presence at the state capitol with policymakers, in the community with stakeholders, and with other key advocates.
• Hone your elevator speech and other talking points, facts, and figures, and practice delivery for the most formal and informal opportunities.
• Keep up your current contacts and work to build new ones, and be genuine, ethical, professional, and passionate about your cause.
• Offer legislators the valuable resources of your time, experience, research, and expertise in the field.
• Keep going back, again and again, to keep the issue alive. Be patient and ready for the long haul.
• Seek out or create, if necessary, the most beneficial coalition for your cause.

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