Page 11 - HFA Dateline 2016 Q4 Winter

Okay, So What Can We Do?

By Lori Long and Sarah Shinkman

~ Margaret Mead

o find an example of the type of group Margaret Mead One of the great lessons of the 90s was that connecting people
Tspeaks about in her famous quote, look no further than directly to their legislators and policy makers has an incred-
our bleeding disorders community. From the 1990s with ible impact; it’s the founding principle of HFA. With adver-
the passage of the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Act, to the sity, comes resilience. As we continue to act on behalf of our
enactment of the Affordable Care Act in the 2000s, commu- community, we should always consider those who fought
nity members have demonstrated a strong commitment to before: what would Ryan White or the Ray brothers do?
action and grassroots advocacy for decades. If the recent
election reaffirmed anything for our community it is that a
grassroots approach to advocacy is going to be crucial.

Contact your legislator.

Use HFA’s website to contact your representative directly to share your support for, or against, poli-
cies that affect you. Check out your senator or representative’s website, or even pay them an in-person
visit! When writing to or speaking with legislators, be sure to make it personal and share your story.
Remember, policy comes from ideas and concerns expressed by constituents. You have the power to
make a change.

Use HFA as a resource.
HFA offers many advocacy tools, including guidance on legislative days in your state, action alerts,
Dear Addy blog, CQ Roll Call, issue briefs, and much more. Connect with HFA on social media
channels and subscribe to our email newsletters.

Hold yourself accountable, just as we hold
our representatives accountable.
Make an advocacy calendar or outline goals to provide yourself with direction and to maintain focus
and momentum. Form a committee to delegate tasks and use members to mobilize their contacts in
the community. Group or peer advocacy is critical to ensuring accountability.

Meet people where they are.
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What makes people act in your community? Getting people to follow through on advocacy goals can
be challenging given life’s many other commitments. Consider strategies that have been effective
before and use these to engage community members.

Make advocacy enjoyable.

Plan a community meal and invite people to bring their ideas. Creating an atmosphere that brings
people in the door, while providing a forum to make plans, is a win-win.

The key to grassroots advocacy is participation. Please forward our emails to your community members, share posts on
social media, plan letter writing campaigns, and host phone banks. Together, we can build a case for change. As Families
USA Executive Director Ron Pollack said, “Don’t agonize, organize.” Challenge accepted!

Winter 2016 | Dateline Federation 11