Ten Ways to Lend Your Voice

TEN WAYS TO LEND YOUR VOICE: Advocacy is the process of exercising our individual or collective power to influence policy and policymakers. To create lasting change, people can use their voices in a multitude of ways, some of which are straightforward while others require more effort. Today you learned about budgetary, economic and programmatic issues impacting communities across North Carolina. We hope you will feel compelled to act on something you learned. Please consider taking one of these steps in the coming weeks.

Become a reliable source of information. Get educated about the issues you care about. Learn about the legislative process and how the work of policymakers impacts your issues. Find out who is supporting or opposing your position and why. Contact the Budget and Tax Center if you need help gathering information about fiscal issues and the economy in your community.

Call your elected official to bring attention to your issue or concern. Before you call, consider what you would like to convey and how you can express it concisely. Expect to talk to a staff member, but don’t worry – this does not limit the effectiveness of your call. In fact, it’s important to get to know the staff members of your elected officials. They serve as advisors to the policymakers and can highlight your concern and the need for change.

Visit your local policymaker. You can visit a policymaker in their office in the capitol or within your district during the off-session. Be sure to schedule an appointment first. Establish your talking points ahead of time, and be sure that you are respectful in all that you say and do. Remember to always say thank you (even if it’s just for them making time to meet with you). Acknowledging a policymaker’s efforts is a critical step in creating a lasting relationship.

Write a personal letter or e-mail to your policymaker. Be sure to be specific about your concern and include a statistic or two about your issue, if possible. Never use a threatening tone. If sending a letter to a U.S. Senator or Congressman, do not use regular mail; use a fax number or email address.

Invite your local elected official to visit your organization. Give them a tour of your facility to help them understand the impact their decisions have on the work you do and those you serve. When possible, arrange for one of the clients you serve to be present to provide an even more impactful experience.

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. While every letter may not be published, editors pay attention to well-written letters. This is especially true when there are many letters written on the same topic. Published letters do influence elected officials. For regular updates on timely issues that you can write about, join BTC’s Letter to the Editor Corps by emailing [email protected].

Share your story. Was your child’s school impacted by budget cuts? Has your community been left behind in the economic recovery? Now more than ever is the time to provide examples of how public policy can help or hurt economic development and prosperity for everyone. Email or call the Budget and Tax Center to share your story about how fiscal policy decisions have impacted you, your family and your community.

Host a community conversation. There are lots of issues you may want to discuss: how does poverty impact your community and what are potential ways to alleviate poverty; what does your community need in order to build more prosperity and economic opportunity for all; how do the state budget and tax code influence your local community. Provide education around the issues you choose to highlight and opportunities for action in order to engage others in the issue you care about (i.e. organize a local LTE writers guild or a letter writing campaign to a policy maker). RESOURCES 2014 Building a Stronger North Carolina legislative briefing series materials are available online at http://www.unitedwaync.org/tools-resources.

WHO REPRESENTS ME? Find out who your state legislators are by visiting the NC General Assembly website. You can also hear audio from the chambers and send email to legislators.

State House http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/House/House.html

State Senate http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Senate/Senate.html

Find out who your U.S. Congressperson and Senators are by visiting the following websites:

Representative: http://www.house.gov

Senators: http://senate.gov

Follow news from the governor’s office at: http://www.governor.state.nc.us/newsroom/press-releases

HOW CAN I FIND HELP IN MY LOCAL COMMUNITY?

No matter where you live in North Carolina, you can dial 2-1-1 and find information about resources in your local community. Whether you need help finding food or housing, child care and education services, crisis counseling or substance abuse treatment, one number is all you need to know.

2-1-1 is free, confidential, multi-lingual and available 24/7/365. Help starts with 2-1-1. Call or click www.nc211.org and be connected to the resources you need.

For community planners, 2-1-1 offers an analysis of local needs versus available services to help determine gaps in services and to direct local investments where they are needed most.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT POLICY ISSUES? Follow United Way of North Carolina’s advocacy work around education, financial stability, and healthy living at www.unitedwaync.org/advocate. You can also sign up for updates at: http://www.capwiz.com/unitedway/state/main/?state=NC&view=localofficials#2.

Visit www.ncjustice.org to sign up for regular email alerts and publications about policy issues you care about. The NC Budget and Tax Center produces timely, credible analysis on budget, tax and economic issues. Follow on Twitter @ncjustice and @ncbudgetandtax.

The Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI) is a national, nonprofit organization that helps charitable organizations increase their effectiveness and impact through advocacy. http://www.clpi.org DATA AND INFORMATION SOURCES Various county level indicators for North Carolina can be accessed at http://www.ncjustice.org/budget- and-tax/county-data-state-economy-nc

NC Child provides annual data on child well-being at www.datacenter.kidscount.org

PolicyLink launched a new tool this year called the National Equity Atlas that allows you to look at local data for various dimensions. Check it out here http://nationalequityatlas.org/

US Census Data & American Community Survey data— www.census.gov

National Association of Counties – Find various information about the county in which you live. http://www.naco.org/counties/counties/state.cfm?state=nc

National League of Cities – Find out information about the city in which you live. www.nlc.org

National Conference of State Legislatures - NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. www.ncsl.org

Low Income Housing Coalition – is a private, nonprofit membership organization working for decent, safe and affordable housing that promotes self-determination and stable communities for low-income North Carolinians. http://www.nclihc.org

National Institute of Mental Health - www.nimh.nih.gov

National Center for Health Statistics - www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm

US Department of Health and Human Services - www.os.dhhs.gov

US Department of Labor - www.dol.gov

US Bureau of Labor Statistics - www.bls.gov

EDUCATION RESOURCES Early Childhood Education Resources -- There are only 2,000 days between the time a baby is born and when that child shows up for the first day of kindergarten. Experiences during these 2,000 days have a lasting impact on later learning, health and success. http://www.first2000days.org/

Education reports and statistics, including school report cards, disaggregated data, dropout reporting, facts and figures, and school crime data can be found here: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/data/reports/

Graduation Rates http://www.publicschools.org/graduationrates

State Board of Education -- Education reform materials for parents that explains the State Board of Education's and Department of Public Instruction's strategies and key activities to improve curriculum, assessments, teacher effectiveness, and the new accountability system. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ready/parents/