William A. Fontenot

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On Forming Your Advocacy Group (Part 1)

On Forming Your Advocacy Group (Part 2)

Additional Suggested Reading from William A. Fontenot

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Summer 2007
How to form your own advocacy group with Willie Fontenot 

"Democracy is the government of the people by the people for the people."
Abraham Lincoln.

On Forming Your Advocacy Group
(Part 2) Bringing your neighborhood or group together.

By William A. Fontenot

Once the issue...

or problem has been determined you should try to identify who will be impacted or affected and look for ways to connect these people together. An individual can be very effective and make a real difference but a group always has a better chance at success.

Form a group or use a committee of an existing organization. Give this effort a name specific to the proposed action or the area you are concerned with. Names like “The Concerned Citizen’s of ...”, “People United for ...”, “The Committee to ...” or some similar name that identifies the area, group or issue in the name can help to identify the reason for the group’s existence.

At the first...

meeting of the group there should be an effort to learn more about the members. Where do they live, do they have any particular interest or knowledge about the proposed activity? What assets or interest do the various group members have or have access to? Are any members active in other groups that might assist the new group? Do any of the members have computers, access to copying machines, printing resources, the news media, public officials, etc.?

Are any members of the group professionals such as lawyers, doctors, nurses, pharmacist, writers, bankers, teachers, farmers, fishermen, house painters, students, etc.? Someone in the group may be in the printing business, make t-shirts, mapmaking, pilot, trucking, photographer, etc. Each of these talents, professions, resources and special areas of work may be very helpful to the group . Someone may be a sign maker or a debate student and each of these talents may be the thing that helps the group to prevail in its goals.

You need to raise money...

and everyone in the group should contribute something to support the joint effort. There will be some expenses for copying, phone calls, transportation, meetings, etc. and everyone should join together to make this effort successful. By sharing expenses the burden is on the group rather than one or two individuals.

Elect one or...

more people who can speak on behalf of the group. Everyone should try to direct questions to the leaders of the group and to speak as one voice. Whenever a group can act in solidarity with each member the chances of success are greatly enhanced. All members of the group should be familiar with the position of the group and able to represent the group if needed. All members, including the eldest and youngest should be encouraged to participate and speak at public meetings and hearings.

Make a list of all public officials who represent the areas, people and facilities which may be affected by the proposed activity. Does anyone in the group know any of these officials? The group should establish a system for meeting with each of these officials and letting them know about the group’s concerns. The group should look for opportunities for the officials to meet with the group and support the group. Most people have never met their public officials and they will also be surprised to learn how many public officials represent them. A project like this is usually the first time most people get a real life exercise in civics. Most public officials rarely hear from their constituents and they will also learn from an experience like this. Any meeting with a public official or agency should be followed up with a letter so there is some documentation of the meeting and what was discussed or agreed to in the meeting.

Keep a History....

The group should document what they do. Keep copies of all meeting notes, any letters, news stories, pictures and other things connected with the group or about the issue or problem the group works on. A few months or years later these documents will be very important to the group. Involve the news media in your activities as much as possible. This can be an effective and inexpensive way of connecting with the larger community and increasing the credibility and visibility of your group and efforts. Learn as much as you can about the media, how it operates and what kind of stories will most interest the media. The more you can help the media the more they will be willing to work with you

Always look for opportunities...

to thank members of the group and people who help the group or effort. Look for opportunities to thank public officials, other groups and the news media for their support and assistance. Share the spotlight with others whenever possible.

Share your successes...

Always give credit to others who have helped. Look for opportunities to celebrate your victories and the work of members and supporters of the group. A big celebration at the end of the struggle is important but smaller celebrations over time will help people realize the importance of this work and help to energize the group.

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