By Catherine Brown, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy
Reading time: Six minutes
Federal policy change may be hard to come by in the 118th Congress; even picking a Speaker is proving challenging as of the time of publication of this article! Given that, states offer the best opportunity for policy change that meaningfully improve
students’ experiences and access to college. January is a time of new beginnings and fresh opportunities, and most importantly, many legislative sessions will open soon. This makes it a great time to jumpstart your state policy and advocacy work.
Here are five strategies to consider as you kick off the new year. Whether you’re a new advocate getting your feet wet, an old hand with policy contacts in your Rolodex (remember Rolodexes?), or somewhere in between, these can help lay the groundwork
for policy change. Have questions, concerns, or need advice? The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) is ready to help. Reach out to me, NCAN Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy Catherine Brown, at brownc@ncan.org.
Request funding in the governor’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget proposal. Governors in all 50 states will release their budget proposals at some point over the next few months. Now is a good time to try to get your proposal included. While most executive offices begin constructing their budget requests in the fall, it’s not too late and there are often last-minute changes. Even if
your initiative is not included in the budget, discussing your request with the governor’s staff may pave the way for future action.
💡Tips:
Put your request in writing. Send a coalition letter (you and your partner organizations are a “coalition” for this purpose) stating your request. Make the case with facts, research, and a personal story. Include a dollar
amount.
Request follow-up meetings. Reach out to the governor’s staff members who have authority over education policy to discuss the idea in more detail. Consider asking for meetings with the governor’s education policy advisor,
the education director in the budget office, staff in the relevant agencies that will work on the initiative, and any other key staff members who might be involved in the issue. It’s helpful to touch all bases; you want more to be on as
many contacts’ radars as possible.
Raise awareness. Share the letter with key stakeholders, on social media, and with reporters, if appropriate, to raise awareness about the idea and the support behind it.
Ask for your proposal to be mentioned in the State of the State address. The annual state of the state address, delivered by governors each January, February, or March (see schedule here), describes a governor’s priorities for the coming year. This annual speech is a great opportunity to attract attention to your issue because of its large public audience and focus on kitchen table issues.
💡Tips:
Think in headlines. State of the State addresses aim to capture peoples’ imaginations, set bold visions, and propose popular solutions to pressing problems. Proposals for small, technical, or incremental policy changes are
unlikely to make the cut.
Offer sample language. Make it as easy as possible for the staff to incorporate your proposal into the speech by providing specific lines that could be included or easily adapted; use a key statistic, if possible, that’s likely
to help make the case.
Include a personal story. At the heart of most good speeches are stories. Bring your issue to life by describing it in human terms. US Presidents usually plant people in the audience during the State of the Union address and
introduces them at key moments during the speech. See if you can facilitate a similar moment.
Host an education policy orientation event. Every new legislative session brings new members and the opportunity to shape their understanding of education policy. Be a first mover. Set up an invite-only briefing with respected experts
(maybe even NCAN staff!) to explain the key challenges facing students and take questions. Hosting this type of event will help establish your organization as a go-to source for unbiased, credible information.
💡Tips:
Just share the facts. Provide non-partisan analysis. Offer context, trends, comparisons to other states. Focus on establishing credibility not on offering policy solutions.
Work in coalition. Partner with a like-minded organization or two (remember your coalition from above?) to share the workload and reach more legislators to encourage them to attend.
Use a convenient location. Host the event at the capitol so it’s just steps from their office.
Serve food. Everyone needs to eat, and serving food can be a real draw for busy people.
Conduct one-on-one meetings with key legislators. Once the new legislative sessions are convened and members are assigned to committees, start reaching out. Nothing beats a sit-down meeting with a legislator (and their staff) for
building a relationship, understanding their perspective, and sharing your priorities. It takes time, but it’s worth it. Remember: you want them to have a face (ideally your face) to put with the organization and policy issue.
💡Tips:
Start with committee leadership and work your way down. Who is the chairperson and ranking member of the education subcommittee of the appropriations committee? Find out, and then reach out. Then, work your way down to every
committee member. Your best ally may be the most junior member on the minority side. Look at all relevant committees, both authorization (i.e., people who set policy) and appropriations (i.e., people who fund policy), as well as top leadership
on the majority and minority side.
Cultivate staff. Legislative staff are often influential and in the know. Get to know them as people. Learn about their interests, priorities, and responsibilities. Today’s receptionist may be tomorrow’s majority leader.
Bring it home. Localize the issue. How many colleges are in their district? What percent of the students they represent are Pell Grant- or Title I-eligible? Connect the dots so they understand how your issues help their constituents.
Organize an advocacy day. Bring stakeholders from across the state to the capital to educate legislators on your key issue or issues. Constituents will have the greatest impact on their legislators. Find a day that works for as many
people as possible, particularly those who live in districts of key legislative leaders.
💡 Tips:
Include students. Students are the best messengers because they can speak authentically to the challenges of college affordability. Find ways to involve them.
Tailor the message. Consider the perspective of the members with whom they are meeting when developing the message. Republicans may be more persuaded by the economic benefits of higher education while Democrats may be more
driven by equity concerns. Be flexible and as persuasive as possible.
Follow-up. At best, constituent meetings are the start of strong relationships. Encourage participants to ask for business cards and follow-up, continue to share information and build stronger relationships over time so that
they become trusted sources of information about education policy on the ground.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your advocacy strategy won’t be either. Don’t feel like you have to take on all of these at once. Match the strategies above with your bandwidth, resources, comfort level, and skill set and then try to grow from there.
Remember, you aren’t out here on your own: NCAN is here to support our members as they engage in this important work on behalf of students and our field!
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