Advocacy in Action Personal meetings with legislators are “the most effective tool in a citizen advocate’s arsenal” By Colleen Sparke, MSBA Government Relations Staff Member
The MSBA Day at the Capitol event is something our Government Relations staff and school board members look forward to each year. Due to the ongoing pandemic, MSBA needed to pivot yet again this year. Instead of meeting at the Minnesota State Capitol building in St. Paul, MSBA’s Government Relations staff, Denise Dittrich and Kimberley Dunn Lewis, hosted “MSBA Advocacy in Action – At-Home Edition,” a series of three online sessions. The kickoff session featured a presentation by Seth Turner, “Breaking Cynicism & Building Relationships that Influence Lawmakers.” Turner is the Director of Citizen Engagement for the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). In his role, Turner oversees CMF’s efforts to improve engagement between citizens and Congress. Since 2014, CMF has trained more than 90,000 citizens through presentations, webinars, and videos. Citizen advocates are more powerful than they realize when it comes to influencing legislators, they play an integral role in educating legislators to make informed decisions and motivate them to act.
20
MAY–JUNE 2021
Turner shared research data from multiple surveys given to congressional staff (from “Citizen-Centric Advocacy: The Untapped Power of Constituent Engagement,” a public report that may be downloaded from the CMF website at https:// www.congressfoundation.org/projects/communicating-withcongress/citizen-centric-advocacy-2017). Congress, as well as local legislators, places a high value on groups and citizens who have built relationships with the legislator and staff. The following lessons and tips provided by Turner can be transferred to all levels of government.
Strategies for Building Relationships Washingtonian cliché: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” If you want to influence a decision, then you must be present at the table. If you are absent, an unfavorable decision may be made. Metaphorically, your interests will be “consumed” by other parties at the table. The worst thing you can do is
MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION | JOURNAL
