MOBILIZING ADVOCATES IDENTIFYING AND EMPOWERING YOUR BOND’S STRONGEST SUPPORTERS In the context of your bond campaign, you have two very important groups of advocates: those who will vote “Yes” and those who can convince others to vote “Yes” with them. As school leaders, you can do just about anything to provide your stakeholders with information, and you can encourage them to vote—you just can’t legally tell them how to vote. But we’re confident that there are advocates in your district who are more than willing to mobilize on your behalf, to get out into the community and push for the “Yes” votes you need. But who are they? And how can you support them?
they have,” says Dr. Alina Lehnert, co-chair of Friends of SPS, an advocacy committee that supports Springfield Public Schools in Missouri. “People will listen to their former teacher or their former principal—because those people had an influence in their lives.”
Find your advocates. In an ideal world, every school district that went out for a bond would have the support of a local education PAC or at least a focused advocacy committee. But even if that’s not the case for your district, you likely do have enthusiastic advocates who want to see your schools thrive. They want to do more than vote “Yes”; they want to help you grow support throughout the community. Your students and families are great examples. They have the most to gain from the bond passing, so they’ll be the most willing to act as a persuasive force in the community and put their own free time into supporting the district. Retired teachers also fall into this category. “I suspect people don’t realize the power of retired teachers and the influence
“People will listen to their former teacher or their former principal— because those people had an influence in their lives.”
The same goes for community members who may not have a personal relationship with your schools, but who will likely support them on principle. For example, Friends of SPS called on the advocacy of the PTA, business leaders, alumni, faith-based groups, fire and police associations, homebuilders associations, the local chamber of commerce, and more during their bond campaign. Each entity formally endorsed the bond effort and used their resources to garner support from their members. You should also review voter data from past elections. Who showed up? Who will likely turn out to vote again? And who’s most likely to vote “Yes”? There are plenty of people in the community who will probably support you on Election Day, even if the bond doesn’t benefit them directly. As you get more and more people talking about your bond, you want to make sure they’re having the right conversations. So how can you keep everyone on message while generating as much positive buzz as possible? By thinking like a marketer. SUMMER 2023 /
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