Learn more about health center advocacy at www.SaveOurCHCs.org

1. Health Center Advocacy
101

2. This presentation includes…
1. Defining “lobbying”
2. Understand legal do’s and
don’ts for 501(c)3 non-profits
3. Learn practical plans
for implementing
successful grassroots
outreach and impact
4. Understand the power and importance of grassroots!

3. Can Health Centers Lobby?
YES!
• You cannot use ANY federal funds to lobby
• Keep lobbying expenses below 5% of your
organization’s time and effort

4. Elected official decisions are
important to CHCs and CHC patients
Other Grants/
Contracts
10%
Medicaid/CHIP
Income
29%
Sources for
Federal Health Centers
28%
Medicare
6%
Self Pay State
Private 13%
12% 2%

5. What Is Lobbying?
Advocating the
enactment or defeat
of pending or
proposed federal,
state, or local
legislation or
referendum.

6. Two types of lobbying:
1) Direct lobbying: Communicating directly with
the official’s office

7. Two types of lobbying:
2) Grassroots lobbying:
Urging others to
communicate with an
official

8. What is advocacy?
• Acting in support of
a belief, policy, or
cause.
• Giving voice on behalf
of another.
• The support or
recommendation of policy.

9. The Rules: Dos and Don’ts
DO DON’T
 Voter Registration
x Endorse a candidate for office
 Voter Education
x Give resources to candidates
 Distribute Sample Ballots, Guides
x Rate candidates on your issue
 Co-sponsor Candidate Forums
x Tell people how to vote
 Educate the Candidates
 Remind People to Vote
 Help on Election Day
 Recruit Poll Workers
 Support or Oppose Ballot Questions

10. What is your #1 goal when you
meet with an elected official?
To get them to remember
that they actually met
with you!

11. Goals
1. Can someone get the target on the phone?
2. Can you get the target to your center (how often)?
3. How often is the center in the media?
4. How many local organizations/elected officials do something
CONCRETE to support you?
5. How many grassroots advocates do you have? How active are
they?
6. How many voters have you registered? Do they vote?
7. How much of what you ask your targets for do you get?

12. Effective Advocacy
Effective advocacy has one requirement: ACTION
Simply discussing issues, challenges, and plans is NOT effective
advocacy
To be an effective advocate & attain your goals you MUST
 Make advocacy an ongoing commitment and priority
 Translate discussions, plans, and
passions into moveable actions
 Make your voice and perspective
heard and understood

13. Effective Advocacy = Power
Grassroots advocacy is about BUILDING POWER
Power is NOT measured by the number of advocates on a list
Power is NOT measured by the number of small (or even large) victories we win
Power must be measured by
our ability to successfully
advance our own agenda
and to make it unthinkable
that any other political or
special interest would ever
want to take us on.

14. Organizing Grassroots Advocacy
1. Advocacy Has to be an Organizational Commitment
The Board Must Take the Lead – a formal commitment to time and resources is
essential. Create an Advocacy Committee with a Chair – Board and staff need to be
included.
2. Advocacy Has Rules
Know the Rules. It’s hard to break the rules, but you can do it if you don’t know what
they are.
3. Advocacy Needs to be done Face to Face
Plan to get your local, state and federal
officials (and their staff) to your Center on
a regular basis
4. Advocacy Needs Numbers

15. Organizing Grassroots Advocacy
5. Advocacy Needs a Megaphone
Learn how to use the media
6. Advocacy Needs Friends
Look for ways to reach out to other
organizations in your community
on a regular basis
7. Advocacy Needs Votes
Empower your health center by making sure
your patients and staff are registered to vote and that they vote!
8. Advocacy Doesn’t Stop When the Whistle Blows
Your goal is to build permanent power to influence any issue that affects your center, at any level
of government.

16. Relative Effectiveness of Advocacy
Communications
1. A visit to your health center
2. A personal meeting back home
3. A personal meeting in Washington
4. Personal telephone calls
5. Personalized Letters (faxed)
6. Personalized emails
7. Template emails (ineffective unless in volume)

17. Taking Action
Nothing Beats Face To Face Advocacy – Get in front of elected officials and
get them to your health center
Personal Stories Matter - Collect compelling stories from patients and staff
Not Everyone Has A Computer - Petitions and letters give everyone a chance
to advocate
For Those Who Are Online – Ask for their
help! Use social media to share action alerts
Vote! – Encourage others to vote, too

18. Speaking of Taking Action…
Campaign For America’s Health Centers sends Action Alert emails
so YOU can connect with your elected officials to ask them to help
your health center with funding and other policy matters.
1) SIGN UP
to receive action alert emails
http://www.saveourchcs.org/join-the-campaign.cfm
2) TAKE ACTION
when you receive an email!
3) ASK OTHERS
to sign up and take action, too!

19. Contact us!
Send your health center grassroots advocacy
questions to
grassroots@nachc.com

20. Learn more
www.SaveOurCHCs.org