Presented at #BossLibrarianPD 2023 on August 4. https://sites.google.com/view/bosslibrarianpd/home?authuser=0&pli=1

1. From Advocacy
to Activism
#BossLibrarianPD2023
John Chrastka, Executive Director
EveryLibrary

2. EveryLibrary | 501(c)4 Political Action
Committee
• Election Days and Negotiations
• Support for Legislative Agendas
• SaveSchoolLibrarians.org
EveryLibrary Institute - 501(c)3 Research and
Policy Think Tank
• Research Agenda
• Training Programs
• Programmatic Partnerships and Coalitions

3. Theory of
Advocacy
and Activism

4. Advocacy is….
Advocacy is a long-game.
It is focused on building relationships
through an understanding a
shared-values framework,
purposefully aligning missions, and
finding ways to realize a common
vision for either people or a place.
A process that creates
partnerships and coalitions
around a common cause or
concern.

5. Activism is….
Activism is short but frequent
values-system-focused and
identity-focused messages that are
intended to move people who are
otherwise unaware or inactive about
an issue or idea into a close personal
alignment and identification with an
an ideal.
Strident actions that ask for -
and expect - a change.

6. Principles
of Activism

7. Three Criteria
for Involvement
Before EveryLibrary gets involved we
evaluate the situation:
• Can we identify the legitimate
stakeholder?
• What population(s) need to be
centered in the campaign.
• Is there an opportunity to affect
change or build power?

8. Understanding
the Critical
Differences
•People have one of three budgets
to spend:
• Money
• Time
• Good Name
•If it does not have an ask it is
advertising not activism

9. Activism That
Works
Guiding Principles for Activists
•Collect Contact Information
•Create Pathways to Involvement
•Be Authentic and Be Urgent
•Segment Your Audiences
•Ask Questions of Your Base
•Stay on Message

10. Supporting
Successful
Activism
EveryLibrary’s tools to help
empower and activate local
stakeholders

11. Tools for
Activism
EveryLibrary provides free digital tools
and ongoing coaching, consultation and
support for local and statewide
campaigns.
• Reading Alliances
• Education Coalitions
• Freadom Groups

12. Fight for the
First
Fight for the First is a digital platform for
organizing local and statewide activists for the
First Amendment, Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, and
Civil Disobedience campaigns
• Petitions and direct email tools
• Event management
• Private ’groups’ for organizers
• Organizer training and strategy
• Fundraising
• c3 compliant donations through our
FundLibraries.org crowdfunding site
• c4 political donations through EveryLibrary fiscal
sponsorship
• Media and PR
• Advertising and outreach budget from ELI or
ELPAC for every Fight for the First campaign
Free to any and all legitimate campaigns
at FightForTheFirst.org

13. Other Free Tools
from
EveryLibrary
• Stand-alone campaign sites like
https://FC4Ed.org
• Campaigns for individual positions,
districts, and state-level partners at
SaveSchoolLibrarians.org
• Research and position papers on
the future of school libraries at
EveryLibraryInstitute.org

14. Activists
Vocabulary

15. Getting
involved;
supporting the
movement
Infrastructure of Activism
• Education Unions
• Associations that Lobby
• Post-Legislative Advocacy
• Rules Making
• Lawsuits
• Civil Rights Investigations in K-12
• Private Actions
• EveryLibrary’s FFTF and Alliances

16. From Advocacy to
Activism
#BossLibrarianPD2023
John Chrastka, Executive Director
@EveryLibrary
John.chrastka@everylibrary.org
312-574-0316