Grassroots Lobbying

Assuming your organization does not have a professional lobbyist, all of your lobbying work will be grassroots lobbying. That is, the members of the organization must carry the program. Members will not only be responsible for developing the organization’s public policy agenda, but will also be responsible for carrying it out. In this case, telephones, letters, e-mail, coalitions, and a motivated membership are your best tools.

Below are some pointers on creating an issue-oriented grassroots lobbying plan.

• Make sure you and your membership understand the issue at hand.
• Develop an action plan.
• Who will make the decisions on your issue? 
• Who do you need to talk to before that decision is made? 
• What is the timeline? 
• What is the message?
• Who will deliver the message, and how will it be delivered?
• Be prepared to begin meeting  with legislators at the state level prior to the beginning of the legislative session.
• The timeline for local issues might be shorter than that for statewide issues, so plan accordingly.
• If possible, form a coalition.
• Coalitions are more effective politically than individual people, businesses, or associations. There is power in numbers.
• Coalitions can be made with members of the same industry, with many businesses representing many industries, or with non-business single issue groups (Sierra Club for example).