Grassroot advocacy campaigns have the power and the strength to bring about legislative reforms if done in the correct way. Coupled with traditional lobbying, organizations have the power to catch the attention of the politicians and bring changes spontaneously. In case of traditional lobbying, you will find that the attention of the politicians is sought after. In the case of grassroot advocacy, the cause is bought to invoke attention from the public in general. Common people join the movement and gives the grassroot advocacy momentum. This helps the campaign to develop its network and become a potent catalyst when it comes to bringing in new change and reform.
Jack Bonner- The importance of educating volunteers
In every grassroot campaign, you will find there is a key messenger and volunteers in the movement. Jack Bonner, the Founder of A-2-W a leading grassroot advocacy firm in the USA says that it is very important for volunteers in the movement to be educated and informed. They are the advocate of the campaign and they will mobilize people into supporting and participating in the movement. It is crucial for the organizers of the campaign to empower its volunteers when it comes to the promotion of the campaign’s key message. Once you are educating your volunteers they develop the key interest and desire to help gather support for the campaign with success.
Organize training programs for your volunteers
The organizers must conduct regular programs and strategies for the distribution of information among their volunteers. In this way, you will find that the campaign builds a strong network of informed volunteers that have the major objective to bring in more supporters for the movement. He says that it is very important for these volunteers to identify and bring in people, groups and activists that have the power to influence the campaign. They should also focus on drawing in the attention of political legislators. The resources of the grassroot advocacy campaign must be spend well and this is why it is important for these volunteers to understand the influential groups that have the ability to bring about tremendous change.
He also says that when you are generating support for your advocacy campaign, you must not forget the power of ordinary people and this can also include friends and family. Even your neighbors can really have a powerful influence on grassroot advocacy. This is why you should ensure that they get the message as well as this will help you in a large way to generate support and influence the campaign that is being generated on a very large scale.
Jack Bonner says that it is prudent for you to ensure that your volunteers are aware and informed about the latest developments of the campaign all the time. In this way, you effectively are able to drive interest and generate more support for your campaign. This again helps you to build a strong network and in the process, catch the attention of the legislators that will be urged to bring about change and reform.