Advocacy

Effective Advocacy

APA is committed to providing members with an array of convenient and useful resources to help them carry the planning message to Congress and state legislatures. APA's policy staff is always available to help chapters, divisions, and individual members with legislative advocacy. Whether you need help with media relations, coalition building, policy research, or lobbying, APA's policy staff can help. Contact Government Affairs for assistance.

Planners Advocacy Week, December 5-9

Speak up for planning in your home district during Planners Advocacy Week, December 5-9, 2005. This new precursor to APA's annual Planners Day on Capitol Hill enables members to deliver the planning message to congressional representatives in local districts across the country.

Join your local APA chapter for the launch of a new policy advocacy program: Planners Advocacy Week in Congressional district offices. This program builds on the terrific success of the annual Planner's Day on Capitol Hill which brings hundreds of planners to Washington, D.C., for meetings with members of Congress on important planning-related legislation. Now it's time to take the planning message home, while your Member of Congress is back in your district.

APA makes it easy to be a part of the planning movement. We'll give you all the information you need to set up a meeting. We'll coordinate interested members from the same area so that you can conduct a joint meeting. We'll provide you with training and talking points in advance via our website. We'll send you packets of material to leave behind with your representative. We'll even make sure that you have thank you notes to follow up after the meeting.

If you can't conduct a meeting during the designated Planners Advocacy Week, don't worry! We'll help you set up a meeting as close to our advocacy week as possible, at a time when you are available. Meeting with your member of Congress in their district office during recess is just one way to get involved. In addition, or alternatively, we encourage you to coordinate a site visit with your representative — preferably to a site that demonstrates successful planning for hazard mitigation. Why not team up with other professionals in your field? Planners Advocacy Week is a great time to reconnect with your friends at the American Society of Landscape Architects who we worked with this May to conduct a joint Advocacy Day during the Legislative & Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.

Planners Advocacy Week Materials

• General information sheet on Planners Advocacy Week

• What Is Planners Advocacy Week?

• Sign-up Form

• Copy of H.R. 3524

• Fact sheet on H.R. 3524

• Scheduling a Visit with Your Elected Official

• Sample Letter to Scheduler

• Tips for Successful Advocacy Meetings

• Talking Points

• Post-Meeting Checklist

• Legislative Meeting Report Form

• APA Basic Information Sheet/Federal Legislative Priorities

• Planning for Security, Safety, and Hazard Mitigation

• 10 Tools for Promoting Policies to Make Great Communities Happen

• Sample Scheduling Letter (PDF) (RTF)

The Advocate's Toolbox

Writing Advocacy Letters & Faxes

Sending E-mail to Elected Officials

Conducting Legislative Meetings

Connecting with the Media

Online Advocacy Tutorial & Resources
Training information excerpted from APA's legislative liaison training workshop conducted by Stephanie Vance, AdVanced Consulting.

Planner's Congressional Handbook (109th Congress)
At the beginning of each Congress, APA publishes a handbook that gives you all the information you need to understand who's who on the Hill. The guide is small enough to fit in your pocket or briefcase but contains complete contact information on all members of Congress and congressional committees. The handbook also provides useful summaries of the legislative process, state congressional district maps and information on federal agencies. Copies are available free to APA members by contacting Government Affairs.

Useful Resources