Services
AK Advocates provides consultation, training, and guidance to individuals and organizations interested in accessing the public process to education policymakers about their experiences, challenges, successes, and to make recommendations for solutions. AK Advocates can help with:
- Bills and budget tracking and reporting
- Capitol visit planning, appointments, guidance
- Assistance identifying legislative priorities and ‘asks’
- Assistance developing an advocacy action plan
- Tips for successful meetings with policymakers
- Tips for testifying at public meetings
- Tips for writing letters and emails
- Telling personal stories for the most impact
- How to follow the public process and get involved
- Joining with others to increase influence
Legislative Tracking and Reporting. This service provides tracking and reporting on relevant bills and budget items as they pass through the legislative process. It can include written or Zoom reporting to executive and/or advocacy committees, providing written reports, and independent consultation.
Capitol Visit Planning, Appointments, and Guidance. This service offers assistance in planning for an in-person Capitol visit in Juneau, including advance consultation on relevant legislation and budget items before the legislature; identifying specific legislators and/or staff for client in-person meetings; making appointments and assistance organizing the schedule of appointments (who goes where and schedule changes); tracking what happens in meetings for follow-up and future reference; and assistance developing materials to give to legislators. Does not include advocacy training, direct advocacy, or independent meetings with legislators or staff on behalf of the client.
Advocacy Planning and Priority Identification. Organizations are guided through a process of establishing advocacy objectives and identifying resources that can support the advocacy effort; identifying allies and opponents that can help or hurt the effort; actionable tasks to make the effort happen; and task assignments with deadlines (who is going to do what and when).
Advocacy Training. This training offers hands-on instruction and practice for effective meetings with policymakers; tips for testifying at public meetings; what is public advocacy, including the difference between advocacy and lobbying; tips for writing letters and emails; what power citizens have within the public process; the importance of the personal story and tips for telling it for the most impact; how to follow the legislative process from home; identifying action items and moving forward to implement them.
Comprehensive Planning, Tracking, Reporting, Training, and Direct Advocacy. This service can include all or any of the following: advocacy planning; priority identification; advocacy training; legislative tracking and reporting; Capital visit planning, appointments, and guidance; and contractor meetings with policymakers and/or staff on behalf of or with the client. Meetings that include the client, can be contractor-led or client-led, with the contractor available for background and questions. Or contractor can meet independently with policymakers and/or staff to represent client interests, proposals, bills, budget requests, etc. This service includes reporting on what happens in meetings for follow-up and analysis.