Grassroots Advocacy: What Is It & What Role Can You Play?
What Is Advocacy?
Advocacy – The act of pleading
or arguing in favor of
something, such as a cause,
idea, or policy; active support.
The American Heritage: Dictionary
of the English Language – 4th Edition
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The Importance of Advocacy
“America is not governed by the
majority, but by the majority of
those who participate.”
- Thomas Jefferson
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What is HRVoice?
A member benefit that allows SHRM
members to directly influence the
outcome of state and federal policies
and create long lasting relationships
with legislators and legislative staff.
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SHRM Governmental Affairs
State
Public
Policy
Federal
Public
Policy
Regulatory/
Judicial
Affairs
Member
Advocacy
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Exercise Your Voice
As a member advocate for the HR
profession, it is important that
you keep your elected officials
informed on public policy issues
and how they affect the HR
profession and your
organization.
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How You Can Play a Part
Build Relationships
Member
Advocacy
Stay Educated
Inform Others
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Stay Educated
• Use SHRM as a Resource
• Know your opposition’s arguments and be
able to refute them
• Tell your story – make it PERSONAL – Give
them the HR perspective
• Research voting history on related issues find out your legislator’s position on the
bill
• Understand and familiarize yourself with
the bill
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Educational Resources
Washington, DC & State Insider
www.shrm.org/government/insiders_published
State Pending Legislation Report
www.shrm.org/government/states/pendingleg_published
HR Congressional Monitor
www.shrm.org/government/scoreboard_published
www.shrm.org/government/update
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Educational Resources
• Public Policy Statements/Fact
Sheets
• Public Policy Presentations
• State and Federal Monitoring &
Tracking
• Webcasts & Conference Calls
• Toolkits
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Legislative Alerts
Legislative Alerts sent from the
SHRM Governmental Affairs staff
informing HR professionals of
proposed legislation on the state
and federal levels.
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Sample Alert – Rhode Island
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Sample Alert – Rhode Island (cont.)
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Inform Others
• Your Voice – as HR Professionals, your
point of view provides a unique perspective
that your Member of Congress may not have
heard or even considered.
• Your actions – Your advocacy efforts will
ultimately impact and benefit you as well as
the employers and employees across the
nation.
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Relationship Building
• Visit your legislators
• Write letters, call offices, send e-mails &
faxes
• Letters to the Editor, opinion pieces, press
conferences
• Committee testimony
• CREATE LONG LASTING RELATIONSHIPS!
• Make it personal by TELLING YOUR STORY
• Be a CATALYST for CHANGE
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Day Inside the Beltway (DITB)
The "Day Inside the Beltway"
program encourages SHRM
members to travel to Washington,
D.C. for a day of Capitol Hill office
meetings.
Activities include meeting at SHRM
headquarters with SHRM
Government Affairs staff, and at the
Senate and House of
Representatives offices with your
chapter members’ respective
Members of Congress
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Tampa Chapter DITB Feedback
"I am grateful that SHRM and HR Tampa are
paving the way for us to make a difference.
If one HR professional can make a
difference — imagine what several of us
can do!"
--Cheri Farnham, Member of the Tampa DITB Delegation
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Day Inside the Beltway (DITB)
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Day Inside the District (DITD)
The “Day Inside the District”
program is a local initiative that
provides an opportunity to
generate interest and support of
issues important to the HR
professional on a federal and state
level.
Most members of Congress and
state legislators a good deal of
time in their home districts and the
DITD is the ideal opportunity for
relationship building.
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Day Inside the District (DITD)
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Overview of SHRM’s
Government Affairs Program
Relationship Building Activities
DITB & DITD Activity
35
31
30
23
25
20
20
Days Inside the
Beltway
15
Days Inside the District
10
6
6
2006
2007
8
5
0
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2008
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Overview of SHRM’s
Government Affairs Program
Member Advocacy Program
Hill Advocacy Days
300
300
250
200
184
200
Employment Law &
Legislative Conference
209
182
Annual Conference
145
150
Leadership Conference
100
0
50
0
0
0
0
0
0
2005
2006
2007
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2008
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HR Voice
HR Voice letter writing program Overcomes most objections that
members have to participating:
• Don’t know what issues to write
on
• Don’t know what to say
• Don’t know who my
representatives are
• Composing a letter takes too
long
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Get Involved. USE YOUR VOICE!
1.
Go to www.shrm.org
2.
Sign in using your member
number and last name.
3.
Click on “Governmental Affairs,"
then go to “HRVoice” on the left
side of your screen.
4.
Choose “Write your elected
officials.”
5.
Click on one (1) of the current
issues listed under the heading
“Take Immediate Action on these
Hot Issues.”
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Overview of SHRM’s
Government Affairs Program
HR Voice Letter Writing
60,000
52,132
50,000
40,000
35975
31,254
Federal
State
30,000
20,000
14,998
12,888
10,000
1,114
1,757
704
1,396 3357
0
2004
2005
2006
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2007
2008
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For Questions on Member Advocacy
Questions?
Please contact SHRM’s Member Advocacy
Specialist:
Recardo Gibson
1-800-283-7476 ext. 6091
Recardo.Gibson@shrm.org
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