Promoting your program up and down the communication ladder Candance Gabel, MS, RD, LD FNEP State Coordinator

Education vs. Lobbying Educating - All employees and volunteers should educate and inform decision makers about University of Missouri Extension. We can communicate: What we do Why we do it How we do it What difference it makes

Education vs. Lobbying Lobbying Involves communication and interaction to influence a legislator or decision maker to make a particular decision on specific legislation.

Who is important in advocacy To you – everyone – Your staff Your boss Your council Your commissioner/county board member Other agencies with whom you work All local and federal legislators

Manage Up and Manage Down Politics is about relationships It really is about who you know All politics are local Always be thankful Build Social Capital

“Make friends when you don’t need them” Lyndon Johnson

Stakeholder Advocacy A stakeholder is someone who is involved with an organization and therefore has responsibilities toward it and an interest in its success. Extension stakeholders are decision makers who have ownership for supporting extension programs and who – along with their constituents – benefit from those programs. They have the capacity to generate goodwill and obtain resources to support the University of Missouri Extension mission.

Stakeholder Advocacy Stakeholders include, but are not limited to, state and federal legislators; county commissioners and other county office holders; city office holders; local, state and national program partners; and community leaders.

Two most important Questions in Politics 1.How many of you know your legislators, policy makers, and/or influencers? 2.How many of your legislators, policymakers, and/or influencers know you? It is equally important for you to know them and them to know you.

Who are your stakeholders?

Who are your stakeholders

Stakeholders and Concerns StakeholdersConcerns

Stakeholder Advocacy Have clarity in your message Use common language Be concise Have your stump speech – 3 points – 7-10 minutes Have your elevator speech – 30 seconds Protect those above you Connect your priorities to their priorities Make your agenda their agenda

Know what is important to them Know their interests Do you homework This is not about you – it is about them Find something or someone that you have in common Use volunteer advocates from the area that they represent Training and preparation is the key Be careful what names you drop – Figure out where real POWER is Could be a staffer or a friend or a family member

Public Value Approach The work of Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, University of Minnesota Extension, has been key in the development of public values statements in Missouri. Public value is the value of a program to those who do not directly benefit from that program. The public values approach is a tool to secure $upport for activities with strong public value.

Public Value Statements & MU Extension Threat of 50% budget cut for fy10 Governor’s impression that MU Extension wasn’t considered a part of the University of Missouri Involved Stakeholders Learned how to share our successes focusing on outcomes.

Public Value Statements and MU Extension In-service training System in place to develop and share statements Legislative Day Continued work

Public Value Statements “ Financial Education program, participants spend and borrow responsibly, save more and gain control over their financial health. These behaviors benefit other community members by reducing predatory lending, reliance on public assistance programs and crime.”

Public Value Statement “Stay Strong, Stay Healthy program, participants increase their physical activity. This behavior leads to reduced risk of falls, heart disease and osteoporosis; decreased stress; and improved weight control and overall quality of life. These health benefits decrease the likelihood of a participant entering a nursing home, which costs on average $24,455 per year in Missouri.”

Public Value Statement “Relationship Education program, participants learn to strengthen their relationship. Consequently, this decreases the likelihood of divorce by 50%. For every couple that remains married, Missouri saves $30,000.”

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension How does an Extension program create public value? Does it narrow an information gap? Does it address a crucial concern about fairness? Does one person’s participation benefit people who do not participate in the program? Does one person’s participation reduce costs for others? Does the program improve upon the market outcome?

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension Demonstrating Extension’s public value Program participants… have been shown to change their behavior in specific ways… that have been shown to lead to specific outcomes… that directly benefit the participants. that generate public value.

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension Participants in a nutrition education program… have been shown to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables,… which has been shown to reduce the incidence of diabetes,… which directly improves quality of life for participants. which reduces public health costs for all community members.

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension Participants Changes Outcome Private benefits Public value

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension Participants Changes Outcome Private benefits Public value Learn

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension Demonstrating public value Choose a program to work on. Choose a stakeholder. Worksheet: Identify some changes program participants make. Identify some outcomes that result from those changes. How do those outcomes benefit the participants? How do those outcomes benefit others (create public value)? Which public value will be most important to this stakeholder?

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension A public value message: When you support ______________program,  participants will ____________________, (changes)  which leads to ______________________, (outcomes)  which will benefit other community members by __________________________________. (public value)

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension Generally, a public value message: is directed to a specific stakeholder focuses on the outcome that matters to the stakeholder uses the stakeholder’s language is free of jargon and empty words is believable is short is about a specific program doesn’t focus on the learning step doesn’t focus on the program’s private benefit does focus on the program’s public value tells us how non-participants—the greater community, state, world—benefit from the program makes the case for public funding

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension The public value approach is not just about the message; it’s about doing the work that justifies the message.

Building Extension's Public Value: U. of MN Extension Next Steps Teach the public value approach to your colleagues. Refine your public value message. Specific stakeholder? Matters to the stakeholder? Stakeholder’s language? Free of jargon and empty words? Believable?

Next Steps Refine your public value message continued: Short? Specific program? earning step? No. Private benefits? No. Public value? Yes! How do non-participants benefit? Makes the case for public funding?

Apply your public value message. Communication strategy Use in marketing materials, grant proposals, legislative visits Implement your research agenda. Contact people who can help Program evaluation Collect indicators Cost-benefit analysis Economic impact analysis Use public value concepts to prioritize your organization’s work. Next Steps

References MU Extension Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, University of Minnesota Extension Dr. Robin Orr, University of Illinois Marshall Stewart, NCSU