What is grasstops advocacy?
A grasstops advocate is an individual who has gone through leadership training with their respective organization, has a relationship with their senator or representative, and has shown interest in participating in more high level policy debates.
Defining criteria for a grasstops advocate allows an organization to create specific means of communication for these advocates and more effectively activate key segments of their supporters.
Grasstops advocates are willing to rally their networks to recruit other individuals that would be interested in supporting an issue or cause. This can lead to the creation of a list of helpful contacts that are willing to take action.
How does grasstops advocacy relate to public affairs?
Grasstops advocacy allows public affairs teams to connect to elected officials through personal connections in order to advocate on behalf of their issue. Grasstops and grassroots advocates are both important to a successful advocacy strategy, but organizations should consider four specific strategies when working with grasstops versus grassroots advocates.
An important role of grasstops advocates are in-person visits with a legislator’s office that can help move the needle on issues an organization cares about.
To organize a successful grasstops advocacy campaign that supports your ambassador program, organizations should seek out specific strategies, such as giving advocates a specific ask.