National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers
No-Cost Policy Change and Campaign Consultation
NCIT is here to support your advocacy campaign in a variety of ways to help you plan and execute your campaign.
What is Consultation?
We support advocacy campaigns by mobilizing communities, advancing science and research through communications and messaging expertise, and other forms of capacity building for organizations. We offer tools and resources, connections to partner organizations, one-on-one coaching, and trainings to organizations advocating for policies that impact expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families. Each request starts a conversation – you don’t have to have all the details ready. We’ll get you connected to the right person!
Here are a few examples of how we can help your advocacy campaign. Don’t see the support you need? We’d still love to hear from you.
Whether you are far along in a campaign, or not sure where to begin, our consultants are here to help with resources to build a successful effort.
Examples include:
- Where to start! How to center a policy effort with community voices.
- Utilizing the Power Prism® as a guide for Campaign Planning
- Building a campaign timeline.
- Incorporating Campaign Planning tools
Coalition and community engagement includes, but is not limited to, the development of materials and resources which can help strengthen and grow your advocacy coalition through meaningful engagement of key stakeholders.
Examples Include:
- Tips for developing an advocacy coalition and operating guidelines.
- Organizers checklist for successful advocacy coalition meetings.
- Sample campaign manager job description.
- Growing and diversifying your coalition.
- Give and get guide for strategic partnerships working on public policy.
- Coalition mapping for advocacy.
- Connecting organizations working on similar policy campaigns/issue though affinity calls, introductions, and peer-group meetings.
NCIT will do its best to answer targeted research questions identified within campaigns. These questions can be tied to policy passage, implementation, or evaluation. Please note that in some cases the answers may not be there due to the nature of emerging policy.
Examples Include:
- Researching roots of community equity and change.
- Similar policy successes in other states/communities.
- Research based talking points on your policy issue.
- One pagers with data clearly organized by issue.
Technical assistance to help you access data to support your campaigns or build your coalition. If you have data needs, we would like to help. We use the mySidewalk data platform to create reports and maps that you can share with policy makers and stakeholders.
View an example of the type of reports that we can develop.
Decision Maker Advocacy includes technical assistance that is specific to engaging key officials and decision makers who have the power to give you what you want in your campaign.
Examples Include:
- Consultant support to be a thought partner to work through the key tools to help in policy campaign planning such as:
- Tips for meeting with lawmakers and testifying at public hearings.
- Worksheets to help you research the policy-making process.
- Pathways of influence worksheets to help you determine the best approach to decision makers.
- Worksheets to identify key decision-makers in key positions to move your campaign.
- Guidance to build relationships with decision makers who may be neutral or opposed to your initiatives.
Grassroots Engagement consists of development of grassroots campaign planning and activation of tactics to engage community members, key stakeholders and decision makers.
Examples Include:
- Assisting with the creation of action alerts and other communications to provide engagement as policies move through the legislative process.
- Launch action alerts on behalf of your coalition to the NCIT network within your respective state and/or community via Phone 2 Action and Nation Builder.
- Text to join action alerts for advocates to engage in your campaign.
Resource: Grassroots Toolkit
Media advocacy technical assistance provides support on media advocacy planning and strategy tactics such as message development including developing inclusive language for campaign materials
Examples:
- Customized messaging using fast facts and key messages.
- Media roundtables.
- Press releases, op-eds and letters-to-the-editor.
- Story pitching.
- Material and resource review and approval.
- Social media consultation.
- Digital engagement consultation.
- Social media engagement.
- Spokesperson coaching and training.
- Editorial board meetings.
- Media or press conferences and events.
Resource: Racial Equity Message Guide
NCIT provides consultation on embedding health equity and racial justice into policymaking. Our equity vision is for children and their families to be free from oppressive conditions that limit their overall quality of life and well-being. Achieving this bold vision includes listening to, creating space for, centering, and trusting Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/a, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American and Pacific Islander or from families who have low income, in all areas of our work.
Resource: Health Equity Message Guide
Sustainability and Fundraising includes technical assistance around exploring, identifying or leveraging additional funding opportunities to advance campaign goals. In addition to funding, technical assistance efforts can be focused on sustainability through partnerships or evaluation efforts. Solutions will be tailored to your needs.
