National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers

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.

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.

Grassroots Engagement consists of development of grassroots campaign planning and activation of tactics to engage community members, key stakeholders and decision makers.

Resource Available: Grassroots Toolkit

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 (coming in Jan 2023) network within your respective state and/or community via Phone 2 Action and Nation Builder.
• Provide you with an action alert for you to launch within your systems.
• Text to join action alerts for advocates to engage in your campaign.
• Social media engagement.

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 Available: Health Equity Message Guide

Legal review and consultation is available to campaigns.

Examples include:

• Legal analysis of bill drafts/ordinances
• Lobbying vs. Non-lobbying: Time Tracking Guidance for IRS documentation for 501 c-3s.

Technical assistance for polling, focus groups and other research.

Resource Available: Public Opinion Research Planning

Examples Include:

• Developing a survey.
• Conducting community conversations.
• Guidance for what to look for when selecting a polling firm

Media advocacy technical assistance provides support on media advocacy strategy and tactics.

• Developing inclusive language for campaign materials.
• Resource: Racial Equity Message Guide
• Communications and media advocacy planning.
• Message development.
  
  • Customized messaging using fast facts and key messages.
• Spokesperson coaching and training.
• Media Relations.
  
  • Editorial board meetings.
  • Media or press conferences and events.
  • Media roundtables.
  • Press releases, op-eds and letters-to-the-editor.
  • Story pitching.
• Social media consultation.
• Digital engagement consultation.
• Material and resource review and approval.

Resources Available: Media Advocacy Guidebooks, Planning Worksheets and Tip Sheets

NCIT works to connect campaigns with other leaders in the movement.

Prenatal-to-Three Capacity Building Hub powered by the BUILD Initiative

The BUILD Initiative is a national organization that advances work on behalf of young children from prenatal to five, their families, and communities. The BUILD Initiative can provide technical assistance around systems and programmatic consultation, technical support, and peer opportunities. Support can include:

• Peer-to-peer support via the Prenatal-to-Three XChange – an open, online community for discussion, collaboration, and information sharing among PN-3 leaders, advocates, and anyone who is a champion for infants and toddlers.
• Light-touch support from an early childhood expert who may provide written documents, tools, peer matches or a consultation session on PN-3 systems building. Visit the PN-3 Help Desk or call 1-833-275-6248 to submit a request.
• Informational newsletters & national webinars on PN-3 topics. Sign up here.

Technical assistance for policy language development to ensures the policy is written in a way that results in equitable and positive health impacts.

Technical assistance for policy language review (e.g. legislation, regulation, ordinance, executive order, etc.) review ensures the policy is written in a way that results in equitable and positive health impacts. Policy language should be submitted for review as early in the process as possible. 

Examples include:

• Interpreting/translating policy documents into everyday language for folks new to advocacy
• Drafting model policy language

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.
• Fast Facts and one pagers.

Subject matter expertise provides your campaign with more in-depth information on the policy you are seeking to change. This can include examples from other states/communities, programs, campaigns, etc.

Examples include:

• Connections with organizations working on similar policy issue areas.
• Learning about policy issues, minimum policy goals, etc..
• Connecting organizations working on similar policy campaigns/issue though affinity calls, introductions, and peer-group meetings to share best practices and lessons learned.

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.

NCIT is committed to supporting campaigns by providing training and capacity building opportunities by offering a robust training curriculum, including personalized presentations, skills labs, workshops, etc..

Examples Include:

• Virtual and in person trainings customized to your needs.
• PowerPrism module trainings including:
  • Advocacy 101: The PowerPrism Framework
  • Coalition Building and Maintenance
  • Decision-Maker Advocacy and Lobbying
  • Grassroots and Key Contacts
  • Media Advocacy and Communications
  • Policy Issue Area
  • Racial Equity and Power Building
  • Research and Data Collection
  • Sustainability and Fundraising
• Advocacy and spokesperson training.
• Lobbying & advocacy: 501(c)3 adherence.

Translation Service supports campaigns to have campaign materials in languages other than English.

Examples Include:

• Campaign materials including fact sheets, etc. translated into a language other than English.