Duration:

13 hours 30 minutes

Description

Unleashing community power to make legislative change at the state and local level.

Nonprofits are engaged in a continuous struggle to improve the quality of life for the people and communities they serve. Still, only 2.5% actively lobby. Many nonprofits don’t understand their legal right to participate in legislative advocacy let alone how to make real policy change.

This four-part hybrid series, created and presented by Pat Libby, is designed to inspire and equip CDC staff, board members, and leaders of allied nonprofits with the knowledge, skills, and support to effectively engage in advocacy and lobbying. It will provide the tools you need to shape and advance policy solutions at the local and state level.

Participants will learn:

• the legal rules of nonprofit lobbying and advocacy
• how laws are made
• how to design and carry out a legislative campaign from start to finish following 10 simple steps
• how to advance advocacy campaigns that reflect the needs of your community
• how to message your campaign and build a coalition of diverse stakeholders
• how to identify legislator targets, contact them, and speak to elected officials and their staff about your cause.

Schedule:

Session 1 (in-person): What's legal, how are laws made, and how do I make a difference? - October 16 at Urban Edge. 9:30AM-3:30PM. MKI will provide coffee and pastries in the morning and lunch in the afternoon.

Session 2 (virtual): Crafting a campaign: how it was done and how we can do it - October 30 | Zoom | 2:00PM-4:30PM.

Session 3 (virtual): Campaign workshop - November 20 | Zoom | 2:00PM-4:30PM.

Session 4 (virtual): Practice Session - December 4 | Zoom | 2:00PM-4:30PM.

All participants will receive a copy of Pat Libby's 2022 book, The Empowered Citizens Guide: 10 Steps to Passing a Law that Matters to You.

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About the instructor: Pat Libby, an expert on citizen-led lobbying campaigns, is a long-time nonprofit leader, recovering academic, and author of The Empowered Citizens Guide: 10 Steps to Passing a Law that Matters to You (2022, Oxford University Press) and the Lobbying Strategy Handbook, second edition (2021, Oxford University Press). Her 10-step strategy has been used by citizens across the country to pass laws that made a real difference in their communities.

Organizations who send 3 or more staff can receive a discount of -$25 off each registration (invoice only). If you would like a discount, DO NOT sign up using the registration link. Instead, please contact our Program and Communications Coordinator, Kavi Neva (kavin@macdc.org) for a custom invoice.

Registration deadline

October 9, 2025

Registration fee

Regular: $155, MACDC Member: $125, Student/AmeriCorps/Intern: $50