Grassroots member advocacy is much more possible and meaningful now than ever before. In today's world, members can easily travel across the country or shoot off a tweet instantly. The key to membership advocacy, like any volunteer responsibility, is to determine the right role for the member to play. Social media certainly has its place and is perfect for the most time-constrained individuals, but nothing replaces direct constituent outreach through email, legislative conferences, lobbying, and Washington, DC, fly-ins.

Start the Engagement Process Early

At the National Association of Counties (NACo), member-driven advocacy develops through conversations with our members and newly-elected county officials. Our member counties can participate in these efforts through one of NACo's 10 policy steering committees [PDF]. Committee members have the opportunity to use their experience and expertise to engage with thought leaders in local government from around the country. They help shape and advance the federal policy priorities of county governments, as well as advocate for issues that they feel most passionate about for their communities. Steering committee signup forms are widely distributed online, through email, and in-person, and are sent to new members when they join NACo.

The key to member advocacy, like any volunteer responsibility, is to determine the right role for the member to play.

Engage Affiliated State Associations

Establishing national-level issue interests and priorities starts by collaborating with members and the state associations of counties, who also organize volunteers and ensure that their members represent their communities on various NACo committees. Generally, members self-select issues that they are most passionate about and work on them through the committee process. The resulting conversations form a partnership between the national and state associations, which then work together to identify both volunteers to engage and lawmakers to target who represent various districts, support key issues NACo is working on, and can share real-world examples illustrating the issue. In our experience, these collective grassroots efforts are a consistently effective form of advocacy.

Help Members Do What They Can

NACo also identifies opportunities based on members' available time, issue interests, and connections. Some members come to DC to help with fly-ins and bring staff along to visit their delegations. Others participate in Capitol Hill briefings throughout the year. Sometimes our members testify before Congress on issues important to their county.

We also encourage members to take advantage of help available from NACo staff when they visit. Members can stop by our DC office to coordinate efforts and talking points. During our annual Legislative Conference, an entire day is dedicated to Capitol Hill visits. This gives attendees a convenient time to engage in in-person advocacy during the conference, allowing for two visits with one travel expense.

Meanwhile, members who can't commit to coming to DC are often glad to send emails, make calls to legislators, or post to social media. To assist with that outreach, NACo provides analysis on federal legislation to members through a wide range of advocacy toolkits, legislative policy briefs, webinars, and regularly scheduled conference calls. These resources also help keep members who are not directly involved with NACo's advocacy work informed on important policy issues.

Use Recognition to Keep Members Engaged

Although most members find advocacy work rewarding because they know they are making a difference, recognizing their efforts helps keep them active and involved long-term. The NACo website highlights members' advocacy activities, and our This Week in Photos feature shows pictures of members testifying on Capitol Hill or meeting with lawmakers. Everyone appreciates a little recognition, and it can motivate them to respond the next time we need to enlist volunteer engagement in our advocacy work.