For the past several weeks, ARRM staff and the Public Affairs Committee have been working diligently to assemble a passel of tools for members to use during the upcoming election season, as well as in your summer/fall grassroots advocacy work. Check out our menu of tools below; we trust that you’ll find these useful in the coming months.
Tool #1: Provider Best Practices Guide
ARRM implemented its grassroots advocacy plan last August, and since then, ARRM staff and our Advocacy Partners have amassed a good deal of practical information about how to engage families and staff in carrying out critical grassroots advocacy work.
We’ve captured that knowledge in a five page Word document: “Top Ten Provider Tips, Grassroots Advocacy Best Practices”. Whether your agency is new to grassroots advocacy or a well-oiled grassroots machine, there are practical tips and concrete action steps for every agency.
Tool #2: Summer Grassroots Messages
As you know, we’re in the middle of ARRM’s “education and engagement” phase of our grassroots advocacy cycle. This summer, we’ve been encouraging members to visit their legislators in their home districts, or schedule site visits with elected officials to educate them about the critical work you do. Before you meet with legislators, take a look at the grassroots messages we’ve put together for executive leadership, direct care staff and family members. These messages are not intended to be recited verbatim; rather, they should give you some guidance on what points to address in the larger context of your personal story.
Tool #3: “When a Candidate Knocks” Door Hanger
ARRM has created a door hanger for your staff and family members to use when candidates are canvassing their communities. You can either download a modifiable Word document that should fit any paper formatted for 8.5” x 3.5” door hangers (you may need to adjust the margins or table cells slightly to accommodate different printers and paper), or if you’d rather not print your own door hangers, ARRM members may order FREE pre-printed 8.5” x 3.5” door hangers (you can’t modify these) directly from ARRM as a benefit of membership—see front and back images below, and click on each image to view the actual size. Contact Brenda Carlson to place your order; please let her know how many you’d like. We’ll mail or deliver them to you in early August.


Tool #4: Voter Information Section of Advocacy Arsenal
A good number of ARRM members are 501(c) (3) non-profits, and consequently, you must remain nonpartisan during the election season. ARRM has culled a variety of resources to help you stay engaged while preserving your 501(c) (3) status. In addition, we’ve added new tools that all organizations will find useful right up until Election Day on November 2nd.
Tool #5: What’s New(s) Blog
The purpose of ARRM’s What’s New(s) blog is to promote ARRM and member news and grassroots information. While the Daily Dispatch blog contains proprietary information for ARRM members only, the What’s New(s) blog is available for the general consumption. We encourage you to visit this blog often to get up-to-the-minute grassroots advocacy news, like Sara Krogman’s recent post on absentee ballot voting for the August 10th state primary elections. If you’d like to share your agency's good news with others, please send it in electronic format to Barb Brynstad. These posts are generally re-distributed on ARRM’s social media sites, Facebook and Twitter.
--Barb Brynstad, ARRM Public Relations Director