Presented by: Monica Ruiz-Caraballo, Executive Director, Casa San Jose

Synopsis: For many in the nonprofit sector, advocacy is one of the most underutilized tools for fulfilling and advancing our missions. For some, it’s just too complicated – easier to avoid than figure out all the rules. For others, advocacy work may feel like a “rainy day” activity – nice to do if we only had more time in our day. For others still, fear may be holding them back – it can be intimidating to get out there and speak up for your cause! This workshop will help us all move past our “reasons not to” and find ways to bring advocacy into our toolbox, especially during a time like this when finding our voice may be more mission-critical than ever before.

Drawing from Casa San Jose’s successful advocacy efforts, including an innovative shift during COVID that resulted in Casa raising an additional $1 million, we’ll discuss how to make advocacy work for you. We’ll look at the various ways advocacy can show up in our work, including within communities, with other organizations, and within larger systems, and review the many tools at our disposal, including the census and even how to leverage the upcoming election. No matter your comfort level or advocacy know-how, this session will make advocacy feel accessible for anyone so that together, we can lift up our communities, our missions, and each other.

Learning Goals:

• Understand basic how-to’s and do’s and don’ts of advocacy
• Overcome your “reasons not to” and identify ways to engage in advocacy work
• Recognize the value in and identify opportunities for building relationships with key stakeholders