5 Actions for Boosting Your Advocacy Efforts

5 Actions for Boosting Your Advocacy Efforts

Advocacy is a team sport. Be it off season, pre-season, in season or the playoffs – the best teams consistently hone their skills so they’re always ready when it counts most. Below are five immediate NAA opportunities that aim to help affiliates to boost their advocacy programs. 

1. Advocacy Academies – Advocacy Academies deliver 8-10 hours of education and interactive training exercises to develop and reinforce participants’ abilities to form and sustain influential relationships with their government representatives. The deadline for nominating candidates has been extended to July 11, and the deadline for applying has been extended to July 28. Nominate your candidates here.

2. At-Home Meetings – Meeting Members of Congress in their districts is just as effective as in their D.C. offices. NAA is reaching out to its best advocates (and yours) to advance the Respect State Housing Laws Act (S. 107/HR. 1078) in the 119th Congress. Real-time information about the meetings your advocates have scheduled and conducted can be accessed through NAA’s online Congressional Meeting Log tool. (Login required.)

3. Relationship Survey – Strong relationships form the backbone of any influential advocacy network. Urge your members to inform and update NAA about the relationships they have with Members of Congress through NAA’s Relationship Log tool, accessible through their online NAA account.   

Reports about your members’ relationships are available from NAA upon request. 

4. Advocate of the Year 2025 - The Malcome N. Bennett Advocate of the Year Award recognizes that advocates like that are worth their weight in platinum. The nomination process for NAA’s Advocate of the Year Award is now open. Recognize your platinum advocates this year. The deadline for submitting nominations is August 22, 2025.  

5. Grassroots Campaigns at Your Fingertips – NAA’s new grassroots advocacy platform (powered by Speak4) allows affiliate leaders to launch their own grassroots campaigns without NAA acting as the intermediary. This benefit is FREE for all affiliates. For more information, contact Seth Turner, Director of Grassroots Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement.