Co-op Advocacy Tips and Tricks
Submitted by The Co-operators
Having your voice heard, particularly during current circumstances of few in-person meetings, can be challenging. Learn more about resources and helpful tips to make your advocacy as effective as possible.
Given our unique model, co-operatives face a series of opportunities and challenges, both internally and collectively. We rely on advocacy efforts to raise awareness about what sets us apart, create a level playing field and advance our co-operative priorities.
Advocacy entails generating attention and public support for a particular cause or policy. It can take many different forms, including being a member of the Ontario Co-operative Association (OCA), speaking to others about the importance of co-operatives and promoting your co-operative: Lobbying is one specific form of advocacy. In general terms, it attempts to influence a public official on a matter of policy, such as OCA’s successful work to modernize the Co-operative Corporations Act. It’s important to note that lobbying is heavily regulated and requires public reporting and compliance if you and/or your organization conduct 50 hours or more of lobbying activity annually in Ontario. Detailed information on these requirements can be found on the integrity commissioner’s website. While much of your lobbying may take place through OCA, we remind you that it is your own co-operative that is responsible for tracking and reporting this activity, not OCA.
We consider lobbying one aspect of a government relations advocacy strategy. Government relations is not a one-way, one-off response to a government policy; it’s a clearly defined and focused strategy to establish a long-term working relationship with government that enhances and contributes to your overall objectives.
OCA has an outstanding government relations program that has achieved significant success for all members. We’d like to highlight a few key advocacy approaches that contribute to this effective strategy and can be implemented by members in their own advocacy:
- Identify and collaborate with champions: By establishing the All-Party Co-operative Caucus, OCA now has MPPs at Queen’s Park dedicated to the co-operative movement. This is an ongoing collaborative process — it’s important to keep in touch with these co-op champions, provide them with resources and leverage the relationships to effect change. Your co-operative can build champions by developing and maintaining relationships with your local MPPs, meeting with them on a regular basis, hosting them for a (virtual) tour and inviting them personally to OCA’s events — knowing they have a constituent in attendance motivates them to attend!
- Be clear and concise in your advocacy goals: We all have a laundry list of things we wish government would do to support our co-operatives and our sector. However, presenting them all at the same time leaves little opportunity for the details, prioritization and win-win analysis that politicians rely on when proposing policy changes. In advocating for amendments to the Co-operative Corporations Act, OCA narrowed its recommendations to three key asks, focusing the government’s attention. In your own advocacy, we recommend choosing a select number of goals to allow you the opportunity to pursue them effectively, and never shying away from working towards smaller, easier to achieve goals — “low-hanging fruit” — which have the benefit of developing and strengthening your relationships with those officials whose support you will need to accomplish your longer-term objectives.
- Collaborate: Through our advocacy, we can give life to our principle of co-operation among co-operatives. OCA’s Government Relations Committee is an effective way for members to come together and leverage their advocacy efforts. We can also borrow from one another’s experience and expertise by utilizing the advocacy resources compiled by OCA.
As we all navigate the realities of the pandemic and what is hopefully an upcoming transition to a more stable path forward, our advocacy has been impacted. Through this, we’ve learned a few key lessons:
- Be proactive in your outreach: Physical distancing has prevented in-person meetings, receptions and casual run-ins. It’s also highlighted the importance of communication. No matter what the circumstance, relationship development with public officials is invaluable, and we must be proactive in our communication. You don’t need to restrict your outreach to formal asks — send a check-in email, arrange a quick call or put together a deck that can be shared interactively over a conference platform. Anything to position yourself as a key stakeholder and demonstrate your willingness to collaborate.
- Give consideration to the framing of your priorities: Whether it’s in response to this pandemic or a more normal situation like a change in government, consider the impact to how you’re framing and presenting your advocacy pitch. The goals themselves often do not need to change, rather, how you connect them to the government’s priorities and demonstrate the “win” must be tailored to meet the needs of the day.
- Advocacy best practices apply no matter the circumstances: Being engaged, interacting positively with public officials and following through will always be key to success. Check out our one-pager on best practices to maintain effectiveness in your own advocacy!
Effective advocacy is integral to achieving success for your co-op and our broader co-operative sector. If you’d like to arrange a personalized advocacy information session, please contact The Co-operators AVP of Government Relations, Maya Milardovic. For more information about OCA’s advocacy and resources, contact Executive Director, Erin Morgan.
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