In my years at Empower Missouri I have often heard from nonprofit staff at all levels that they know that policy change is integral to ending poverty, but also that they struggle to engage in it. Not-for-profit organizations are often functioning above their actual capacity with direct service work and other funded programming, and building advocacy work into their offerings feels daunting. I knew that with some targeted education and compassionate help, those obstacles could be overcome.
We launched our first Advocacy Partners cohort in August 2022 and the results have been absolutely incredible. The organizations engaged in this training program have increased their knowledge, comfort, and the structural support needed to integrate legislative advocacy into their programming. Our pilot year is wrapping up, and we are excited to be recruiting the 2023/24 cohort now.
Our Advocacy Partners program is geared towards organizations, though we spend significant time investing in the individuals employed as well. In their own words:
“This cohort has been extremely helpful. I have received a lot of information and the support has been great”
“Sarah is a wealth of information, resources and support. It has been a very rich experience and I’m so pleased that I joined!”
We’re making some changes for our second year of programming. For the 2023/2024 cohort we will meet once monthly as a group for 90 minutes. Participants will continue to have individual coaching sessions throughout the month, on your schedule. Our entire policy staff is available to you to help you reach your advocacy goals, and we will train your whole staff in advocacy, ethics, and messaging.
Let Empower Missouri help you fully live out your mission. Our kick off will be in August 2023 with an optional in-person gathering in Kansas City. We have only a handful of openings left – if your organization is ready to grow your advocacy arm, reach out to Sarah today at [email protected].
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