Grassroots Advocacy - Aging Services of California

Grassroots Advocacy

Our goal is a robust program that embodies grassroots activities throughout the year, not just when there is a critical issue facing our members. Our suggested activities seek to position our members as the "go to" source on issues across the continuum of long-term care.

Introduction
Grassroots advocacy is the active support of a cause, issue or policy at the local level rather than at the political center, such as Sacramento or Washington, DC. A grassroots program is a continuous process of empowering and encouraging members to take action on public policy issues. It is a course that leads association members as they seek to impact public policy.

Grassroots is important because:

Most people (including legislators and their staff) do not have even a basic understanding of long term care – let alone the various levels of care and how people move from one level to the next;
Understanding long-term care is critical to adopting public policy that impacts the delivery of services;
You are the best spokesperson to discuss long-term care issues;
Aging Services of California members must comply with a plethora of state and federal laws and regulations – it is imperative we have a voice in shaping those policies;
Legislators want to hear from their constituents;

Please review this portion of the website to view the materials that can assist you in your grassroots pursuits. Aging Services of California has provided a number of tools as you embark on your grassroots journey and Aging Services staff is always available to help.

Aging Services Grassroots Program
Join Aging Services Grassroots program, aimed at maximizing Aging Services members’ connections with elected officials for the benefit of California’s aging population. Aging Services will use this information for targeted Legislative Action Alerts. If you are friends with, related to, or have a personal connection to a member of the California Legislature, or their staff, Aging Services would like to know! Please download the Grassroots Program form and take action today!

Q: What does it mean to be a Grassroots Program Participant?
A: Grassroots Program participants opt in to the Grassroots Program by asserting that they will advocate Aging Services’ legislative agenda to his/her elected officials. Grassroots Program participants are expected to participate in some, not all, of the following activities:

Subscribe to their legislators’ newsletters. Newsletters keep Grassroots participants informed of their elected officials’ legislative priorities and upcoming town hall meetings.
Respond to Aging Services’ emailed Legislative Action Alerts and make every effort to personalize the provided sample letter. Instead of emailing the letter to elected officials, participants are urged to print out the letter on letterhead and fax it to the officials’ offices with the information provided.
Forward Aging Services’ Legislative Action Alerts to employees in their company and encourage them to personalize the sample letter provided in the alert.
Attend town hall meetings of their elected officials and express their concerns about legislation affecting seniors.
Visit their legislator or their staff at one of the state or district offices and discuss aging issues. Aging Services will provide talking points and fact sheets for the visits if requested.
Invite their legislators to community events and dedications, open houses or other ceremonies.
Invite one legislator or their staff to tour their facility or office.
Put legislators and other local elected officials on your mailing list.

Q: What does a Grassroots Program Participant receive from Aging Services of California?
A: Grassroots Program participants receive materials to assist in advocating Aging Services’ legislative agenda. Here are some of the materials that you will receive:

Periodic emails on important websites, articles or town hall meetings in your legislative district.
A Grassroots Tool Kit that includes tips on contacting your legislator and sample letters and invitations.
Aging Services’ Issue Briefs and talking points on legislative priorities.

Q: How do I join the Grassroots Program?
A: Download a Grassroots Program form, or email cseifert@aging.org.

Aging Services of California Targeted Grassroots Initiatives: Aging Services’ Online Advocacy Center
During the year, a particular bill or issue will arise and we will need you to “Take Action”. Aging Services will send you a “Legislative Action Alert” message email with a link to Aging Services’ Online Advocacy Center, which will provide you with the tools to quickly and easily contact your elected officials with a personalized message. It is important to remember that Aging Services sends “Legislative Action Alert” messages only when they will have the maximum impact on the issue or piece of legislation.

Community Event/Dedication Program
Do you have a open house or a groundbreaking ceremony coming up? Aging Services can help your community by offering support, whether it is hand delivering the invitation to a Member of Congress, or State Legislator or following up with appropriate Congressional, state agency or state government staff. This program increases Aging Services’ participation in ceremonies and helps to build on Aging Services’ relationships with Members of Congress, Legislators, government officials and allied organizations by supporting and working with them in California. Aging Services’ presence at ceremonies maximizes the opportunities to meet with decision-makers and strengthens relationships with state legislators and their staff. Let Aging Services know about your upcoming event by emailing csiefert@aging.org or filling out the Community Event/Dedication form.

Legislator Tour Program
In partnership with facility operators, Aging Services organizes tours for legislators in order to create relationships and to educate leaders on senior issues. During the visit and tour of your community, the elected official will provide you and your staff with the chance to develop a deeper relationship. Once these relationships begin to develop and strengthen, it becomes much easier to address legislative issues with them. In some instances you might find a legislator contacting you to discuss an issue. For any assistance in setting up a tour contact Aging Services’ legislative office at (916) 392-5111, or email csiefert@aging.org and download a sample Legislator Tour invitation.

How to Reach Out to Your Legislator
Long Term Care Facilities are uniquely positioned to build long-term grassroots relationships with the California State Legislature and most legislators would welcome the opportunity to visit a facility and interact with the employees and residents whose livelihoods depend on the continued success of the facility. Opportunities for providers to create and expand upon such relationships are everywhere and the value of taking advantage of them is priceless.

To locate and contact your Senator and Assembly Member visit: www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov

Welcome members of the Legislature into your facility:

Invite a legislator to drop by your facility for an informal visit.
Initiate this request through the district office of the legislator. Download the Grassroots Tool Kit for more information on a facility drop by program.
Ask the legislator to “cut the ribbon” at your facility during ceremonies.
Ask the legislator to attend your resident meeting or employee/family picnic.
Invite a legislator to an Aging Services’ event. Invite the legislator to speak at our Public Policy Conference, Region meeting, or play in our Annual Conference Golf Tournament.

Promote members of the Legislature within your local community:

Invite a legislator to be the Honorary Chair at a major charity event in your hometown.
Ask the legislator to be the Grand Marshall in a community parade.
If a legislator sides with providers on a politically sensitive vote, send a supportive letter-to-the-editor of your local newspaper.
Include a favorable story regarding your legislator in the facility’s newsletter.

Here are a series of steps to consider prior to arranging such an event:

Write a letter of invitation detailing the event, i.e. date, time, location, number of participants. (Aging Services’ staff is always available to help)
Coordinate press coverage before the event.
Inform your employees of the special guest. Hand out a brief biography of the legislator. (Aging Services’ staff is always available to help)
Record the event by taking photos.
Send the legislator a thank you note and include photos and any press coverage the event received.

Develop a Relationship with the Legislative District Staff in Your Area
Legislators often use staff in their district offices to remain connected to their constituents. These staffers live and work in your community, yet many have daily direct contact with the Sacramento office. As such, they are well positioned to set up appointments or convey messages directly to the legislator.

Here are some suggestions of ways to build relationships with district staff:

Ask the District Director to lunch, meet at your facility.
Ask the District Director to be a guest at your resident meetings.
Provide the District staff with handout materials of your facility.

If you have already established a long-term relationship with your Legislator, let us know!

Click here for a Grassroots Program form.

Lobbying and Election Activity: What the Law Allows
Many in the nonprofit community are concerned about the IRS investigating political activity by churches and other charitable organizations. However, there has been no change in the rules that govern political activity by nonprofit organizations. As a general rule of thumb, the following principles will keep you in compliance with the tax laws and out of trouble with the IRS.

Make Sure that Any Politically-Related Activity You Undertake is Nonpartisan
Nonprofit organizations may help people register to vote, get to a polling place, and educate themselves on those who are running for office. Especially because many of the people we serve may have mobility or other issues that prevent them from getting out on their own to vote or hear from the candidates, senior housing and long-term care facilities frequently assist their residents in these ways. However, all of these activities must be completely nonpartisan, not favoring any one candidate over others.

For example, nonprofit facilities may hold candidate forums for their residents to hear from those who are running for office as long as all candidates are invited and given equal time to speak, the organization makes it clear that it does not favor or oppose any of the candidates, and no fundraising occurs. Not every candidate has to attend in order for the function to proceed, but it must be explained at the function that all candidates were invited and any absences must be noted in a neutral manner. Invitations should be in writing to offer as proof should any questions arise.

Also, facilities may provide transportation to polling places as long as the service is provided on an equal basis to all residents and no distinction is made according to which candidate a resident may support. If a facility distributes materials such as voter guides to residents, the material must be unbiased and non-partisan, even if it has been prepared by outside groups.

You can Endorse or Oppose Ballot Initiatives
As long as they observe the Section 501(c)(3) limits on the amount of their lobbying, all nonprofit organizations may endorse or oppose ballot measures and urge voters to pass or defeat measures without jeopardizing their tax exempt status.

How much lobbying a nonprofit organization may do is determined by one of two tests. Nonprofit organizations can elect to have the amount of its permissible lobbying measured under an expenditure test. This test allows nonprofit organizations to lobby freely as long as the amount of money they spend on lobbying communications does not exceed certain spending caps, which are calculated based on their budget. Nonprofit organizations can also elect to be governed by the more nebulous “no substantial part” test, meaning that their lobbying activities cannot amount to a substantial part of their overall activities.

The bottom line is that any involvement you are likely to have in a ballot initiative campaign (short of having written the initiative itself) will not adversely affect your status as a not-for- profit organization.

Do Not Get Involved in Individual Candidate Campaigns
Nonprofit organizations may not advocate either for or against any political candidate’s campaign for public office. Your organization may not endorse a candidate, contribute to a campaign financially, issue statements on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate, distribute statements others have written for or against a candidate, or allow its facilities or other assets to be used by a candidate unless all candidates are given similar opportunities.

People who work for or live in tax-exempt organizations do not lose all their rights of citizenship, but any campaign activity you personally may want to undertake has to be done completely apart from your organization. If, for example, you speak or write on behalf of a candidate, you must do it under your own name and on your own time and expense, not representing your organization, involving your staff, or using your organization’s computer system, telephones, donor lists, or other assets. Since your staff’s activities within the facility and during working hours are attributable to your organization, they need to be familiar and comply with these restrictions as well. Similarly, your organization’s website, newsletter and other communications media must be free of any items endorsing or opposing a candidate.

By following these principles, you can take steps to avoid jeopardizing your organization’s tax-exempt status. Additional information and examples of activities that are and are not permissible are available here.

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