Katie BaileyWhile “advocacy” often brings to mind lobbyist meetings or hill hikes, those state capitol and D.C. visits are just the tip of the iceberg. Grassroots advocacy is the powerful, ongoing engagement of credit unions and their teams to influence legislative outcomes and build lasting relationships.
As state legislative sessions wrap up across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia, lawmaker engagement season begins, and we invite you and your credit union to get involved.
Grassroots engagement can take many forms, including:
- Participating in or updating Project Zip Code
- Inviting The League to provide a staff advocacy training or leadership discussion
- Contributing to the Political Action Committee (PAC) or Advocacy Fund
- Hosting lawmakers for meet-and-greet or appreciation events in-district
- Inviting lawmakers to credit union branch tours or ribbon cuttings
- Participating in a task force or committee
- Collecting and sharing stories about how your credit union has served the community
An example of this advocacy can be seen through recent visits by The League Advocacy Team to Homebase Credit Union, Peoples Advantage Federal Credit Union, and Virginia Credit Union. Through organization-wide grassroots advocacy training, post-session legislative briefings, and strategic discussions, we gained valuable insight into the innovative work each credit union is doing for its community. The moving stories, creative initiatives, and operational knowledge shared help fuel ongoing advocacy efforts.
If you are interested in grassroots advocacy training or would like to get your team involved, please reach out to Josie Ellis today.
