Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

Advocacy - Outreach to Opinion Leaders

• Setting Up a Meeting with An Elected Official

Across the nation, the work of AMCHP members leads to healthier lives, healthier communities and a healthier nation.  Keeping families healthy and helping children get ready to learn can save future expenditures on Medicaid, education, etc.  The work is exciting and necessary in building a strong foundation for our nation’s future.  To keep it well funded, more people, key people, need to know about. 

Reaching and working with opinion leaders can be rather daunting.  However, knowing that your programs are needed and successful is half the battle.  Getting your information across is the other half.  Your role is to educate lawmakers or opinion leaders about the success of your program and all that it can be.

Recognize Limitations

In an effort to maintain a unified message for the state, the supervisors of many AMCHP members sometimes have lengthy approval processes for communications bearing the state imprimatur.  State program officials may also have limited access to other state and federal elected-representatives. While you may be prohibited from lobbying or meeting with elected officials, colleagues, community leaders and association representatives may not have the same restrictions. With your help, likeminded allies may use your data and follow your call for action.  Likewise, if you have access to elected officials, information from your allies may help your case.

If you do not have the resources, staff or expertise to reach out to opinion leaders, you can try to create alliances within the broader, state public health department to help with this outreach.

Regardless of your current outreach limitations, please read on.  Many of the outreach strategies can help you better communicate your program’s achievements and needs to many audiences. 

Find Allies Who Can Convey Your Message

What organizations share your mission or benefit from increased or maintained Title V funding? Can they help carry your message – or provide you with data or anecdotes that will add fire to your outreach? A list of likely candidates might include individuals working for the chapters of state or local professional organizations or in health-related areas, such as:

Forming successful relationships with peer groups takes time.  Be sure to:

• Learn who has key contacts. Groups that may appear small can often be significant players based upon who their staff know and the strength of those relationships. Keep an open mind and never underestimate the value of relationships.

• Be strategic.  Before approaching any group to act as messenger, think about how they will also benefit from the outreach.

• Be consistent.  If you cannot lobby, building your cadre of messengers is the equivalent of building your relationship with opinion leaders.  Offer strong, straightforward messages – and always come through on their requests.

• Stay in contact. Send one-page communications out every two months. Direct opinion leaders to your Web site so that it will become a familiar resource. Pretend you are communicating with elected officials and, in a succinct and professional manner, offer updates on your programs, sharing data, anecdotes and family stories. (Please, send a copy to AMCHP too.) 

• Offer to reciprocate. You may not be able to set up a meeting with your U.S. senator the next time you are in Washington, but you can offer the person who does as an expert resource for choice media interviews. Even simple deeds, like providing background information for a group’s upcoming newsletter, are remembered and appreciated.

• Say thank you.  Even if your ultimate goals are not met, take the time to make a phone call or go out to lunch. Everyone likes a pat on the back.