Being an Advocacy Champion
How to sign up to be an Advocacy Champion
If you’re excited about the responsibilities and benefits of being an Advocacy Champion, please complete our Advocacy Champion Registration Form.
About Advocacy Champions
Advocacy Champions play a vital role in building relationships with federal and state lawmakers and executing campaigns that help pass lifesaving and life-changing IBD legislation. As an Advocacy Champion, you will be asked to conduct online and offline advocacy activities throughout the year that provide sustained communication with elected officials and their staff.
Champions might also at times be asked to serve as a public representative for the Foundation’s advocacy campaigns at local events. Like the Foundation, your work on our behalf will always be nonpartisan, although we realize you might be engaged in partisan activities outside your volunteering with us.
Responsibilities
Champions will be expected to complete the following activities each calendar year.
Meeting with Lawmakers or Their Staff
Building a personal relationship with a lawmaker’s office is the most important responsibility for an Advocacy Champion, as we know that doing so greatly increases the chances lawmakers will support our priority legislation.
Champions are expected to have at least one in-person contact with a lawmaker’s office each year. There are several ways to fulfill this requirement including:
- Attending Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C.*
- Conducting a meeting with lawmakers or their staff in the local district office during a congressional or state legislative recess
- Completing a requested drop-off activity at the local office of one of your lawmakers
In states with priority state legislative campaigns, this activity can be focused on a state lawmaker or your members of Congress. You will be contacted by our State Advocacy Director if you live in a state with a priority campaign.
* Due to budget constraints, we’re not able to invite all Champions to Day on the Hill. Those decisions will be made based on several criteria including volunteers living in the districts of lawmakers who sit on targeted congressional committees or serve in leadership roles.
Calling Your Lawmaker’s Office
Throughout the year, our advocacy team will send emails asking you to call a targeted member of Congress and leave a message in support of a specific bill. Champions are expected to complete at least one phone call action each year.
Sending Messages to Lawmakers
Throughout the year, we will send you emails asking you to use our action center to send a message to your lawmakers about a specific bill or issue. Champions are asked to complete at least five of these simple actions.
Share Your Story with Lawmakers or Share Advocacy Content on Social Media
We know that personal stories are a highly effective way to convince lawmakers to support our issues. In addition, sharing our advocacy content on your social media pages helps us grow our base of supporters. Champions are asked to complete one of these activities throughout the year.
Key Benefits
Exclusive Access to Foundation Leadership
Throughout the year we will host virtual meetings exclusively for Advocacy Champions. You will hear directly from our federal lobbyist, senior leadership in the organization and outside advocacy experts. You will gain an in-depth understanding of our work and unique insights into how things really get done on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures.
State Chapter Recognition
Social Media Recognition
We love our Advocacy Champions and will publicly recognize them and their work on the Foundation’s national social media pages.
Special Advocacy Skills Trainings
Advocacy Champions will be invited to participate in exclusive trainings to bolster their advocacy skills. These trainings might include topics like: how to conduct successful legislative meetings; tips for talking to a reporter; and tactics for recruiting new advocacy volunteers.
Priority Status for Day on the Hill
The Foundation strives to host a Day on the Hill event in Washington, D.C., each year that brings together top advocates to learn key advocacy skills and meet with their members of Congress. Advocacy Champions in targeted districts – as determined by our advocacy team – will receive priority status for invitations to this fabulous event.