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EQUITY Responds: Answers to common questions received from either the Asset Building Community or the Disability Community
Like it or not, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! With all of the other constituents and issues facing legislators today, don't expect to have your perspective represented if you don't make the effort to communicate your views.
To help get involved, CFED has developed the IDA Advocacy Center. This tool is designed to help you reach out to your members of Congress to educate and excite them about IDAs. Members need to hear from you - their constituents - to inspire them to champion IDA legislation.
Advocacy efforts of IDA stakeholders nationwide were instrumental in passing and fully funding the Assets for Independence Act of 1998, a policy that has helped build the IDA field. Now, your advocacy efforts could further expand the reach of IDAs from thousands to millions of accountholders.
Read the December Tip of the Month to include Disability Policy recommendations in your IDA Advocacy efforts.
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is any effort to influence or shape government policies. Advocacy typically falls into two categories: educating and lobbying. Since IDAs are not widely known, it is imperative to educate members of Congress about what they are and why they are important. You can educate your members of Congress by meeting with or writing to them to discuss your programs, partnerships and success stories. Lobbying involves communicating with members to obtain their support for specific pieces of legislation. Members enjoy meeting with and value their constituents' opinions above others'.
How You Can Get Involved
Whether you are an IDA practitioner, accountholder, financial institution representative, or another stakeholder, you can use the IDAnetwork Advocacy Center to engage your policymakers in the IDA movement. The IDAnetwork makes writing letters, arranging meetings, and working with the media easy by providing you with guidelines, as well as sample letters and up-to-date contact information on your members of Congress. Stay tuned to the IDAnetwork website and listserv for important updates on how you can take action to promote IDAs.
Below are some guidelines to assist you in effectively communicating with your members of Congress:
How to Write a Letter from the IDA Advocacy Center