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Advocacy is an ongoing process. Being a strong advocate starts by building a relationship and understanding.
Tips for Building a Relationship with a Legislator
Help them represent you. Your elected officials represent you and rely on your input to make informed decisions that will impact their constituents and communities. Tell them why natural resources are important to you, share your experiences in the outdoors and the vision you have for Iowa’s future.
Get to know them. Ask questions. What motivated them to run for office? What are their top priorities? What do they appreciate about Iowa’s outdoors? What do they hear about from other constituents? Listen to their perspective to find where your interests and values align. Look for opportunities to connect, and don’t dwell on points of disagreement.
Be respectful. Enter each interaction with a goal of having another conversation in the future.
Follow up. Keep them informed of new opportunities in your community. Ask for updates from their perspective and remind them that they have constituents who care about Iowa’s natural resources and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Roles in Advocacy
ELECTED OFFICIALS: Your representatives
Elected officials represent you and their other constituents. They gather input from a variety of stakeholders to advocate on behalf of constituents throughout the legislative process.
INHF: Info center & connector
INHF actively tracks conservation trends and legislation to keep elected officials, partners and grassroots advocates informed. INHF provides background information, facts and research, while working to connect grassroots advocates with their elected officials. Look to INHF for action alerts and opportunities to effectively weigh in on legislative proposals.
YOU: the constituent
Your role as a constituent is essential and irreplaceable. You are the expert in your own experience and community. Real-world, local perspectives provide insight on policy impacts and implementation. While INHF can provide research and information, your voice provides the context that makes our collective advocacy meaningful.
There are many ways you can advocate for nature. Start at your comfort level and deepen and broaden your advocacy over time. Use our Action Plan form to get started.
Action Plan
Contacting Legislators about a Bill
- Introduce yourself. Provide your name, where you live and state that you are a constituent. If you have met your legislator before, provide some context about your meeting to remind them of your existing relationship. If contacting a member of a committee who is not your legislator, explain that you are contacting them because of the committee’s consideration of a specific bill.
- Clearly state why you are contacting them. Provide the bill number if possible. There are several hundred bills introduced each year, so it is important to be as specific as possible.
- State your position “for” or “against” the bill.
- Use your own words to explain your position. Avoid templates with a pre-filled message. A short, simple statement in your own words has a much stronger impact.
- Make the ask. Respectfully ask that they represent you by supporting your position.
- Thank them for their time and service.