Resources for Providers

This section contains resources for providers to successfully plan and carry out grassroots activities all year long.

NEW! Download a Toolkit

Getting Started with Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit
This toolkit (Word doc) contains general information about grassroots advocacy. In addition to the Letter Raiser Toolkit and the Site Visit Toolkit, this will help your agency get started as you begin doing important grassroots work. Inside this toolkit, you will find:

• The benefits of grassroot organizing
• How to find your elected official
• Tips for calling your legislator
• Tips for writing to your legislator
• Tips for emailing your legislator
• Tips for meeting with your legislator
• Tips for writing "printable" letters to the editor.
• Grassroots terms and definitions

Letter Raiser Toolkit
Everything you need to hold a letter raiser activity. (Word doc)

Site Visit Toolkit
We've heard from members who've previously hosted legislators for a site visit that these visits make a lasting impression. This comprehensive document guides you through setting up a site visit from the beginning to end, and contains a handy checklist. It also includes a sample press release and invitation. (Word doc)

Gear up for grassroots work

Six concrete steps CEO's/Executive Directors can take
As a leader within your agency or organization, you have the power to set the tone for grassroots work and encourage your network (including staff, family members, and clients) to get involved in helping shape public policy for residential care facilities. Find out what you can do as a leader within your agency to promote grassroots involvement.

Review our Advocacy Links
This web page contains a myriad of uselful web links to help you continue building your advocacy skills.

Leverage an existing event for grassroots advocacy
Your organization organizes many activities and events throughout the year which can be leveraged to help build your grassroots advocacy network or build a relationship with your decision-maker. (Word doc)

Watch the "How to talk to your legislator video" online
Watch a video on your computer that shows you how to talk to your legislator, in Windows and Quicktime formats.

Learn about legislative visits and the law
As a non-profit, there are some things the law says you can't do.

Visit your legislator at the State Capitol
In addition to attending ARRM's annual "Day At The Capitol" event in the spring, ARRM hopes that you will take the time to visit your legislator at the capitol during the legislative session.

Get directions to the capitol and parking
This webpage will show you how to get to the capitol and where to park.

NEW! Contact the media using ARRM's Comprehensive Media Lists
• This list -- an Excel spreadsheet -- contains over 700 names of media contacts throughout the state of Minnesota organized alphabetically.
• This list -- a Word document -- is organized by legislative district, courtesy of ARRM member the Mentor Network.

Tracking and Feedback form
Last but not least, this information is extremely valuable to ARRM: it helps inform our direct lobbying strategy and tells us where to concentrate our grassroots and grasstops efforts. Click here for the Word document, or here for the online form.