What is Advocacy?

An organization like the LWV relies on its members’ vigilance and awareness of current events and issues to identify situations in which the League may wish to advocate (take action).  This awareness may take place while observing a meeting, listening to the news, talking to a friend, or in many other ways. 

How League Members can get involved
Advocacy and Lobbying for the League of Women Voters
(Legislative Committee Concurrence 2025-03-26)

ADVOCACY

Advocacy comes in many forms, both on an individual basis and within the League of Women Voters, each with a potential for positive impact.

Definition of advocacy activities:

  • Advocacy activities are often considered educational and are interchangeable terms.

  • This is the case even when only one side of an issue is presented and if no action on a piece of legislation is requested.

  • Advocacy does not necessarily include lobbying (discussed below).

Individual Advocacy

Important! This is done as a private individual. You are free to take the knowledge and language you gain from being a part of the League and use that to speak with elected officials and governmental bodies whenever you like, but you should do so as a concerned constituent, not as a spokesperson for the League of Women Voters.

As a private individual, you can use your voice to help promote a particular topic of concern by:

  • Raising awareness by reaching out to your friends and neighbors.

  • Contacting your local, state and federal elected officials as a constituent to raise your concerns about or support for an issue (i.e. tell your story).

  • Attending and/or participating in public hearings.

  • Raising awareness through a letter to the editor for your local paper.

Member Advocacy

The League has an unlimited ability to educate members and the public on issues that align with the official League positions.

As a member of the League of Women Voters, you can engage in advocacy by:

  • Recommending and helping with a program on the topic with your local League.

  • Becoming an issue champion (local expert) for one’s local League on the topic.

  • Joining a League Committee dedicated to issues that one is interested in.

Remember! Individual members cannot speak on behalf of their Local League of Women Voters or the State League unless they have been instructed to do so by their local President or the state President, Executive Director, or the Chair of the Legislative Committee. Permission to speak to federal legislators on behalf of the League must be obtained from National using the Federal Action Request Form.

Tools for Advocacy:

  • All levels of the League of Women Voters have developed resources to help members be informed and empowered advocates on a spectrum of issues.

  • LWVWI has a number of Resources and Toolkits, and

  • LWVUS has an abundance of resources in their Content Library and in their Advocacy Pages.

Keeping Updated:

  • It’s important to know about the proposed bills in the Legislature so keep on the lookout for our League Updates.

  • These Updates both from the state and national League will inform league members of impending legislation for which one’s advocacy can make a difference.

LOBBYING

Lobbying is defined as an attempt to influence specific legislation, both legislation that has been introduced and specific legislation that has been proposed.

Definition of lobbying activities:

  • Lobbying includes actions that transmit a point of view on a specific piece of legislation to elected officials or their staff, as well as actions urging the public to contact their legislators about a specific piece of legislation.

  • It also includes communications to the general public expressing a view on specific referenda or other ballot measures.

  • Lobbying can be a part of advocacy, but it is a specific advocacy technique.

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization:

  • As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin follows rigorous lobbying restrictions and reporting requirements, as well as the consensus of our membership.

  • Lobbying at the state level is conducted by LWVWI’s paid lobbyist, and both paid and unpaid lobbying is carefully recorded to keep the League within the appropriate IRS limits.

  • To keep our members aware of important topics being debated in the Legislature, our Legislative Committee makes recommendations on bills that are important to Wisconsin and our League’s mission and vision.

  • Our registered lobbyist, in concert with the advocates on the Legislative Committee, lobbies the Legislature following the recommendations of the Legislative Committee. Any time spent lobbying on behalf of the League should be reported to LWVWI.

  • Local Leagues members can lobby as an individual constituent in the form of directly contacting legislators on legislation. Lobbying as a constituent does not need to be recorded.

  • If permission has been secured to lobby on behalf of your local League at the town, municipal or county government or the state League at the Legislature, the time spent on these efforts needs to be recorded and reported to your local president or LWVWI.

TWO TYPES OF LOBBYING

Direct lobbying

To constitute direct lobbying, a communication is any attempt to influence any legislation through communication with either one of the following:

  • Any member or employee of a legislative body; OR

  • Any government official or employee who may participate in the formulation of the legislation but only if the principal purpose of the communication is to influence legislation.

A communication with a legislator or a government official will be treated as a direct lobbying communication IF, but only IF, the communication BOTH

  • Refers to specific legislation, i.e. both legislation that has already been introduced in a legislative body and a specific legislative proposal that the organization either supports or opposes, AND

  • Reflects a view on such legislation.

Grassroots lobbying

To constitute grassroots lobbying is any attempt to influence any legislation through an attempt to affect the opinions of the general public or any segment thereof.

A communication will be treated as a grassroots lobbying communication IF, but only IF, the communication does ALL of the following:

  • Refers to specific legislation,

  • Reflects a view of such legislation; AND

  • Encourages the recipient of the communication to take action with respect to such legislation.

“Encouraging the recipient to take action with respect to legislation,” means that thecommunication does ANY of the following:

  • States that the recipient should contact a legislator or an employee of a legislative body or should contact any other government official or employee who may participate in the formulation of legislation to influence the legislation.

  • States the address, telephone number, or similar information of a legislator or an employee of a legislative body.

  • Provides a petition, tear-off postcard or similar material for the recipient to communicate with a legislator or an employee of a legislative body, or with any other government official or employee who may participate in the formulation of legislation but only if the primary purpose is to influence legislation.

  • Specifically identifies one or more legislators who will vote on the legislation as: opposing the communication’s view with respect to the legislation; being undecided with respect to the legislation; being the recipient’s representative in the legislature; or being a member of the legislative committee or subcommittee that will consider the legislation.

More detailed information on advocacy and lobbying can be found in the latest LWVUS Impact on Issues, which is available when typing Impact on Issues into the LWVUS Content Library search bar.