Policy & Advocacy

  • We help you take the first step in any policy advocacy effort: naming and framing the problem you seek to solve.

    Once you have identified an issue that is solvable, and which resonates with policymakers and your communities, we help you facilitate a collaborative process to design a policy solution.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Completing a community needs assessment

    • Conducting an internal capacity assessment

    • Policy analysis and/or program evaluation

    • Designing messaging that resonates with coalitions, stakeholders, and partners

  • These services help you take the next big step in your advocacy initiative by working with you and your team to design your policy solution, form your ‘winning’ coalition, and preparing for different scenarios you may confront during your advocacy initiative. 

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Providing internal decision-makers with a power map and policy landscape scan

    • Convening community members to co-design policy solutions

    • Providing technical assistance with policy drafting

    • Developing an advocacy strategy and communications plan

    • Producing and distributing advocacy toolkits

    • Developing tailored messaging to stakeholders and partners

  • We help you put your initiative on the map and prepare to take advantage of any “windows of opportunity” which may present themselves within the policymaking process.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Providing political education to community and coalition members

    • Conducting tailored outreach to policymakers and other key stakeholders

    • Developing policy collateral (e.g., memos, briefs, and reports)

    • Providing a tailored overview of the policymaking process, with recommended actions for key dates and milestones

    • Developing and executing a legislative and regulatory strategy

  • We help clients AIM their policy solutions to their intended targets by ensuring they are legally authorized, properly implemented, and effectively managed over time. Our solutions ensure that policy reforms continue to serve the needs of those for whom they were designed.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Preparing and submitting regulatory comments and testimonies

    • Analyzing the impacts of policies and programs using a variety of analytic frameworks (e.g., equity impact, cost-benefit, efficiency/effectiveness)

    • Developing and executing a strategy for oversight and enforcement

    • Preparing policy memos and briefings for coalition members, partners, and stakeholders

Research & Evaluation

  • Robert Groves, the former Director of the Census Bureau, once wrote that “data without a user are merely the jumbled-together shadows of a past reality.” We help clients turn data into meaningful information by supporting the intentional design of studies, surveys, and evaluations.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Developing and/or reviewing a survey, including the survey instrument, as well as interview guides for qualitative and quantitative research projects

    • Developing an evaluation plan that aligns with funder expectations and community priorities

    • Recommending sampling frames to ensure that research findings are generalizable to your community of interest

    • Producing summaries of the research on your topic of interest

    • Facilitating the co-creation of evaluation indicators with community members

    • Designing and facilitating participatory research

  • We leverage quantitative and qualitative research and analytic methods to help clients analyze the data they collect from their studies. Our services help clients identify the key takeaways and relevant findings from their studies, allowing them to make more informed decisions.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Cleaning and preparing data for analysis

    • Coding and analyzing qualitative and/or quantitative data

    • Facilitating a participatory data analysis process with program stakeholders

    • Conducting statistical analysis of geospatial data

    • Conducting statistical modeling and/or predictive analytics

  • Our services help clients illustrate the results of their studies in accessible, evocative packages, from interactive dashboards, maps, and reports.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Summarizing complex datasets and evaluation findings into accessible formats

    • Translating qualitative and/or quantitative data into comprehensive, stakeholder-ready formats

    • Mapping geospatial data using tools like ArcGIS

    • Visualizing data using tools like R, PowerBI, and Tableau to produce accessible and interactive tools (e.g., data dashboards)

  • We help clients translate their information to strategic decision-making by identifying the data points with policy and/or advocacy implications and communicating recommendations to key internal and external stakeholders

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Leveraging research findings to recommend strategic actions

    • Translating your research and data into stakeholder-ready formats fit for policy and advocacy projects

    • Reporting on the results of an evaluation of the process and outcomes of qualitative and/or quantitative research projects.

Campaign Management

  • We help clients build the infrastructure needed for collaborative and inclusive coalition-building.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Recruiting and assembling teams needed to execute campaigns

    • Building trust and shared ownership of campaign initiatives among coalition members

    • Securing necessary support for campaign initiatives among external stakeholders and advocacy targets

  • We help clients leverage data and research to drive effective decision-making among coalition partners.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Defining policy goals, legislative targets, and desired outcomes

    • Using demographic, voter, and legislator data to map power structures and opposition

    • Defining research questions with community input

    • Clarifying research objectives

    • Designing inclusive sampling and/or volunteer recruitment strategies

    • Using mapping or storytelling to identify key populations for campaign involvement

  • We help clients initiate effective advocacy and/or research campaigns.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Coordinating constituent calls, town halls, and testimonies

    • Mobilizing supporters for direct action

    • Maintaining regular check-ins, feedback loops, and capacity-building sessions

    • Rolling out public campaigns with press outreach, digital mobilization, and stakeholder briefings

    • Beginning data collection with community events, surveys, and interviews, among other creative methods.

    • Organize lobby days, mass call-ins, or final vote pushes

    • Sharing findings and amplifying constituent voices through public forums, exhibits, or policy briefings.

  • We help clients iteratively improve upon their campaigns through evaluation, monitoring, and adjustment.

    Includes, but is not limited to:

    • Tracking bill progress, media coverage, and opposition tactics; adjust strategy as needed

    • Analyze data collaboratively; address ethical concerns or emergent findings

    • Debrief with partners, document wins/losses, and prepare for the next legislative cycle

    • Reflect on process, publish results, and co-develop next steps or advocacy pathways