Building Support - Advocacy
This page provides tools and strategies for engaging government officials and community stakeholders. It includes guidelines for effective advocacy, communicating the impact of Extension work, and policy engagement. Resources such as fact sheets, webinars, and templates for gathering input from elected officials are provided to help build awareness and support for UC ANR's initiatives.
On this page:
Advocacy
UC ANR Government Relations
Policy
Facts, Figures & Impact Stories, Budget, and Staffing Brief
Impact stories
Condition changes
Advocacy
Government & Community Relations
Engaging government officials and community stakeholders is a critical tool that helps builds awareness and support for your work and that of the University as a whole. Government & Community Relations (Web page) (Contacts: Anne Megaro, Sheron Violini)
What can I say or do?
You can't lobby, but you can advocate. Learn more about What can I say or do? (Fact Sheet, PDF).
Legal Guidelines for UC Participation in Ballot Campaigns
University funds (including University paid time and equipment) may not lawfully be used for campaign purposes in connection with ballot propositions. University funds may be used for legitimate informational activities. UC guidelines to support or oppose legislation (UCOP Web)
Communicating your Extension Story with Elected Officials
Newcomers can register with Extension Foundation here.
- Learn how to convey the impact and value of your Extension work to elected officials. Learn tips on how to reach, appeal, and connect with your local officials. Whether you're seeking funding, engaging in policy making, or simply aiming to raise awareness, this session will equip you with practical tools and insights to effectively communicate your Extension work with local decision-makers. Recorded video (Web page)
Government relations - Collecting input
Survey for who attended UC ANR events
For Government Relations, it is helpful to know which elected officials or their staff are familiar with our work. Feel free to download and use this Excel file or create a digital survey. Survey for who attended UC ANR events (Excel file)
Why collect attendance information?
The UC ANR Office of Government Relations will use this information to build upon the relationships you have cultivated. For example, if they know that Assembly Member Wood visited your fire research site, the next time they sees him they will remind him of this visit and of what he saw and who he met. If there is an existing relationship with a legislator, it helps them break the ice and use the knowledge and experiences they already have with UC ANR to remind them of how important we are to their districts, and to build upon their knowledge of our research and programming. Why collect this information? (Fact sheet, PDF)
Policy
Towards Policy Work: A Primer
This fact sheet provides key strategies for policy engaged research and extension. Towards Policy Work: A Primer (Fact sheet, PDF).
Documenting and Supporting Policy Efforts & Impacts
After providing an overview of the array of policyrelevant activities that ANR academics are encouraged to engage in, examples of performance review documentation are illustrated. It is hoped that this paper will support and incentivize specialists and advisors to consistently and intentionally articulate the policy components of their work, guide reviewers to evaluate and appropriately assign credit to policy-relevant work, and provide ANR leadership and communications experts easily identifiable instances of impactful policy work for dissemination to both internal and external audiences and stakeholders. Documenting and Supporting Policy Efforts & Impacts (Manual, PDF).
Facts, Figures & Impact Stories, Budget and Staffing Brief
Staffing and Budget Analysis (2021)
Public funding from federal and state governments is significantly amplified through the acquisition of federal competitive grants, private industry grants, and other unrestricted gifts and awards. This funding supports scientific research in food production, enhancing production capacity, profitability, and the safety of the national food system. Studies have shown that over the past 50 years, every $1 invested in agricultural research has yielded $10-$20 in benefits, including GDP growth, increased agricultural productivity, improved food security, and reduced costs for producers and consumers. Glenda Humiston - response to Senate request in March 2021. 2021 Staffing and Budget Analysis (PDF)
The State of UC ANR
This is an overview of the current status, challenges, and strategic initiatives of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). It highlights UC ANR's contributions to food production, economic success, and environmental sustainability across California. The presentation covers UC ANR's organizational structure, funding sources, budget allocations, and the impacts of recent budget cuts. It also outlines the strategic goals for 2017-2022, including expanding partnerships, diversifying funding, and improving efficiency to address the growing challenges facing California's agriculture and natural resources sectors. 2020 Situation Assessment (Slide deck).
Impact Stories
Telling Our Story
Read further to learn the difference we make at UC ANR, best practices for communicating science, how to tell stories, and how to share our results. Telling Our Story (Web page).