Published on Feb 16, 2026
10 tips to strengthen your advocacy efforts
- Make contact. Contact your legislators regularly before and during the legislative session. Work with them and their legislative assistant to identify the most convenient way to stay in touch.
- Build your relationships. Build trust and understanding with your legislators by sharing information about your community and becoming a trusted resource for current and accurate information. Let them know they can count on you for reliable feedback.
- Stay up to date on legislation. Follow the legislation impacting cities through AWC’s Legislative Bulletin, bill tracker, and weekly Bill Hot Sheet.
- Be well-informed on the issues. Legislators count on you to provide accurate information about issues impacting your community. Review AWC’s State of the Cities reports and City Conditions Survey data to learn about key issues, and share these resources with your legislators as appropriate.
- Act quickly. If you delay action, a bill can pass or fail before you have a chance to provide input, especially in a short session.
- Communicate often and be persistent. Constant communication is vital during session and year-round. Tell your legislators what is happening in your community and how legislative action impacts your city.
- Find partners. Build partnerships with others, including other cities, towns, and local governments; local nonprofits; and local business groups. The more support you can gather, the more likely you are to succeed.
- Always say thank you. Public service is always a challenge. Don’t forget to thank your legislators for their hard work and dedication. Be sure to say a special thank you for their work on the legislative requests you made for your city.
- Work collectively. Advocacy is everyone’s job. Engage your entire city council and your staff to make sure they have the information and tools they need to be strong city advocates.
- Remember advocacy is year-round. Session is just the tip of the iceberg. While being engaged during session is critical, the most important work can occur in the interim between sessions. Start by inviting your legislator to present a post-session briefing to your city council.
AWC's bill tracker
Visit AWC’s bill tracker to learn about legislation with city impacts this year.