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Capwiz·XC: Maximize the Impact of Your Advocacy Message
Women Employed utilized Capwiz·XC alerts and messages to secure legislative support from Illinois state legislators for the Monetary Award Program (MAP).
Organization: Women Employed
Web site: www.womenemployed.org
Favorite Capwiz·XC tool: Action Alerts
Women Employed is a leading national advocate for women’s economic advancement. Their mission is to improve the economic status of women and remove barriers to economic equity. Since 1973, Women Employed has won several changes in government and business policies that continue to improve the working lives of millions of women. Some of these changes include improvements to corporate policies regarding working women, discrimination cases, and fair pay practices. They also have established vital mentorship, education and training, career development, and sexual harassment prevention programs.
Despite many improvements in women’s economic status over the past three decades, employment discrimination and unfairness in the workplace are still a fact of life for many women. One important area that would open up further opportunities for women is higher education. Education and training programs extending beyond high school have an exponential impact on women’s earnings and open up doors for advancement. So, Women Employed spends much of its advocacy efforts on making college accessible to women through increased funding for financial aid and supportive programs like tutoring, counseling, and child care once women reach college.
Raising the Bar: Making the Message Count
The Monetary Award Program (MAP) is a need-based financial aid program in Illinois that can help women take advantage of higher education opportunities. MAP is offered to help several qualified low-income students participate in college programs; however, several qualified individuals are turned down because the program is significantly underfunded. Four years ago, every eligible student who applied for a MAP grant received one. In 2004, over 50,000 eligible students were denied funding. Winning a significant increase in MAP funding was an important issue for Women Employed and their constituents and partners. Yet, an appropriations increase – in the midst of limited revenue growth and skyrocketing state costs – was considered a low priority to state legislators. Women Employed needed to reach out to Illinois state legislators with information about MAP and how it was an essential program for many people.
Women Employed used Capwiz·XC to reach out to target state legislators in a manner that would unify their members’ different voices into one basic message. They mobilized their Action Network members to deliver the most impact to their state officials. The action alerts offered a quick, straight-forward method for members to complete one simple task – write to their legislators about the importance of MAP. With the help of their members, the organization was able to create an impressionable response among the state offices, sending over 1,200 messages to Illinois legislators.
The large volume of member communications was also paired with Women Employed’s aggressive outreach efforts through meetings and testimonies with target elected officials. To successfully maintain the momentum of their legislative agenda, Women Employed regularly used Capwiz·XC to keep their supporters up-to-date on the activities surrounding their campaign. One of the e-mail alerts is shown below:
Tell Your Legislators and the Media Why College Access Is Important to You
Today, Women Employed testified before an Illinois Senate committee about higher education funding. We emphasized how essential MAP and access to college is to all of our state’s residents, particularly women. Now, we need you to reinforce this message to your legislators and your local media. Together, we can win important changes for women earning low wages who want to go to college and build a brighter future for their families.
Women Employed used Capwiz·XC to their full advantage by customizing the organization’s site to motivate and encourage support from their members. By using headlines such as, “It’s Up to Us,” “Will It Be YOU They Listen To,” and “Want to Do More?” throughout the different public sections, they presented the legislative alerts as opportunities for their supporters to make a difference. Soon, several members discovered how simple it was to send a letter, fax, or e-mail to their state officials, and it was only a short amount of time before they saw the results of their participation.
During their visit to Springfield, Illinois, Women Employed confirmed the growing interest in the issue when several legislators talked of how they continually heard from constituents about the urgency for increased MAP funding. It was from this point that these key officials were able to move forward in creating a solution to this problem.
Unexpected Results
In the end, $12 million was awarded for MAP funding in Illinois. This achievement was the first increase in years, and one that has already benefited thousands of low-income students across the state. Women Employed continued to motivate their supporters by promoting this major legislative victory that was achieved in just five months. The advocacy campaign for MAP was posted on the Take Action page of their site to illustrate the impact of member involvement that was shown on this particular issue. Multiple e-mails went out to its members, thanking them for their support and encouraging them to invite other people to make a difference. Capwiz·XC proved to be an important driver for success for the organization and its members, and continues to help expand other advocacy issues for the future.
Women Employed found that in their lobbying efforts, Capwiz·XC was a great resource because it required minimal time and effort to use, even for members not familiar with the program and its key functions. The message was well heard among state elected officials and accomplished a positive outcome. For timely issues such as education funding, this data management tool was useful in producing top-line results needed in government relations.
About Capwiz·XC
Why choose Capwiz·XC? Quite simply, we offer the most comprehensive and easy-to-use service on the market! Utilized by more than 1,500 organizations, corporations, coalitions, and nonprofits across the political spectrum, Capwiz·XC gives your organization the power to inform, engage, and activate your members and supporters. Designed with the non-technical user in mind, Capwiz·XC can be installed easily and quickly on your Web site. Thousands of pages of political information are seamlessly integrated into the existing information on your site; you then customize the content so that your site accurately reflects your organization’s legislative agenda. The user-friendly, password-protected Site Control Center allows your organization’s administrator to easily add and change content as needed, as well as control access to Capwiz·XC’s many features.
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