The Non-Profit Leader’s Secret Weapon to Shaping Public Policy: Showing Up

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Policy is why welfare enrollment is up and labor force participation is the lowest it’s been since Jimmy Carter was president. Policy is why fewer Americans are reaching their God-given potential. Policy can make escaping dependency harder. 

Policy matters. 

I work on policy. I draft legislation, compare state plans, and brief state legislators on their options under federal law. But those of you who work on the front lines of poverty-fighting see and live the results of policy every day. That’s why we, in the policy realm, need your help. 

The organization I work with, the Foundation for Government Accountability—a non-partisan, non-profit think tank founded to lead pro-work welfare reform efforts across the country—has established a partnership to promote the perspectives of True Charity and many of its Network members. 

I was honored to speak to a group of members at the recent True Charity Summit in Springfield, Missouri. Here was my primary takeaway: the members of this network are every bit as worthy of legislators’ attention as anyone else I have seen testify in capitol buildings across America. 

And it’s time we all step up. For organizations that aspire to a truly comprehensive anti-poverty, pro-work mission, playing a role in shaping public policy must be part of that mission. 

The Secret Weapon: Testimony

As Woody Allen said, 80 percent of life is showing up. It might be closer to 100 percent in public policy debates. 

If you care about how policy affects poverty, show up. Policy changes through legislation. And legislation usually requires public hearings where folks show up to say they either support or oppose a bill and why. It’s not just window dressing—it really matters what happens in the hearings.

You don’t need to be a great orator to make a difference. And you don’t need to understand every policy nuance or legal citation in a bill. 

But legislators care who shows up. Just being there makes a huge difference! 

And, unlike what we see in Washington, D.C., a culture defined by soundbites, state legislators often go into legislative debates with open minds. In other words, plenty of state legislators show up to hearings on welfare reform bills that can increase or decrease work, self-sufficiency, and purpose but don’t know how they’re going to vote yet.

They want to hear from you. They need to hear from you. 

But, right now, in almost every welfare reform debate, a legion from the welfare industrial complex arrives to oppose pro-work efforts. And our view—that humans cannot reach their full potential languishing in government dependency—has only one person showing up to give it voice. 

I know—I’m usually that person. So I’m asking for your help. 

How it Works

True Charity members are able to testify in state legislative hearings right now as they read this. Here’s how.

To know when there is an opportunity to testify in a state capital, there are two options. First, you can read news about a welfare bill up for debate. 

Second, if you ask us to keep you in the loop (our contact information is below), we’ll be sure to let you know if there are welfare reform debates happening in your state that you might want to know about. 

In either case, when you decide to testify, you usually need to register beforehand. You can do so by going online to the relevant committee’s webpage. Each state is different. But the relevant committees usually have names like the “Health and Human Services Committee” or the “Children and Families Committee.” 

To register, states will usually post the relevant legislation under a banner for an upcoming hearing and give the public an opportunity to register by clicking a button. 

When you testify, you will usually speak for less than five minutes (or less if you’d like). You don’t need to know everything—you just need to share your perspective. 

Four more quick tips:

Don’t be afraid to be yourself and go in without a detailed plan. Don’t feel the need to wear a power suit if that’s not your style. And don’t feel the need to write out every word you’ll say. The best testimony comes from people who are speaking about their own experiences and speaking from the heart.

Tell stories—including your own. The pro-work side usually focuses on data and results. That’s what I do. But emotion usually beats data. And the pro-government welfare view usually has a monopoly on emotional narratives. If you show up and tell positive stories about the power of work and the bankruptcy of welfare dependency, you will break that monopoly. And you might just turn the tide. 

Share your faith. Many legislators run for office driven by faith and those who aren’t motivated that way will still usually respect sincerity. Don’t ever feel the need to hide your faith-based mission.  

Don’t be afraid of questions you can’t answer. You are not expected to know everything about everything. This is especially true because you will not be presenting yourself as a policy expert. You are simply sharing your own experiences. Admit what you don’t know–but look for an opportunity to pivot to something or someone you can tell the committee about. 

Trust me. I’ve seen hundreds of testimonies across the country. And I’ve spoken with many members of the True Charity Network. You have more power than you know. And you can use that power to make a difference. 

How to Make it Happen

If you give us your contact information in the form below, we will share information about legislative action and when and how members can lend their voice. We will also provide training for how to effectively use your voice to make change that lifts more Americans out of despair and dependency and into lives of self-sufficiency and purpose.

So, if you’re ready to kick your organization’s impact up a notch, join us. Reach out and ask us to notify you when an important welfare bill is up in your state capital. 

For specific questions, contact Scott Centorino at scott@thefga.org or Gregg Pfister, FGA State Affairs Director, at gregg@thefga.org.

Learn About Opportunities to Testify

Showing up makes a big difference! If you’re interested in learning about opportunities to testify before legislators in your state or at the national level, submit your information below, and we’ll contact you as specific opportunities arise.

FROM THE TRUE CHARITY TEAM: We appreciate the perspective of our knowledgeable guest contributors. However, their opinions are their own, and do not necessarily represent positions of True Charity in all respects.