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ANCA Desk: The Importance of Activating Our Local ANCs
by Michelle Hagopian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/13/anca-desk-the-importance-of-activating-our-local-ancs/
February 13, 2013
It's no secret that the power of most Armenian organizations lies
within our local communities. From California to New York, and
everywhere in between, we rely on our local leaders to step up,
motivate others, and produce results.
Look for more ideas in this column in the coming weeks.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is no exception to
this norm. We are a grassroots organization that advocates on behalf
of the Armenian-American community, and though we may have a few
individuals who lead regions, the bulk of what we do is thanks to you.
The ANCA Eastern Region has at least 25 local chapters, many of which
are manned by a small handful of the same people who lead other
Armenian organizations. We're always grateful for their help, but
wouldn't it be great if we had 20-30 people in each local ANC chapter
participating and leading their respective communities? It's always
exciting to develop new talent and help those who are already spread
thin. Nothing would make me happier than to see an explosion of local
activity in the Eastern Region.
To that end, I'd like to offer some tips for our local committees that
are perhaps struggling or at a standstill without much direction.
We've got the power to influence policy-making at every level in this
country, and you should your voice and actions to cause change.
How to get the community involved
Many ANC chapters have been successful in promoting Hai Tahd by
sponsoring single lectures or lecture series, letter-writing
campaigns, panel discussions, demonstrations, and mass mailing
efforts, among other things. Update that a bit to the world we live in
now and you'll see the same efforts but with slight tweaks (e.g.,
e-mails and Action Alerts instead of writing letters).
If you see an Action Alert on the ANCA website, www.anca.org, go ahead
and follow the phone scripts or sign the e-mail. But take it a step
further. Why not host a community phone-banking event? If the alert
requires hundreds of calls to Congress, why not have your local ANC
organize your community to account for 200 of those calls?
Hosting a lecture series or a town hall meeting is also a great way to
engage your community. You don't necessarily need a particular reason
to do so either. Say you want to educate your community about Artsakh
and the struggle for independence. Ask me (or any other leader in the
Eastern Region) to help you find speakers and make it happen. Making
that phone call is half the battle; once you get the ball rolling,
organizing an event becomes a breeze with experience.
I would encourage those communities that have never sponsored a
lecture to start with one to gauge public reaction first before diving
into an extensive lecture series. It's important to reach out to
regional leadership if you're venturing into new territory, just to
ensure you have the help you need.
If you choose to pursue a lecture, here are some tips to guide the process:
Choose a relevant topic that will both educate the public and
communicate the ANC's direction.
Compile a list of Armenian and non-Armenian speakers (professors,
human rights leaders, genocide scholars) who are experts or
knowledgeable about the topic. Try to get the best speaker, using a
list in order of preference. Be flexible if your first choice can't
make it.
Publicize the event once you've secured a lecturer and have a date set.
Send flyers to the public using your community mailing list, and send
event announcements to sister organizations.
5. Send a brief press release to The Armenian Weekly and Hairenik
Weekly to publicize the event, as well as your church newsletter.
Regional staffers can help edit and distribute press releases to all
media.
Don't forget non-Armenian media. Send public service announcements to
TV/radio stations, and press releases to newspapers and magazines and
to university campuses. Students love attending these events.
If the lecture is a success and you think your community could support
a lecture series, develop one! It can be a few months later, but take
your time with it and give the community something ANC-related to look
forward to.
These are just a few tips to engage your community. Look for more
ideas in this column in the coming weeks.
And, as always, if you ever need guidance, have a question, or just
want to chat, e-mail me at [email protected].
by Michelle Hagopian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/13/anca-desk-the-importance-of-activating-our-local-ancs/
February 13, 2013
It's no secret that the power of most Armenian organizations lies
within our local communities. From California to New York, and
everywhere in between, we rely on our local leaders to step up,
motivate others, and produce results.
Look for more ideas in this column in the coming weeks.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is no exception to
this norm. We are a grassroots organization that advocates on behalf
of the Armenian-American community, and though we may have a few
individuals who lead regions, the bulk of what we do is thanks to you.
The ANCA Eastern Region has at least 25 local chapters, many of which
are manned by a small handful of the same people who lead other
Armenian organizations. We're always grateful for their help, but
wouldn't it be great if we had 20-30 people in each local ANC chapter
participating and leading their respective communities? It's always
exciting to develop new talent and help those who are already spread
thin. Nothing would make me happier than to see an explosion of local
activity in the Eastern Region.
To that end, I'd like to offer some tips for our local committees that
are perhaps struggling or at a standstill without much direction.
We've got the power to influence policy-making at every level in this
country, and you should your voice and actions to cause change.
How to get the community involved
Many ANC chapters have been successful in promoting Hai Tahd by
sponsoring single lectures or lecture series, letter-writing
campaigns, panel discussions, demonstrations, and mass mailing
efforts, among other things. Update that a bit to the world we live in
now and you'll see the same efforts but with slight tweaks (e.g.,
e-mails and Action Alerts instead of writing letters).
If you see an Action Alert on the ANCA website, www.anca.org, go ahead
and follow the phone scripts or sign the e-mail. But take it a step
further. Why not host a community phone-banking event? If the alert
requires hundreds of calls to Congress, why not have your local ANC
organize your community to account for 200 of those calls?
Hosting a lecture series or a town hall meeting is also a great way to
engage your community. You don't necessarily need a particular reason
to do so either. Say you want to educate your community about Artsakh
and the struggle for independence. Ask me (or any other leader in the
Eastern Region) to help you find speakers and make it happen. Making
that phone call is half the battle; once you get the ball rolling,
organizing an event becomes a breeze with experience.
I would encourage those communities that have never sponsored a
lecture to start with one to gauge public reaction first before diving
into an extensive lecture series. It's important to reach out to
regional leadership if you're venturing into new territory, just to
ensure you have the help you need.
If you choose to pursue a lecture, here are some tips to guide the process:
Choose a relevant topic that will both educate the public and
communicate the ANC's direction.
Compile a list of Armenian and non-Armenian speakers (professors,
human rights leaders, genocide scholars) who are experts or
knowledgeable about the topic. Try to get the best speaker, using a
list in order of preference. Be flexible if your first choice can't
make it.
Publicize the event once you've secured a lecturer and have a date set.
Send flyers to the public using your community mailing list, and send
event announcements to sister organizations.
5. Send a brief press release to The Armenian Weekly and Hairenik
Weekly to publicize the event, as well as your church newsletter.
Regional staffers can help edit and distribute press releases to all
media.
Don't forget non-Armenian media. Send public service announcements to
TV/radio stations, and press releases to newspapers and magazines and
to university campuses. Students love attending these events.
If the lecture is a success and you think your community could support
a lecture series, develop one! It can be a few months later, but take
your time with it and give the community something ANC-related to look
forward to.
These are just a few tips to engage your community. Look for more
ideas in this column in the coming weeks.
And, as always, if you ever need guidance, have a question, or just
want to chat, e-mail me at [email protected].