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Yesterday we hosted a conference call for nonprofits to talk about how we amplify the nonprofit community response to the line-item vetoes in Governor Dunleavy’s budget. We heard from you that you need tools to navigate the next steps. To that end, we have crafted a message template for you to use as a guide. We encourage you to use it to create a message to share with your board and others to help them when they contact their legislators.
Call to Action – Please follow these steps:
Step 1 – Gather your stakeholders: board, staff, donors, volunteers, participants.
Step 2 – Provide them with a contact list of all the legislators. Start with your own district and then move on to the whole list – it is essential to contact all 60 legislators.
Step 3 – Provide an easy-to-follow message.
Step 4 – Ask your stakeholders to call or email using your ready-made messaging. A personal visit is best, but the compressed timeline makes that more difficult. Encourage your stakeholders to make an extra effort with legislators they know personally or with whom they have worked in the past.
Step 5 – Repeat Step 4 as many times as you can between today and the vote, when the legislature must make a decision about the budget.
Extra tips:
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Message Template:
Overarching message: Override all the line-item vetoes TOGETHER
Remember that while you have a specific cause and focus, we need to be in this together. We need to stand strong together for Alaska. Ask for an override of the all the vetoes, not separate votes on each of the 182 line items. While you likely have a line-item veto or vetoes that are relevant to your mission, success can only come with a request to override ALL vetoes.
It will take 45 votes from the 60 legislators to successfully override the vetoes.
Your message:
Use this format as a guide. Craft your message with one or two sentences from each section.
Address each person with their title by name – for instance, Senator John Smith, or Representative Jane Doe.
Example: Governor Dunleavy’s vetoes eliminate $ _____ for _______(service).
Example: These cuts will mean the loss of _____________(real impact).
Example: All Alaskans rely on _____________.
Example: Nonprofits are the safety net for Alaskans. We are saving lives and caring for people with real challenges. We are celebrating artists and creating vibrant communities. For every dollar we receive, we leverage it and multiply it by three times or more.
Example: I urge you to vote to override ALL 182 line-item budget vetoes.