Three Great Ongoing Social Media Advocacy Campaigns to Get Involved With!

For those of you who use social media in your advocacy, consider these three great ongoing social media opportunities to get involved with!

1.    SNAP/Nutrition programs: The Food Policy Working Group (FPWG) has launched a social media campaign to protect nutrition programs (like SNAP). See their sample tweets below with links to RESULTS action alerts.

3.    Budget Cuts: If Congress can’t work together to stop deep cuts millions of jobs will be lost, and core services upon which we all rely will be eliminated. Join the Coalition for Health Funding’s #NDDUnited social media campaign to hold our lawmakers accountable. We need to let them know that the only way to balance the budget is through a balanced approach. They’ve prepared #NoMoreCuts sample tweets with links to RESULTS action alerts (see below).

3. Medicaid: “MedicaidMonday,” brought to us by the American Academy of Pediatrics Department of Federal Affairs, began this week and will continue through January 2013. Each Monday provides a new opportunity to tweet your support for Medicaid with RESULTS action alerts (see sample tweets below).

Protect Nutrition Programs – Campaign Guidelines

1. To ensure that the message reaches our target audience, each Tweet must include the correct Twitter handle for the corresponding date. See calendar and handles below.
2. To aggregate our impact and deliver a clear message, we strongly urge campaign participants to include the hashtag #SNAPworks  
3. Participants should feel free to use other hash tags on hunger, nutrition, kids, seniors, poverty, etc for bonus impact.
4. Inserting “PlsRT” at the end lets others know you’d like them to retweet your message. Similarly, don’t forget to include “Please share” at the end of your Facebook post.

Campaign Calendar

Thurs Dec 6: President Obama

Fri Dec 7: President Obama

Tues Dec 11: Speaker of the House John Boehner

Weds Dec 12: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Thurs Dec 13: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

Fri Dec 14: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Twitter Handles to Use

Thurs Dec 6: @WhiteHouse

Fri Dec 7: @WhiteHouse

Tues Dec 11: @SpeakerBoehner

Weds Dec 12: @SenatorReid

Thurs Dec 13: @NancyPelosi

Fri Dec 14: @McConnellPress

Hash Tags to Use

#SNAPworks

#SNAP

#hunger

#TalkPoverty (continuation of hashtag used by Half in Ten and others to elevate poverty in Presidential debates)

#FiscalCliff

#FarmBill

Supporting Stats

1/5 kids at risk of #hunger

91% of #SNAP benefits go 2 households below the poverty line

76% of #SNAP households include child, senior, or disabled

#SNAP benefits 4 senior households average $1.23 per person per meal

46% increase in #FoodBank clients since 2006

Sample Tweets (don’t forget to update with appropriate Twitter handle of who you’re tweeting at, from list above)

.@WhiteHouse Stand up 4 hungry families in deficit deal. Dont cut food 4 1/5 kids at risk of #hunger #SNAPworks PlsRT

1/5 kids at risk of #hunger. Average #SNAP benefit=$1.50 per meal. Tell @WhiteHouse #SNAPworks improve #nutrition & fight #hunger PlsRT

#FoodBanks have seen 46% more clients since 2006. Charity cant do it alone. Tell @WhiteHouse #SNAPworks  http://ht.ly/9OpbP Pls RT

#SNAP benefits 4 senior households average only $1.23 per person per meal. @WhiteHouse protect hungry seniors in debt deal #SNAPworks Pls RT

91% of #SNAP benefits go 2 households below poverty line. Dont throw hungry families off #FiscalCliff. @WhiteHouse #SNAPworks #TalkPoverty

Tell @WhiteHouse 2 protect hungry families in debt deal. 76% of #SNAP households include child, senior, or disabled. #SNAPworks PlsRT

1/5 kids at risk of #hunger and half #SNAP participants R kids. Tell @WhiteHouse 2 protect hungry families #SNAPworks PlsRT

#FoodBanks serve 14 mill kids & 3 mill seniors a year. @WhiteHouse protect the hungry in debt deal. #SNAPworks #TalkPoverty PlsRT

No More Budget Cuts!

Use hashtag #NoMoreCuts.  Remember, these tweets are a great alternative way of getting our message out to policymakers. 

Make sure you include the Twitter handle of the member you are tweeting in your message.  This ensures that the member will get a notification of being “mentioned” in your message and will see what you’ve sent. 

Included below are sample tweets for your use (remember to update with the Twitter handle of the appropriate policymaker):

We need to invest in Head Start and child care, @MaxBaucus. #NoMoreCuts to these vital areas! http://ht.ly/fVs86

Remember [insert member twitter handle], over 3000 groups want you to say #NoMoreCuts to discretionary investments! http://ht.ly/fVsae

#Sequestration means an 8.2% cut to #education funding in 2013. @MaxBaucus make sure there are #NoMoreCuts! http://ht.ly/fVs86

National #security means investing in kids, education, public health [insert member twitter handle] make sure there are #NoMoreCuts!

For a complete list of members and their twitter handles as well as other social media accounts, please see these House & Senate lists.

 #MedicaidMonday

Each Monday in December & January, we’ll be tweeting facts about why #MedicaidMatters4Kids using #MedicaidMonday. Please join us!

Dec. 10

Pediatricians take care of more Medicaid patients than any other group http://ht.ly/fVsr5 #MedicaidMonday

Dec. 24

Medicaid covers 32mil children from low-income families & w/special health needs http://ht.ly/fVsr5 #MedicaidMatters4Kids #MedicaidMonday

Jan. 7

This month, many Medicaid payment rates increase, improving access to care for children. Take action: http://ht.ly/fVsr5 #MedicaidMonday

Jan. 21

#MedicaidMatters4Kids: It covers vision & hearing screenings, dental services, diagnosis and treatments. #MedicaidMonday

Jan. 28

RI, PA, NY & CA, your Medicaid payments will increase the most for primary care & immunization services!