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Ad vo cate (noun): a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.
In BTC’s Learning to Advocate for Children and Families webinar series, participants learn the skills of effective advocacy as engaged and informed members of their communities. From strategies for organizing stakeholders to methods for communicating your priorities, the series imparts and explores tangible approaches to making an impact on issues important to providers, and the children and families with whom they work.
View the recordings below to learn alongside Catriona Macdonald, MPP, who expertly facilitated four webinars in this series in 2024. In addition, BTC created and recently updated its Advocacy Reference Guide, which is available for free download in English and Spanish as a resource to support your ongoing advocacy efforts.Â
Download the Advocacy Reference Guide in English
Descargue la GuÃa de Referencia de la Defensa en español
More Than Just My Vote
Learn about the concrete ways to make a difference and get involved beyond voting during this election cycle.
The Foundations of Effective Advocacy
Gain an understanding of the nuts and bolts of advocacy: how to frame issues, strategies for contacting elected officials, and how the advocacy process works.
Advocating for Systemic Change
Explore state and regional innovations in family-friendly policies and the real and lasting impact that redistricting and gerrymandering have on family-friendly policies and programs, and how to organize and advocate around these issues.
It Takes a Village
Learn strategies and methods for developing and implementing an advocacy plan, including spreading messages and leveraging voting cycles and elections to deepen impact.
View the 2022 series episodes
Facilitated by:
Catriona Macdonald, MPP, President, Linchpin Strategies, LLC
Catriona Macdonald leads Linchpin Strategies, LLC, where she assists non-profit organizations in the areas of health, education, and disability in communicating their priorities and needs to audiences at all levels of government. Since founding Linchpin Strategies in 2004, Catriona has led successful efforts to establish new medical research funds; protect small business opportunities from federal agency overreach and multi-million dollar competitors; and secure increases of more than $4 billion for early childhood education.
Catriona’s experience on Capitol Hill includes working for Senator Edward Kennedy on the Senate Labor Committee; staffing domestic social issues and appropriations for Congressman Steny Hoyer; and serving as the Legislative Director for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee. Catriona’s experience in the executive branch includes working as a budget and policy analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget at the US Department of Health and Human Services. She received her B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
Have questions about this series? Contact Michael Accardi.
Get Involved
Seats still available for Touchpoints Training starting September 10!