Strategies to Promote Resources

The people, coalition cohesiveness, ability to organize the grassroots, money, time, equipment, and space dedicated to smoke-free policy development including those willing and able to lobby

For Smoke-free Products, click on the strategy headings below.

Build an Effective Coalition

• Engage traditional partners (e.g., health organizations, hospitals, clinicians) in forming or extending existing coalition
• Ask coalition members to find more friends--look for nontraditional partners (e.g., faith community, small business owners)
• Develop and revisit short and long-term coalition goals so members see progress
• Train coalition on team building, ability to manage conflict, media relations, and evidence-based SHS policies and strategies to promote policy
• Train coalition in the local policymaking process and advocacy vs. lobbying
• Identify, recruit and train coalition members who can engage in political lobbying

Promote Effective Use of Media

• Identify a few key champions within the local community who have personal stories and are willing to share their experiences with the media
• Identify and train key media spokespersons for the campaign

Partner to Seek Resources

• Approach local education/health partners to provide resources
• Approach national/state partners – American Lung Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society - to provide resources and assist
• Assess existing regional efforts/goals of the voluntary health groups for possible collaborations
• Identify and reach to new community groups with basic SHS messages
• Encourage school, community and other groups to get involved in the education campaign
• Identify, network and educate key community members not yet involved

Seek Funding and Collaboration

• Engage in fundraising and development to obtain needed resources
• Write proposals to support evidence-based assessments and strategies, and/or analyses of outcomes (e.g. air quality or economics pre/post, adherence studies)
• Find other resources including volunteers, funding sources, meeting space
• Maintain comprehensive databases (e.g. complaints, violations, court actions)
• Track outcome data to use for future grant requests, as well as for sustaining and/or strengthening the policy

Engage Policymakers

• Work with legislative champions to identify primary enforcement agency
• Ask political lobbying team to develop rapport with and educate policymakers