Establishing relationships with MPs and public servants
Your MP is your first port of call to government and is there to listen to your ideas and concerns. Many websites offer advice on how best to establish a good working relationship with your MP.
Christian Aid (UK)
www.christianaid.org.uk
A practical and comprehensive guide will help you make the most of your MP in your campaigning. Downloadable as a PDF.
www.christianaid.org.uk/campaign/resource/mphints/index.htm
Church Action on Poverty (UK)
www.church-poverty.org.uk
These sites also offer another downloadable resource about how to lobby your MPs.
www.church-poverty.org.uk/campaigns/livingghosts/A%20guide%20to%20lobbying%20your%20MP.pdf/view
Oxfam (UK)
www.oxfam.org.uk
A useful guide on campaigning especially in relation to MPs and councils.
www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_can_do/campaign/activists/involved/lobby.htm
Get Active (NZ)
www.getactive.org.nz
Gives advice on lobbying politicians and on the duties of MPs.
http://www.getactive.org.nz/happen/polit.htm
Community Net (NZ)
www.community.net.nz
"Managing Well" available through Community Net offers resources on how to lobby and influence public policy see:
Change it! How to Influence Public Policy, Colin Gunn(editor)
and
The Joy of Lobbying — Campaigning to Influence Government Decisions and Public Attitudes, Deirdre Kent
www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/managing-well/national/influencing-policy.htm
Institute on Governance (Canada)
www.iog.ca
This organisation promotes good governance in the community and voluntary sector, the private sector and in government both within Canada and overseas. Its paper entitled Roundtable on the Democratic Deficit: Citizen Engagement and Consultation examines the challenges of improving democracy in through the public service.
www.iog.ca/view_publication_section.asp?area=3#pub_215
This website also has information on building policy capacity:
www.iog.ca/knowledge_areas.asp?pageID=4&area=3
Combined Bureau for Social Development (Europe)
www.cebsd.org
This European site has a good toolkit on participation and its importance in democracy. Participation means the ability of people to play an active part in society and get the benefits of doing so, both social and economic. The benefits are both formal and informal such as friendship and family networks as well as formally in access to public service and employment.
The strategy for promoting participation developed in the course of the project looks at participation from 4 different perspectives including participation in public decision-making.
www.cebsd.org/participation.htm
International Association for Public Participation (International, based in North America)
www.iap2.org
On this site under "case studies and materials" there are weblinks and downloadable PDFs, which offer various experiences and research in public participation. Although it has an American focus some of the themes on participation and lobbying central and local government are universal.
www.iap2.civicore.com
02.04.2008 - The following link has been removed as the website is longer active:
www.iap2.org/association/4748/file/ResourceMaterials_ReframingPP.pdf
National Council for Voluntary and Community Organisations (UK)
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
This site offers books for sale (at a discounted rate for members) through its "publications" section. One of these Campaigning in Collaboration explores the benefits of organisations combining their existing skills and knowledge and shares practical lessons drawn from the real experiences of campaign coalitions such as Make Poverty History.
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/publications/publication.asp?id=4452
Small Business Guides (NZ)
www.smallbusinessguides.com
Winning Government Contracts is a publication offered through this business site. Although commercial, it may be useful to community and voluntary groups in their strategies for gaining funding and tips on how to work with Government.
www.smallbusinessguides.com/Categories.aspx?catid=9&id=9&cname=Sales%20and%20Marketing