Public Advocacy Volunteer Toolkit

Public advocacy volunteers are an integral part of moving the work of the ACLU forward. Volunteers participate in public forums and town halls, rallies and protests, phone banking, canvassing, lobbying, and more!

SIGN UP AS A VOLUNTEER

Sign up and receive regular public advocacy volunteer emails. Once you have signed up, you’ll be able to plug in to upcoming volunteer opportunities!

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube so you are always in the loop!

Much of the work our volunteers do involves advocating for the ACLU of Massachusetts’ state legislative agenda.

• Know Your Legislators: First, you’ll want to find out who your state legislators are! You should be familiar with who they are, and while you’re at it, why not put their office numbers into your phone? You can look up your state legislators here. From there, you can find out their office numbers, which bills they’ve sponsored and which committees they sit on.
• Read up on our legislative priorities: You can find them here. Right now, our state level priorities are referred to as the Freedom Agenda. Becoming familiar with the Freedom Agenda will make you a more confident and informed volunteer.
• Become familiar with the Massachusetts State Legislature: Knowing the basics about the state legislature will help you to understand when and how to advocate for a particular bill. Check out our Massachusetts Legislature 101 Handout and watch these videos on how to lobby your legislators.

• Spread the word: Do you have friends, family or neighbors who may be interested in volunteering with the ACLU? Start a conversation about why you got involved and direct them to the sign-up page so they can volunteer with you!
• Research local events: One of the ways to get the word out and grow our base of supporters is to have an information table at public events. Do you know of any upcoming events in your community that you think the ACLU should be at? Let us know by emailing Olivia Santoro at osantoro@aclum.org.
• Host a presentation, training, or house party: Interested in learning more about the Freedom Agenda? Want to learn how to phone bank, canvass, or lobby your legislators? Eager to bring members of your community together around ACLU issues? Contact Olivia at osantoro@aclum.org to set up a presentation, training, or house party in your community.
• Sign-up for volunteer activities: Remember to look out for the volunteer opportunities email! This is how we will keep you informed about ways to take action.