In a society that values youth and physical appearance, aging may seem like something worth avoiding. But the truth is everyone ages. It’s natural and, in Canada, older adults are the fastest growing age group.

As a national nonprofit membership organization representing 84,000+ retirees and workers from Canada’s education sector, RTOERO has a vested interest in standing up for the interests of older adults. RTOERO’s leadership recognized an opportunity to use its significant national presence to advocate on behalf of members for issues affecting older adults and Canadians of any age.

When our small in-house communications team took on the challenge of advocacy, we had to overcome some hurdles. RTOERO’s leaders and membership were experts in education and had many contacts in the space, but they needed to become a trusted source on the advocacy issues affecting their membership. These issues, identified by the board and membership, were geriatric health care, the need for a senior focused strategy and the broader topic of environmental stewardship.

The challenge then laid in how we could harness our strong commitment to social good within the education community, using it as a catalyst to build connections and drive substantial change on issues critical to older Canadian adults and the broader Canadian population.

Fostering Relationships

As a nonpartisan organization, we are not aligned with any political party or ideology. This helped us open the lines of communication when building relationships with stakeholders to ultimately advance the goals of our organization. It also positioned RTOERO to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including government agencies, other nonprofit organizations, partners and businesses.

We were able to maintain focus on pressing issues, rather than politicians, while making connections across party lines. In 2022, our team organized a series of one-on-one meetings and in-person events, with the goal of connecting to 50 Canadian government officials and staff. Our board member and political advocacy volunteers from across Canada participated in virtual one-on-one meetings with federal ministers and senators during the Advocacy on the Hill event, as well as with provincial leaders at the Queen’s Park Advocacy event.  

RTOERO almost doubled our goal and met with 98 federal and provincial government officials and staff. This also resulted in numerous follow-ups for information, support and additional meetings. RTOERO continues to nurture these relationships throughout the year.

RTOERO also fostered several relationships with partners and like-minded organizations (CanAge, Canadian Coalition Against Ageism, International Longevity Centre Canada, etc.) to present on advocacy-related topics through our Vibrant Voices webinar series. We provided webinars, resources and training for members to ensure they were adequately prepared to share information about the advocacy issues when connecting with organizations and local government officials.

Mobilizing Knowledge

RTOERO members wanted to understand these advocacy issues more deeply; building that knowledge would provide a solid foundation to grow successful advocacy campaigns. We also needed this knowledge to share with policymakers and other stakeholders, to continue fostering such relationships.

Clear and compelling communication, when shared on the right platforms and in the right formats, can help nonprofits become powerful advocates for their causes. At RTOERO, we used social media, position papers, white papers and videos to share key advocacy issues with our audiences.

Our team worked with an advocacy consultant to conduct research on the issues. They developed position papers and white papers to capture key aspects of the issues we wanted to address. One-page position papers on geriatric health care, seniors strategy and environmental stewardship allowed busy government officials and election candidates to get an overview of the organization and our advocacy issues prior to on-on-one meetings. Leading up to and after meetings, they also received white papers on the same issues with data, case studies and additional insight.

Highly visual, shareable content also helped us spread awareness of the organization and our advocacy efforts. During the 2022 provincial elections, we ran digital campaigns in English and French, including ads, a 30-second video and social media posts. The campaigns were targeted to specific residents in Ontario and Quebec to promote awareness of the issues and to encourage residents to send letters to candidates through the vibrantvoices.ca/provincial website.

Marking Success

Every communication plan begins with research and data. Nonprofit organizations should remember to track and measure the progress of their communication strategy during the planning, implementation and execution stages. Analyzing results and measuring S.M.A.R.T objectives, like the ones provided in the example below, are crucial steps in the communication planning process.

We used RTOERO membership data and research to establish benchmarks in the beginning of the campaign and continued to measure results against the set objectives throughout the year. Focusing on the communication strategy, we were able to amplify organizational reach. Simultaneously, we cultivated lasting relationships while achieving RTOERO’s organizational goals to improve the lives of members and to be a trusted voice in the education community.
 

 

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