What We Do
Advocacy
Advocacy is the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal.
An advocate is a person or organization which actively supports a specific position.
WGA uses research, grantmaking, education and advocacy to create change. We lift our voices each time we select a focus area, support nonprofit organizations or champion better conditions, policies or procedures. As an organization, WGA explores ways to influence public policy through non-partisan activities.
Lifting Our Voices – Our Issues
Over the years, our primary method of advocating for women and girls has been grantmaking. From time to time, legislative issues arise which are relevant to our work in a current or past focus area, such as mental health or poverty. WGA is able to step forward with an advocacy position that supports the issues in the focus area. Once WGA establishes a viewpoint, our advocacy leadership educates interested WGA Members, and then encourages others to support our position. Some years, we travel to Tallahassee during the legislative session in order to underscore our stated position and make a personal case for the issue at hand.
Each year we tackle a variety of issues based on need, legislative priorities and issues that are brought to our attention. Recent areas of focus have included affordable housing, child care, mental health services, ending child marriage in Florida and sex trafficking and its impact on Northeast Florida. To learn more about our current legislative priorities, contact WGA Director, Nikki Sabol, nsabol@jaxcf.org.
Our Approach
WGA takes a multipronged approach to extend its impact through non-partisan activities to influence public policy aligned with WGA’s mission, as well as current and past WGA grants. The Education Committee and WGA Leadership work in concert to:
- Hosts educational events, panel discussions and the like
- Organizes member visits to Tallahassee to visit state lawmakers, advocate for women and girls and communicate WGA’s role as a community resource and thought partner
- Consider whether WGA should take a public position on issues
- Keep Members and the community apprised of issues and grantees’ legislative agendas
Useful Links to Advocate for Issues You Care About
- Contact local representatives
- Enter your zip code to find federal and state elected officials
- Find Florida officials
- Action on Issues