While we don’t have a lot of rules here at Advocacy Associates we do have a few practices that we adhere to for the benefit of our clients and democracy as a whole:

• No fake grassroots. We will never manufacture a communication from a constituent to an elected official. Ever.

• No “numbers-only” based grassroots: Petitions and form communications are rarely effective in achieving real change. If your organization is concerned only with how many people contact a legislator, not what they say or how they say it, we’re probably not the firm for you.

• No government bashing: Sure, negativity works. At least in the short run. But we do not want to be part of any campaign that utilizes scare tactics and false information to try to make a point.

In short—Raising legitimate concerns about the actions of government (and suggestions for change), yes. Bashing government officials and obfuscating the facts, no.