ReImagine Appalachia works with communities and organizations across the region to come up with solutions for our problems. We know that everyday people are experts in their own lives, and need to have a seat at the table when it comes to creating and shaping policy to address these problems.
One of the ways to show large support for a policy or an idea is to create a sign on letter. A sign-on letter is basically a written statement that expresses support or opposition to an issue. It allows multiple individuals or organizations to express unity by adding their names. Even if our sign-on letter does not immediately convince your target to agree to all of your suggestions, it can help you build a stronger foundation for your work by helping you identify your allies on an issue, clarify a common platform and messaging, and bring media attention to your campaign.
You can think of your sign-on letter strategy like a staircase – each tactic is a step that can help you move up the staircase towards your goal.
Ideally, the tactics you use help build your campaign’s “staircase” in more than one way.
We recently hosted this webinar on sign on letters. You can view that webinar for even more details. Materials shared on the webinar include this slide deck, which covers:
- When you might want to use a sign on letter
- How to format your sign on letter
- How to choose a target
- How to discern if your sign on letter counts as lobbying or not
- How to find the right person to send your letter to
- Logistics and outreach tips for making collecting your signatories as smooth as possible
Link to the Slide Deck
If you want even more information, we’ve pulled together some more tips and tricks on how we set up our forms, sample letters for sharing your letter when it’s finished, and more in this document.