The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is a public health association for chronic disease program directors of each state and U.S. territory. Since its founding in 1988, NACDD has been a national leader in the effort to reduce chronic diseases by mobilizing its members to advocate for preventive policies and programs, encourage knowledge sharing and develop model partnerships for health promotion through state and community-based prevention strategies.
 
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Planning Tools for Policy Development

Diabetes Council Advocacy Toolbox
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 State Advocacy DO's and DON'Ts

 Planning Tools for Policy Development

 Communication and Special Event Tools

 Success Stories
 Special Advocacy Topics
 FAQs

Ever been asked to provide feedback on proposed legislation or policy?  How about develop and evaluate an advocacy plan?  If so, these tools and processes may be just what you need!

Developing an Advocacy Plan

  1. Community Toolbox: Principles of Advocacy  (Website Link): This University of Kansas Community Toolbox chapter focusing on how to develop and implement an Advocacy Plan.  The web-supported chapter provides a general overview, identifies "survival skills," examines how to understand advocacy issues, recognize allies and identify opponents, as well as encourage involvement of allies and opponents.  The chapter closes with describing how to develop an Advocacy Plan.
  2. CDHP Oral Heallth Policy Tool Guidebook (PDF Document): A two-part Policy Tool to help stakeholders prioritize policy and systems development in States and to develop a policy action or systems development plan. The Policy Tool provides a planning checklist to move forward strategically once consensus about priorities is achieved. Developed collaboratively by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP).

Developing and Analyzing Policy and Legislation

  1. DPCP Legislative Analysis Tool (PDF Document):  This two-page document provides a systematic and standardized method to produce a synopsis of a pending bill.  The completed document will reflect the bill's purpose, pros and cons, fiscal impact, likely opposition, and policy implications.  Developed by the NACDD Diabetes Council, 2007
  2. Connecticut Health Advocacy Toolbox (Website Link):  This Toolbox, developed by the Connecticut Health Policy Project, is built to provide skills needed to address the problems people are facing. The Toolbox starts where people generally begin - with a problem that they feel needs addressing. The Advocacy Decision Tree helps you decide which tool will be most effective to get the change you need.  The goal of the Toolbox is skill development. You will not find an endorsement of any position, candidate or party in the Toolbox.
  3. Minnesota Heart Disease and Stroke Policy Report
    • Policy Report (PDF Document):  This report describes policies related to heart disease and stroke prevention and control in Minnesota. This is the summary report of a scan of Minnesota legislation and other public policies current through December 2006. The document also contains information about the different types of policies, and guidance in approaching the issue of policy development. 
    • Report Preparation (MS PowerPoint Presentation):  This presentation describes the methods used to inventory heart disease and stroke prevention related policies in the state of Minnesota and in the preparation of the Minnesota Heart Disease and Stroke Policy Report.
  4. Key State Tobacco Data Rankings:  Key State-Specific Tobacco-Related Data & Rankings (MS Word Document): a document that pulls information from a variety of sources into a single table to identify relative rankings of all 50 states and Washington D.C. for 15 indicators, including: smoking prevalence; projected rates of youth smoking; deaths for adults and projected deaths for youth; health costs; state cigarette taxes, and tobacco-control spending. This document also cites a large list of references and web sites related to tobacco use.
  5. Medicare Preventive Services Policy Resource Center Legislative Toolkit (Website Link):  The Women In Goverment website that provides critical information on the prevention of chronic disease, with an emphasis on heart disease and women.  The Toolkit includes background information such as reports and articles, fact sheets, brochures, sample legislation, and state policy recommendations. 

Policy and Legislative Databases

  1. CDC Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Legislative Database (Website Link):  This website allows users to search for bills related to heart disease and stroke prevention topics for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Users can search by CDC priority area, general topic, keyword, state, bill number, bill year, or bill status.
  2. CDC Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Legislative Database (Website Link):  This website allows users to search for bills related to nutrition and physical activity topics for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Usercs can search by keyword, subject, state, bill number, bill year, or bill status.

 Evaluating Policy and Legislation

  1. Evaluating Advocacy Efforts
    • A Guide for Measuring Advocacy and Policy (PDF Document):  This extensive guide from the Anne E. Casey Foundation provides grantmakers, non-profit organizations, and evaluators a framework for evaluating advocacy and policy efforts. It focuses on naming the potential outcomes of advocacy work and identifying appropriate evaluation designs to measure these outcomes. 
    • Sample Policy Logic Model (PDF Document):  A sample logic model that outlines the categories needed to describe and plan policy efforts, including the policy issue, inputs, strategies, immediate outcomes, mid-range outcomes, long-range outcomes, and ultimate goal. Adapted from Preschool for California’s Children. 
    • Policy Evaluation Summary (PDF Document):  A diagram of the policy change process and a table of evaluation measures serve as an example for how to structure and assess advocacy efforts leading to policy outcomes. From the New Mexico Voices for Children.
  2. Guidance on Advocacy and Policy Change Evaluation (PDF Document): Spring 2007 issue of The Evaluation Exchange, published by Harvard Graduate School of Education's Harvard Family Research Project. Provides information on how to define an advocacy and policy change evaluation based on core advocacy principles and related factors.