Growing Chapter Advocacy

In This Section

Pitt2Advocacy can seem like an overwhelming topic that prevents members from engaging. However, advocating for the dental profession and with other members of organized dentistry is what continues to push us ahead. Let’s break it down.

Why is advocacy important?

These issues affect you, your patients, and your life as a future dentist. ASDA’s 23,000+ voices are amplified when we work together to make change.

Getting started

If you are looking to jump start your chapter’s advocacy efforts, consider these ideas:

  • Hold a Lunch & Learn to introduce chapter members to a specific advocacy issue. A good topic for your first L&L would be Advocacy 101
  • Introduce members to ASDA Action where they can send letters to members of Congress, review current state and federal legislation, and sign up for text alerts.
  • Participate in Advocacy Month through national ASDA’s competitions, webinars, Molar Bear activities, and more.
  • Encourage members sign up for ADPAC, which is the political action committee of the American Dental Association. Members can sign up for $5.00. Consider using ADPAC’s resources linked under Resources. Contact ADPAC staff with questions.
  • Send members to Lobby Day to experience the excitement and energy of coming together to advocate for change. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the issues and meet with your member of Congress to share why they are important to you.

Getting started resources:

Diving deeper

If your chapter has held some successful advocacy events, and you are looking to ramp up your advocacy efforts, consider these ideas:

  • Hold an advocacy social event like “Red, White and Brews” or advocacy trivia to incorporate approachable and digestible advocacy information into social events.
  • Host a voter registration drive to make sure all your members are registered to vote in federal, state or local elections. You can register members through ASDA Action.
  • Encourage members to participate in the Advocacy Certificate Program, where they will earn points for participating in advocacy initiatives like attending a webinar or advocacy event. Certificate recipients earn a custom certificate from the ASDA president.
  • Encourage members to attend your state’s lobby day to get involved on the state level.

Diving deeper resources:

Stepping up your advocacy initiatives

If your chapter already has a strong advocacy background, and you want to step up your commitment to advocacy, consider these ideas:

  • Host a dental debate between students or faculty to discuss all sides of current hot topics within organized dentistry.
  • Invite a legislator to campus to build rapport with your lawmakers and ensure they are aware of the issues facing dental students.
  • Attend state dental board meetings or events, or bring in a representative from the state dental board to speak. Students may not understand what the state dental board does, or how it affects them.
  • Determine if new ASDA policy is needed to advocate for a new issue or clarify existing policy. Present it to ASDA’s House of Delegates for consideration. Review ASDA’s current statements of position or policy.

Stepping up your advocacy initiatives resources:

Questions? Contact advocacydept@ASDAnet.org.

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