Advocacy Issues are topics or causes that can be associated to individuals or organizations within netFORUM. These are intended to track legislative items which the association cares about. Based on the interests/regions/zones related to these advocacy issues, the association can contact individuals who they believe will be likely to contact their representatives on behalf of the association in regards to these topics.
To add an Advocacy Issue, complete the following steps:
| Field Name | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| code | Required | Enter a code name for your Advocacy Issue. |
| description | Optional | Enter a short description for the Advocacy Issue. |
| type | Optional | Select a type form the drop-down menu. Many advocacy issues are tied to legislation. The bill and docket types allow you to assign the appropriate item to your advocacy issue. |
| bill number | Optional | This field displays only when you select Bill from the type drop-down box. Enter the bill number so you can search by bill number later. |
| docket number | Optional | This field displays only when you select Docket from the type drop-down box. Enter the docket number so you can search by docket number later. |
| reference number | Optional | This field displays only when you select Other from the type drop-down box. Enter the reference number so you can search by reference number later. |
| comment period | Optional | The comment period pertains to legislative items. This is the period when the item is due to be discussed by the legislative body and when people should contact their representatives regarding this issue. |
| start date | Optional | Enter the date in m/d/yy format or click the calendar icon to select the date from a calendar. |
| end date | Optional | Enter the date in m/d/yy format or click the calendar icon to select the date from a calendar. |
| external alert id | Optional | If you have imported Advocacy Issues from a third part application, enter the external application's id here. |