Our Work

Our Work

MADCo adds direct value to the work of our members as we:  (1) convene our members and other allies regularly so they can communicate and develop common strategies while building trust and relationships; (2) connect groups and individuals that have mutual interest so they can work together and benefit from each others’ unique expertise; (3) build capacity by acting as a repository for strategic advice and by providing resources to organizations in need of back-up and support; (4) facilitate joint projects and discussions about the media advocacy field and its future.

Convening Our Members

We convene monthly meetings of DC-based policy advocates, with other member organizations joining via conference call, to update each other on moving policy issues. We also organize regular teleconference briefings for the broad public interest media advocacy and communications rights community which feature briefings on emerging policy issues, discussions of strategy on common campaigns, or introductions of upcoming events. Each year we hold our annual meeting, which provides our members an opportunity to meet in person for 3 days to develop common strategies, build individual and organizational partnerships, work together on joint projects or events, and plan for the future.  

Connecting Allies

A core goal of MADCo is to build relationships with other advocacy organizations that could become key allies in our work and that of our member organizations. For example, in 2011 we held an Alliance Building Lunch in which we were joined by 40 individuals from groups in the DC area that focus on social justice, civil rights, consumer protection, democratic reform, women’s issues, environmental issues, privacy, children’s issues and more.  This networking lunch was a chance for our members to meet and greet potential allies they might not normally interact with, and in a setting that helped foster personal relationship building. 

Facilitating Collaboration

We worked with our members to create A Public Interest Internet Agenda, a paper that outlined an aggressive menu of Internet policy ideas.  We started by working with our member organizations to convene seven community events in which local activists came together to talk about what they’d like to see in federal Internet policy.  Then through a series of working groups involving grassroots and policy experts, we developed a consensus document that recommended 34 distinct policy solutions that, if adopted, could make a significant impact on the availability of affordable, high quality broadband infrastructure, as well as programs that encourage adoption of the technology by those currently not on-line.  It was endorsed by more than 40 local, regional and national public interest organizations, and has been distributed to nearly 500 individuals and organizations.

Building Capacity for a Stronger Movement

When the Center for Media Justice planned its Media Justice Leadership Institute, MADCo staff arranged their advocacy meetings with FCC Commissioners, and organized a briefing with the members of the “Tri-Caucus” in the House, which includes members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.  MJLI participants used this briefing to underscore the importance of net neutrality to communities of color at a time when the FCC was receiving significant pressure from political leaders of color and some advocacy groups in opposition to net neutrality rules.
 

We also worked to provide training and staff assistance to our member groups and their constituents, including a Lobbying Training Workshop on the National Conference for Media Reform. This 90-minute roleplay of a campaign to protect funding for public broadcasting allowed the trainees to learn in a fun, interactive way that they could engage in advocacy on issues they care about.  At the Campaign & Policy Institute for the National Alliance for Media, Arts and Culture (NAMAC), MADCo staff trained artists on how to craft a campaign and organizing strategies, and we organized an advocacy day in which arts advocates visited the offices of more than 30 federal policy makers.