04/21/2011

KAC, with 30 years of success in creating "Action" programs for kids in Kansas, is particularly proud of its versatile Action Toolbox, and its ability to use any communications tool - high tech, no tech and everything in between - to make things happen for children. That includes:

• Leading a 700-mile bus tour around the state to support a children's funding initiative.
• Steering a 1,000-mile car trip to visit with newspaper editorial boards
• Creating a Youtube channel to highlight initiatives
• Launching an iPhone app to get messages across

KAC, which is 30 years old and a member organization of Voices For America's Children, is the only organization in the state that is involved with multiple children's issues -- including national programs like Kids Count - and thus serves as an umbrella for all those activities. It is also the go-to source for media researching stories on children's issues.

With all that on its plate, KAC -- with an annual budget of between $1.6 million and $2.2 million (depending on the year) and a full time staff of 11-- -- manages to score successes like these:

• Led the way to maintaining a Children's Initiative Fund. Kansas, says Shannon Cotsoradis, KAC's president and CEO, was unusual over a decade ago in dedicating 100% of tobacco settlement funds, which comes to $67 million annually, to kids' programs. Now, an annual battle is waged to maintain that dedicated money in the face of efforts to move it to the state's general fund. So far, KAC has been successful in maintaining those dedicated funds.
• Spearheaded a Kansas Dental Project. Many kids either don't have dentists within close proximity or they don't have one willing to see them. Oral health, says Ryan Wright, KAC's director of communications, "is so closely tied to overall health that the two cannot be separated and that goes directly to KAC's core mission."
• Expanded the eligibility for children's health insurance from 200% to 250% of poverty level by showing legislators the rapid growth in the number of children in the 200 to 250% category.
• Helped pass Lexie's Law which seeks to improve child care facilities.
• Used Kids count data to implement legislation on teen driving limitations.
• Looking ahead, KAC is working on legislation to allow third parties to be part of matching grants for low-income college kids

Action Starts With Communication -The KAC Social Media Toolbox

How do they do it all? Legislative advocacy as a nonprofit, says Cotsoradis, "is like having one hand tied behind your back." She explained that nonprofits don't have the same tools at their disposal as other groups; example: KAC cannot write checks or engage in political activities. Instead, says Wright, it must "build relationships differently, utilize its tools more effectively and be more diligent in its mission." As a result, he adds, "We use communications as our point of leverage. It's what's in our toolbox."

Among the tools in that toolbox, says Wright, are social media initiatives. In fact, Wright says KAC is "proud of its success with social media," which includes:

• After using Youtube for the first time to mark its 30th anniversary last year, KAC has been aggressive in posting videos A series of sophisticated Youtube videos were created and posted to KAC's own Youtube channel to support the dental project (on Youtube go to KSAction For Children.)
• Facebook is used to reach constituencies that are not ordinarily reached. Updates are sent from the statehouse and there are frequent questions from Facebook followers, who are a mix of child advocates, parents and policy makers. Wright says that accurate information is key to KAC's efforts and Facebook helps with that.
• Twitter appears to reach different kind of followers, says Wright, but is used in similar ways.
• An iPhone app called iAdvocate was used last year to keep legislators and others updated on issues and legislation. Currently, kinks are being worked out with the hosting company but the app will come into play again.