To encourage our state’s nonprofit health leaders to become effective advocates or to improve their advocacy skills, the Sunflower Foundation has created a year-long custom designed training program unlike any other in the nation. The Sunflower Foundation Advocacy Fellowship helps leaders in health-related nonprofit organizations develop the understanding, experience, and expertise they need to become even more powerful voices for the Kansans they serve. So far, 89 community leaders have completed the program and now constitute the Advocacy Fellows Network. Learn about the current Advocacy in Health Fellowship class here.

The Fellowship requires a 12-month commitment and includes six sessions (averaging three days per session). The sessions are scheduled in November, January, March, May, July and September. Fellows must make a commitment to attend all of the training sessions.

The nonprofit leaders selected to be Advocacy Fellows learn the skills necessary to participate in the public policy process on the local, state, and national levels.

Benefits for participants:

• Learn effective advocacy strategies including grassroots organizing and coalition building, media and messaging and legislative advocacy and public interest lobbying.
• Learn how to engage in public policy at the local, state and national levels while developing an advocacy network of nonprofit leaders.
• Learn from world-class faculty and speakers who bring new perspectives to Kansas issues.

Benefits for organizations:

• Leaders learn how to effectively advocate on behalf of the organization’s mission and effectively participate in policy discussions.
• Organizations become more effective in educating the public and policy communities about the issues and needs of those they serve. People served by the organization are better represented in policy discussions at the local, state and national level.