New Political Groups

"Power in the lawmaking arena comes from
organizing voters and endorsing candidates"

"The top factor that determines how a lawmaker votes on your bill is whether the lawmaker fears his or her vote on the bill could lose the lawmaker Election Day votes.
The bill's merits are low on the list of factors that determine its fate.
Act on these facts and win strong state and local laws that now are fantasies.”
Julie Lewin, NIFAA president, author, political trainer
Scroll down for About Julie

NIFAA: National Institute for Animal Advocacy
was launched to fill a critical need in our movement

                                                           MISSION                     

Julie E. Lewin created NIFAA to fill critical voids in the animal rights
and rescue movements: the absence of a political culture and political training.

Julie lobbying Representatives John Geragosian, Majority Caucus Chair, and Zeke Zalaski in Connecticut’s statehouse. Representative Zalaski: “Before I was elected, I lobbied for my union. Julie was the first person to help me, showing me many of the in’s and out’s. Her lessons continue to help me even today.”

NIFAA ADVANCES its vital mission through its acclaimed training webinars, workshops, and comprehensive “how-to” book, “GET POLITICAL FOR ANIMALS AND WIN THE LAWS THEY NEED: Why and How to Launch a Voting Bloc for Animals in Your Town, City, County and State —and the Simple Steps It Takes to Do It.” It's the only such book. First published in May 2007, it's widely acknowledged as “superb,”“a masterpiece,” a book that “will go down in history”—and “enthralling,” “engrossing” and “entertaining,” too. For information or to order, click here.

OUR WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS win strong praise for their quality and dynamism. Many NIFAA alumni say they are “a life altering experience” that “utterly revises what I consider effective animal advocacy.” The webinars and workshops cover all aspects of establishing a political group, recruiting humane voters, how the lawmaking process really works, the political dynamics that drive it, how to lobby, when to use media as part of a political strategy, and more.  

NIFAA is heralded by leading animal advocacy groups. It has received grants and donations from Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Welfare Trust, Animal World USA, ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, Coalition For Animals, Compassion in Entertainment, Dogs Deserve Better, Farm Sanctuary, Fund for Animals, Humane Society of the US, Lapin Foundation, League of Humane Voters of New York City and caring individuals.

Simon and Julie

 About NIFAA founder, president, author and political trainer Julie Lewin

“As a lobbyist for more than a decade, I learned important lessons that we must heed. 

*Lawmakers’ top priority is to be re-elected. To win strong laws for animals, we must base our strategy on this fact, not on the merits of our legislation. Every other issue group pursues laws through political groups that endorse candidates, because it’s the way that works.

*Being political and winning is all about understanding Election Day math.
                      
*Most lawmakers’ votes about animals are unknown by the vast majority of their constituents who care, leaving opponents of humane laws and ordinances in control.

*Inhumane laws and policies rarely reflect the views of the majority, but rather the interests of politically strong anti-animal minorities and commercial animal-exploiting interests. When we're political, lawmakers will no longer dare to ignore us or oppose us. And if we're organized, we can even win laws that the majority of the public doesn't want!

*This dire situation won't change until lawmakers know that members of political organizations will hold them accountable at the polls on Election Day.”

Julie was a daily feral cat rescuer* in Hartford’s inner-city, a newspaper reporter, a nationally published magazine feature and opinion piece writer, a publicist, and a community organizer. She has been involved in state and local politics, has been a political trainer, and has given media workshops. Julie was executive assistant to the commissioner of a state agency in Hartford, Connecticut, a legislative researcher in the state Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and staff member of a national environmental organization. In addition to NIFAA, she does political consulting through Strategic Political Services.

*NIFAA is a project of the Connecticut Council for Humane Education, which also has a large feral cat rescue program in some of Connecticut's poorest cities.

© 2018 NIFAA - All Rights Reserved

Photo Credits

Chained dog - courtesy of www.unchainyourdog.org

Raccoon - Laura Simon, Humane Society of the US