Mastering Policy and Advocacy Communications with Authenticity

In today's world, traditional methods of policy communication, such as lengthy press releases crammed with facts and data, may lose people's interest, resulting in ineffective outreach and a low level of participation or compliance with the policy being advocated for.

Understanding that today's citizens are emotionally driven, our communication must adapt to stay persuasive and impactful. This means stepping away from the age-old norms and adopting more compelling methods of sharing information about policies and advocacies. 

The Impact Communications Institute, in partnership with 3BL Media, will host a conversation where Carmen will guide you through this complex landscape, providing you with practical tips and presenting case studies from diverse sectors to shed light on the challenges and strategies of policy communication. Get ready to redefine your policy communication approach and build powerful, result-oriented advocacy communication campaigns.

Note: This presentation is intended for nonprofit communication professionals, but anyone interested in understanding and improving policy communication is welcome. Prior experience in public policy communication is helpful but not mandatory.

Meet your speaker:

Carmen Boon | Vice President of Public Affairs, Food Bank for NYC

Carmen currently serves as the Vice President for Public Affairs at the largest hunger relief organization in New York City. She leverages her expertise to empower individuals towards achieving sustainable food security. With over 20 years of experience, Carmen's skills in crafting public affairs and media relations outreach strategies, as well as integrated media campaigns, have heightened awareness for numerous governmental and non-profit programs. As a strategist specializing in strategic, crisis, and advocacy communications, Carmen leads large-scale, issue-based, multi-platform, multicultural, and multilingual public awareness campaigns to impact policy and public opinion.

With a broad portfolio encompassing affordable housing, social services, workers' rights, human rights, public healthcare, food security, poverty, and economic mobility, Carmen has received recognition such as the Shorty Award, MarCom Award, PRWeek Purpose Award, and AVA Digital Award. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Carmen is an active member, mentor, and volunteer at CHIEF, NY Women in Communications, Public Relations Society of America, 100 Hispanic Women, and Feeding America’s Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee.

Prior to her current role, Carmen served for 15 years in the New York City government. In her last public sector job as the Senior Director for Strategic Communications at NYC Health + Hospitals, she led strategic external affairs and communications for NYC Care, the largest healthcare access municipal program in the U.S for individuals without health insurance.

Originally from Venezuela, Carmen moved to New York City as a Fulbright scholar. She completed her Master of Arts in Media Studies at The New School. Carmen currently resides in Verona, New Jersey with her husband Dan, son Simon, and furry daughter Callista.

Meet your moderator:

Michael Kaye | Director of Brand Marketing and Communications, Match Group’s ARCHER and OkCupid

During Michael's tenure he’s been named Business Insider Top Technology PR Pro, PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25, PRWeek 40 Under 40 and The PR Net Marcomms’ Most Influential. He is an Adjunct Instructor at New York University in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. He has also taught at Mercy College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Michael graduated from the University at Albany with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Sociology, and earned his Master’s Degree in Strategic Communication from American University.

Impact Communications Institute
www.impactcommsinstitute.org

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