Developer Advocacy 101 - Why Your Voice Matters
What is advocacy?
Advocacy is simply sharing your point of view with policymakers to shape how laws and regulations are made. It is making your voice heard.
Whether you are a founder, business leader, or frontline coder, every voice in the app ecosystem matters in policy discussions. And while it may not always seem like one person can impact what happens in your state capital or Washington, D.C., your voice has the power to shape policies that directly affect how apps are built, distributed, advertised, and make money.
Elected officials at every level of government work for their constituents; they care what you think. But they can't read your mind, and most of them know very little about building an app or running an app-based business. There are too many issues that require too many decisions, and they cannot be experts on all of them. They must rely on their constituents to help them navigate the numerous complex issues they are tasked with addressing.
It's crucial that lawmakers hear from you so they understand your needs and your concerns. Then, most importantly, they can consider your perspective as they decide how to vote, what to support or oppose, and, more broadly, how to approach issues like age assurance, data privacy, and regulating artificial intelligence (AI).
You are the best narrator of your story. You are best positioned to communicate your needs to policymakers. If you're not at the table, you're on the menu. If you don't make your voice heard and tell your story, someone else will claim to tell it for you. And they won't know what you need, or have your best interests in mind. And you might not like the results.
The Developers Alliance is here to help everyone in the app ecosystem become an advocate and make their voice heard. And it is easier than you might think.
How to Get Involved
Not everyone can take time away from work or their family to travel to Washington, D.C., or their state capital to meet with lawmakers. And that's ok, there are many ways to get involved.
Sign up With the Developers Alliance
Knowledge is power, and every advocacy journey begins with being informed and staying up-to-date on the most important issues. Sign up to join the Developers Alliance network for the latest news out of Washington and state capitals.
Know Your Elected Officials
While you may not know your members of Congress off the top of your head, you can input your address here and find your Congressional and state representatives, including contact information. Learn who they are, become familiar with them, and introduce yourself if you see them in the community.
Send an Email
Once you know who represents you, it is easy to send them an email. Every legislative office has staff dedicated to responding to constituents. Reach out, introduce yourself, and share your perspective on the issues that matter most to you.
Schedule a Meeting
Each year, we bring developers to D.C. to meet with their representatives, establish relationships, and share their perspectives. But policymakers don't just work in Washington or the state capital. They have district offices, where the real important work takes place—schedule time to meet with their office. Even if you don't get to meet with the legislator, their staff will be attentive and try to help.
Attend Townhall Meetings and Roundtables
Many legislators will host town hall meetings and roundtables with their constituents. These are fantastic opportunities to learn where your representatives stand on important issues and share your perspective. You can also join one of our state events, like our recent Ohio age assurance discussion and New York tech policy roundtable.
Submit an Opinion Article or Letter to the Editor
Your local paper is almost always looking for local content. Every day, these news outlets publish pieces written by people like you, including longer opinion articles of 600 or more words, or shorter letters to the editor. Here are some examples on various topics: AI regulation, data privacy, and age assurance. If you're interested in submitting a piece for publication, contact us, and we're happy to help!
What to Say
Advocacy can be intimidating. But don't worry, no one expects you to be a policy expert. You don't need to be a lawyer, and it certainly doesn't matter which party you're registered with, or if you're registered to vote at all (though you should be).
You just need to be an expert on YOUR story: who you are, what you do, what your point of view is, and why it is important to you. And of course, we're always here to lend a hand.
Click here to get your advocacy journey started!
Alliance 2.0 will be launching in the coming months. We'll be focused on amplifying developer voices through issue advocacy, and giving you the resources you need to make an impact worldwide.