Improvise: On the flip side, all the strategizing and thematic development in the world won't help you when all your best laid plans go awry. Maybe that fabulous act (or fabulous Congressman) that you were looking forward to turns out to be not that fabulous after all. Disappointed, for example, in one of the acts I went to see, I stopped by another tent and danced, bopped and shouted my way through a phenomenal show from a blues / soul / jazz artist named Ruthie Foster (really, go look her up). I had never heard of her before and would never have found her if I hadn't improvised.

Every once in a while circumstances might dictate that you abandon all your strategies and themes and just make stuff up as you go along. Don't like that member of Congress? Go see if you can find a new one. Aren't pleased with how the legislation is progressing? Find new and creative ways to change it in to something you can support.

Build Coalitions: On Saturday I parked myself in front of one of the three main outdoor stages and waited for one of the acts I REALLY wanted to see later in the day - Santana. I quickly became dependent on the kindness of strangers - as they became dependent on me. See, when you're smack dab in the middle of a throng of 10,000 people, it's hard to get out. So we built alliances and assigned jobs. Some people had the job of foraging for beer. Some went for food. Others shared umbrellas (as shields from the sun). My job was to help coalition members map out the shortest route from our fiefdom to the outside world. Without their help, I'm not sure I could have survived 8 long hours in the 90 degree heat.

Effective advocacy campaigns rely on coalitions as well. Maybe your partners aren't helping you get beer - but in a winning coalition everyone performs specific tasks that keep the group moving toward the mission.

And, of course, there's persistence. Votes won't always go your way. Legislation won't always be introduced in a timely fashion. The food court might even run out of Spinach Artichoke casserole (hey, it happened). But every year it gets a little easier and you learn a little more. You learn to bring your mud boots with you in case it rains. You learn to buy your sweet potato pies from Mr. Williams' pie stand on Friday because he attends church on Saturday and will not be selling pies. You learn to stuff yourself with spinach artichoke casserole as soon as you get to the festival. Armed with this information (and enough beer, sunscreen and advocate motivation) you will be able to persevere until the fat lady (or Santana) sings.

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