Bird dogging is a strategy community members and advocates use to raise PN-3 priorities directly with candidates and elected officials. It involves asking well‑prepared, direct questions to draw out specifics from a candidate on their policy position. It often happens at campaign stops, town halls, public forums, or local events, where participants ask well-prepared, direct questions about an issue.
The goal is not just to ask a question, but to prompt the candidate to speak publicly about the issue and clarify where they stand. These interactions help ensure leaders hear directly from families and those who work with young children, while also creating opportunities to secure clear commitments on policies that affect parents, young children, and families.
This guide outlines two complementary approaches:
- 1. Asking questions in public campaign spaces
- 2. Starting informal, respectful conversations in everyday settings
Both approaches focus on visibility, issue education, and encouraging thoughtful dialogue.
Because bird-dogging requires asking pointed, carefully framed questions, you should select only advocates whom you trust and who are carefully trained.
Why this Approach Matters
Candidates often hear from organized interest groups and campaign insiders. Hearing directly from parents, providers, and community members helps ground policy conversations in lived experience. When multiple people raise similar themes across events, it signals that supporting infants, toddlers, and families is broadly important — not niche or isolated.
- Asking Questions in Public Settings
The goal is to ask a clear, respectful question that invites the candidate to share their thinking. This typically happens at:
- Town halls
- Candidate forums
- Community events
- Campaign events
Framing Effective Questions
Avoid long preambles or speeches. A focused question creates space for a substantive response. Include the following context in your questions:
- Briefly share who you are or your connection to children and families
- Reference a real experience or concern
- Invite the candidate to describe how they are thinking about solutions
Before the Event
Shorter questions are more likely to be heard and answered fully.
- Check how questions are selected
- Prepare a short question (under 20 seconds)
- Practice saying it out loud
- Coordinate with partners if others are attending
During the event
- Ask your question clearly and respectfully
- Listen closely
- Take note of key themes or commitments
- Informal Conversations “In the Wild”
Candidates frequently attend community gatherings, neighborhood events, or local businesses. These settings can offer opportunities for short, personal conversations.
How to Engage Informally
These moments are less about pressing for detail and more about visibility and relationship-building.
- Introduce yourself and your connection to young children or families
- Keep the interaction brief
- Share one concise experience or concern
- Ask an open-ended question
- Thank them for their time
You can find sample questions in the appendix of this toolkit.
Preparing Participants
Preparation helps participants feel confident and aligned. If organizing supporters to engage:
- Provide brief background on PN-3 priorities
- Share sample question structures
- Emphasize brevity and respectful tone
- Clarify that the goal is issue education and visibility
- Reinforce the organization’s nonpartisan nature, and that advocates must not indicate support for, or opposition to, any candidates.
After the Interaction
Over time, consistent presence across multiple venues reinforces that these issues matter to communities statewide. To connect these conversations to broader engagement:
- Share notes with coalition partners
- Track common themes across events
- Identify opportunities for follow-up conversations
Keep Engagement Respectful and Issues-Focused
Bird dogging in a 501(c)(3) context should center on issue education, lived experience, and thoughtful dialogue. Maintain a respectful tone and avoid framing interactions in ways that could be interpreted as supporting or opposing a candidate. When grounded in shared values and community experience, these conversations can help elevate the needs of infants, toddlers, and families in a constructive way.
