Tools for Partners

Open the Government is a hub for more than 100 partner organizations who believe we can strengthen our democracy by creating a more open, accountable and responsive government.

Open the Government provides partners with opportunities to exchange information and learn from one another. OTG brings partners together to amplify the message of openness and create products to better enable our partners to advance openness for accountability as part of their own missions.

• Information exchange. OTG hosts regular convenings to provide partners with opportunities to share updates and action items. A bi-monthly town-hall is an opportunity for DC and state partners to inform each other on developments at the state and federal level. A twice monthly newsletter features updates from partners and highlights a different partner in every issue, so that other partners can “get to know” who else is in the coalition.

• Uniting to amplify openness issues. OTG holds issue-specific convenings [link] to bring partners together to provide opportunities for joint advocacy. OTG acts as a force multiplier by linking partners with one another, compiling their work, organizing sign-on letters or bringing a cross section of organizations to lawmakers, ensuring openness issues benefit from broad-based advocacy. OTG also represents the coalition in convenings around other issues, such as law enforcement, national security, and broad-based democracy reform, where transparency and accountability is a piece of a larger issue.

• OTG creates and disseminates tools to help them advance openness in their own work. These tools are in response to demand from partners and also shaped by partners. We have recently released a FOIA guide as well as a poll and messaging toolkit, both with partners’ input. We also highlighted partners’ work in our first ever report on the culture of secrecy in Washington.

Events

Reports

Would your organization like to join the fight for open, accountable and responsive government? Let us know.