About the Advocates for Self-Government

About the Advocates The work of the Advocates is crucial to the cause of liberty -- and your support is crucial in making our work possible. Check out the really nice thank-you gifts we've reserved for you, and please give a generous tax-deductible donation today -- THANK YOU!
	"...The Advocates has made invaluable contributions to the freedom cause. For over twenty years, the Advocates has worked tirelessly to help libertarians better communicate the ideas of liberty. I continue to be impressed by the Advocates' work." -- U.S. Congressman Ron Paul
	The Advocates for Self-Government. Helping YOU create a free world! The Advocates for Self-Government is a non-profit, non-partisan libertarian educational organization. Founded in 1985 by Marshall Fritz, our current president is Sharon Harris. Our mission To bring about a free society by empowering those who love liberty to become highly successful at taking the ideas of liberty to the world. We accomplish our mission by: Presenting libertarian ideas to large numbers of people in an honest, persuasive manner, thus discovering and creating new libertarians; Empowering libertarians to become effective and successful communicators of libertarian ideas; and Working to change the dominant political "map" from the old, inaccurate "left-right" model – which excludes libertarians – to a more accurate and inclusive map such as the one used by our World's Smallest Political Quiz, thus literally putting libertarians "on the map" that people use when discussing politics. This is unique and vital work. We reach millions of people directly and indirectly, and our services are essential to thousands of hardworking liberty activists. Our Core Beliefs We hold high the ideals of individual liberty, self-responsibility, free markets, limited government, and peace. We believe that libertarianism is – both morally and practically – the best political philosophy. We believe that the more individual liberty there is, the better off everyone is. We believe everything we do as an organization should contribute to the building of a free society. We believe that effective communication skills and respectful relationships are necessary to create a free society. We as an organization (and as individuals involved in the organization) strive for harmony with other libertarians and always avoid being involved in conflicts between libertarians. A Three-Step Strategy for Libertarian Victory The Advocates for Self-Government's focus is unique. Libertarians in many different organizations use our products, programs and services to make their own outreach and educational efforts far more effective. Individual liberty activists use our products programs and teachings to successfully take the ideas of liberty to their families, friends, associates and communities. And while Advocates programs, products and tools – described just below -- work wonderfully by themselves, our key programs are designed to work together, synergistically, to have a cumulative impact far more powerful than they could possibly have alone -- as parts of the Advocates strategy to change the world for liberty. It's a three-step strategy: STEP 1: We discover large numbers of libertarian-leaning people, through our own activities and by showing grassroots local activists how to use highly effective Advocates outreach tools. We furnish these new libertarian prospects with the information they need to evaluate, understand and embrace libertarianism. STEP 2: We provide these new libertarians with the tools, education and encouragement they need to become effective advocates for liberty, involved in the libertarian cause. STEP 3: Now they are able, in turn, to go find more libertarian-leaning folks themselves — thus keeping the cycle of progress moving forward, with ever-increasing numbers! In this way, the Advocates is daily building a bigger, stronger, and far more effective libertarian movement -- and this benefits every libertarian organization in the world. Acclaimed Programs, Products, and Services To accomplish our mission, we have created a host of innovative and successful programs, products and services. They include: The World's Smallest Political Quiz: Our world-famous Quiz takes the ideas of liberty to thousands of people every day. The Quiz has been taken over 12 million times online, and is taken several thousand times each day. Over 9 million copies of the card version of the Quiz have been distributed. The Quiz is in the supplementary material of more than a dozen textbooks that are used in thousands of high school and college classrooms. The Quiz shows up in newspapers, magazines, on talk radio -- just about everywhere! There's far more to say about the Quiz. Learn more about the world's most successful libertarian outreach tool -- the amazing World's Smallest Political Quiz! "The Quiz has gained respect as a valid measure of a person's political leanings." -- Washington Post. " The [World's Smallest Political] Quiz is responsible for many Americans' first contact with libertarian ideas. While traveling around the country, I have often heard people say, 'I never knew I was a libertarian until I took the Quiz!'" -- Ron Paul, Congressional Record, November 19, 2008. Operation Politically Homeless (OPH): Thousands of Americans meet libertarians face-to-face every year at OPH booths, our "event in a kit" used by grassroots libertarian activists to transform an ordinary outreach booth into a crowd-pleasing event. OPH is fun for activists and the public alike! “Operation Politically Homeless probably uncovered more budding young libertarians in one day than we’ve found in the entire past year.” -- Libertarian Association of Massachusetts. The Liberator Online: With over 45,000 subscribers, this is the largest-circulation libertarian email newsletter in the world. It's free -- and packed with information about libertarianism, effective libertarian communication, and the libertarian movement. For many people, the Liberator Online is their first regular exposure to the ideas of liberty and their introduction to the broader libertarian movement. Outstanding communication courses: Our exclusive audio and video material on the hows and whys of effective libertarian communication can help virtually anyone become a successful and persuasive libertarian communicator. We've put over 7,000 sets of Michael Cloud's acclaimed Essence of Political Persuasion audio learning course into the hands of libertarians eager to become more powerful communicators. This is changing the libertarian movement -- and in doing so, changing the world. Top educational material: We offer outstanding books and audio and visual material to assist newcomers, veteran libertarians, and those just curious about libertarian ideas. Our Web site features a treasure-trove of short articles on effective libertarian communication. Seminars, workshops, and speeches: Advocates representatives share the most effective communication methods and tools with libertarian leaders, activists and organizations. Libertarianism.com: Our special Web site for people who are curious about libertarianism and want to learn more -- a great place to send family members or friends who ask, "What is libertarianism all about?" Libertarian Celebrities and VIPS: Thousands of people visit this Web site every day. It's the largest collection of documented libertarian celebrities in the world, with entertaining profiles of over 200 self-identified libertarians — movie actors, TV stars, singers, Nobel Prize-winning scientists, business leaders, journalists, economists, philosophers, and more. Visitors are invited to take the World’s Smallest Political Quiz, to see if they, too, are libertarians. In today’s world, celebrity endorsements sell everything from sneakers to soft drinks to environmental policy. How nice to see celebrities selling the ideas of liberty, too! Lights of Liberty Awards: This Advocates program encourages libertarians to take the ideas of liberty to the public, through letters to the editor, public speaking, and OPH booth activism. Each year, Lights of Liberty winners generate millions of positive exposures to libertarian ideas. Lights of Liberty rewards and encourages the kinds of essential grassroots activism needed to build a mass movement for liberty. ...and that's just some of what the Advocates is doing to build the libertarian movement and to make our world a freer place. Libertarian leaders tell us the Advocates has transformed libertarian outreach -- and continues to do so. This is exciting, world-changing work -- we invite you to be a part of it! Join us in this exciting adventure! We are working to enormously increase the effectiveness of the liberty movement -- to help build a powerful and ever-larger movement for individual freedom and responsibility, free markets, and peace. If you believe that we need a stronger, more successful liberty movement; that the liberty movement is enormously enhanced by thousands of effective communicators; that it is important to encourage and reward vital grassroots activism for liberty; that it is important to reach the general public with the ideas of liberty in the most persuasive and positive manner possible... then please join us by investing in the Advocates for Self-Government. Your tax-deductible contribution to the Advocates for Self-Government will strengthen our efforts and broaden our impact as we, together, build a successful grassroots movement for liberty in America and around the world. Libertarian Leaders Praise the Advocates "The Advocates is a great organization which I highly recommend." -- David Nolan, Libertarian Party co-founder, Nolan Chart creator "The Advocates are for real. Libertarians who want to get real should put into action what the Advocates teach." -- Russell Means, American Indian activist, actor (Last of the Mohicans), author (Where White Men Fear to Tread). “The Advocates are pioneering in a vitally important field -- how to present libertarian ideas so that non-libertarians can listen to them and hear them." -- Joan Kennedy Taylor, author, Reclaiming the Mainstream: Individualist Feminism Reconsidered. "The Advocates for Self-Government is the libertarian organization to talk to when you want to learn about communication." -- Mary Ruwart, author, Healing Our World. "The Advocates fills a gap left by the think tanks and political organizations." -- Joseph Bast, Heartland Institute. Read what other libertarian leaders have said about the Advocates. Read what everyone is saying about the Advocates and our programs. Meet our Board of Directors. The Advocates for Self-Government is a non-profit, non-partisan libertarian educational organization. We rely upon your contributions to continue our work. Your contributions are tax-deductible -- and very much appreciated!
	“Today, the Advocates leads the way in thinking, methods, and materials for communicating libertarianism to a world that most definitely needs it. Every libertarian activist has benefited from, and owes a debt of gratitude to, the Advocates." -- *David Bergland*, 1984 Libertarian Party presidential candidate & author of Libertarianism In One Lesson.