The Coalition has assembled a collection of materials that communities have used during their CPA adoption campaigns, from meeting presentations to lawn sign templates, talking points to draft editorials. Follow the links below to view and download these materials -- feel free to copy and adapt them to your own community's needs.

Adoption Resources Table of Contents:

• Sample CPA Campaign Materials
• Campaign Websites and Online Tools
• Talking Points in Support of CPA
• Letters to the Editor
• Newspaper Columns and Editorials
• Presentations to Town Meeting, City Council and Municipal Officials
• Economic Studies

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Sample CPA Campaign Materials
Below is a collection of campaign materials, including brochures, lawn signs, mailers, and other materials that communities have used during their CPA adoption campaigns. 

• Canton and Pelham: flyers including general information on CPA and details on specifics for the town.

• Middleboro: campaign flyer from the town of Middleboro

• Acushnet: lawn sign

• Acton: well designed 2-page mailer  

• Easthampton: letter to Easthampton residents soliciting campaign support

• Gloucester: CPA campaign brochure

• Newton: 1 page 'Vote Yes' flyer

• Wareham: 2-page brochure / mailer

• Wellesley: car sign

• Westport CPA Campaign Brochure: (page 1, page 2)

Campaign Websites and Online Tools
Many communities have created websites to support their CPA campaigns, including these samples: 

Yes for Brookline's Future

Preserve Dighton 

Canton used Google Docs to coordinate sign-holding attendance for their upcoming adoption election. Google docs are free and easy to use. You can create forms and surveys for others to fill out, and track the results in spreadsheets, charts, and tables. Check out Canton's form here.

Talking Points in Support of CPA
• Here are some general talking points in support of CPA. These are arguments you can use when you’re talking with your local elected officials, neighbors and friends; to write a Letter to the Editor or a newspaper editorial; to make a flyer or brochure; or to draft an email to send in your community.

• This recent report (The Nature Conservancy, 2009) contains tips about what language resonates with voters when discussing community preservation and conservation of natural resources, and what voters are willing to pay to protect these resources.

• This CPA True-False Quiz, used by the town of Sunderland during their fall 2010 CPA campaign, has some great points to counter common arguments and misconceptions.

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor make a powerful statement and reach many members of your community.  

• Wareham: this letter details completed CPA projects in the community and contrasts these great accomplishments with the low cost of CPA for taxpayers

• Chesterfield/ Worthington: this letter outlines the economic and long-term quality of life benefits of CPA

• Duxbury: this letter emphasizes the importance of CPA to preserving the character of the town
 
Newspaper Columns and Editorials
Local newspapers often welcome guest columnists and editorial submissions.  This format gives you an opportunity to make pro-CPA arguments in greater detail than a Letter to the Editor. 

• Swansea: editorial letter in support of Swansea's CPA campaign

• Gloucester: letter from the Gloucester Daily Times in support of CPA, "Protecting open space: A tool within our reach"

• Amherst: this editorial supports CPA and a CPA surcharge increase

Presentations to Town Meeting, City Council, and Other Municipal Officials

It is important to deliver presentations on CPA to your local boards and municipal officials. These presentations are a great opportunity to emphasize the fact that your community can use CPA funds to leverage additional state, federal and private funds for projects – a particularly strong argument in this economy. 

• The Belchertown CPC put together information detailing how the town was able to leverage CPA funds and attract thousands of dollars from non-CPA sources

• Other examples of projects completed by leveraging CPA dollars

Economic Studies
Studies repeatedly show the economic benefits to communities of housing construction, open space and historic preservation. 

• Economic Benefits of CPA flyer, produced by the Coalition 

• 2001 UMass study on the impact of CPA housing construction

• Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation in Massachusetts, a Rutgers study on the benefits of historic preservation

• Enhanced Property Values, a study by The Trust for Public Land on the impact of open space on property values

• Cost of Community Services Studies, a fact sheet prepared by the American Farmland Trust that summarizes a case study approach used to determine the fiscal contribution of existing local land uses