Before launching a government relations program, an organization needs three things: a legislative liaison, a strong case statement, respected surrogates and advocates.
Legislative liaison: Your organization needs to designate a person to manage the government relations process. Many organizations hire a director of advocacy or government relations to manage this, but the duties can also be assigned to the executive director, development director, or other staffers. In smaller organizations, a board member may be designated to manage the process.
Case statement: A concise, well-written case allows elected officials to understand what your organization does and what you need from them. Concise delivery is key. Elected officials sift through mountains of paperwork and have hundreds of conversations each day. You need a clear one-pager and a pre-rehearsed "30 second commercial" that makes your case.
Surrogates: Good surrogates help carry your message. They are well-respected within your community and carry political clout. Examples may include your board chair, a large donor, respected business supporters, or other elected officials.
Advocates: Also known as activists, they believe in your organization and can show their support en masse. They read your action alerts and, if you ask them, flood government offices with phone calls and emails. They show up to government meetings to show support or even to protest.
Without all three of these, your government relations efforts will likely fail. Stay tuned for detailed explanations on each.
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