Stewardship is the most important piece

Stewardship is the most important piece to moves management. Elected officials usually hear from organizations only when they need something, but successful advocacy groups maintain regular contact with electeds.

A colleague told me, "The most important work with legislatures occurs not when they are in session, but during the breaks in between."

Say thanks

After an elected official takes an action you asked for, please be sure to say thanks -- again and again.

Make sure your surrogates thank the officials personally. Phone calls, handwritten notes, and personal messages go a long way.

Make sure your advocates/activists thank the officials en masse. Just as you ask supporters to urge action, you should deploy action alerts for "thank you" calls to elected officials who have helped your organization. Hundreds of emails thanking an official can make him or her go, "Gee, I made the right choice here."

Make sure the people you serve thank the officials. Nothing is more effective than getting a note from a person who benefits from or participates in your programs.

Awards
You can take your stewardship to the next level by presenting annual awards to elected officials who have helped your organization. Everyone likes awards, and they will remember that your organization honored them. Presenting awards also gives a press opportunity to get exposure for both your organization and the official.

Restarting Moves Management
Finally, schedule a follow-up meeting to restart the moves management process. Have your surrogates sit down to make an in-person "thank you" and ask for advice for the next round of funding or the next legislative session.

With that follow-up meeting, moves management then becomes a cycle. You continue cultivating that relationship to prepare for a new ask later down the road.