Category Archives: Political Action Committees
Can Companies Go Too Far When It Comes To Their PAC?
I2M faculty member Brett Kappel of Arent Fox www.arentfox.com advises his clients to create PAC bylaws that suit the political needs and culture of the company. However, Brett says a company can go too far in trying to ensure that the PAC is run consistently with the corporate culture. Here’s what he says about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s PAC ”argument”:
http://arentfoxnews.com/cv/b725299375d575713993da6aaa4205606c8948a7
From Concern to Cooperation: How to Use Grassroots and Lobbying to Build Your PAC
While some look for a “silver bullet” to raise PAC funds, we sometimes forget that it’s many things, rather than one thing, that changes a PAC’s bank account. A constant dilemma among PAC professionals is how to advance the PAC when the organizational culture has been averse to it at worst, and at best, ambivalent.
I heard some good news from Micah Intermill, Director of Advocacy for the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA). Micah, along with his colleagues Maribeth Bersani, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, and Paul Williams, Director of Public Policy & State Affiliate Relations, have facilitated an attitude change in ALFA member’s attitudes toward the PAC.
The result? A 400% increase in members who sign prior authorization forms,…
Does Fear Influence or Immobilize?
Within the past 25 years, the Library of Congress has recorded over 1,000 books with Armageddon or apocalypse in the title. Certainly many industries and causes gain adherence via fear. But what does the research say about fear as a motivator, and how does it impact how grassroots and PAC professionals engage their volunteers?
I was hired to conduct a training workshop at a national trade association conference where the audience was comprised of their state chapter government relations directors and state executives, one of my favorite audiences.
I was sharing with them how to frame the benefits of PAC and grassroots participation and the “M” question came up. You guessed it – the motivation question. One of the state executives was…
11 Strategy Questions You Have to Answer Before You Build Your Grassroots and PAC Capacity
I am seeing a lot of turn-key tools for grassroots professionals who need to give their grassroots volunteers something to do. I agree that volunteers need to have clear direction on the best activities to build awareness of your issue and your organization before elected officials and opinion leaders. However, doing that in absence of a strategy simply takes us farther along the “activity without results” road.
People tend to make strategy harder than it needs to be. Nevertheless, the reality is that strategy is about future-oriented vision and it’s also about actionable, tactical things. There are several questions that move logically from the first to the last that can help you develop strategy which leads to appropriate grassroots advocacy plans…
Why Things Fail
But join me on the dark side for a moment. Lots of organizations that attempt change are unsuccessful. They don’t execute well. Here are the reasons, in no particular order. I started out with about seven and could not stop myself:
1. Following the fad du jour
2. No success metrics
3. No agreement on success metrics
4. No…
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