Tag Archives: grassroots
Why Everyone Needs Grassroots
Quite simply, local, state and federal governments make decisions that impact what kind of schools we have, how much we pay in taxes, what kind of health care we’re going to have, what kind of cars we can buy and drive, and what kind of energy we should use. The beauty of this arrangement is that elected officials listen to their constituents because they all want to be re-elected and to do that, they need votes, so they tend to listen to people who vote, and even more to those who are well-organized.
Whether or not you pay dues to the AARP, they are lobbying to preserve Social Security and Medicare; even if you aren’t a member of the National Association of…
How to Gain Internal Support, Status and Money for Your Grassroots and PAC Programs: Part Two
In Part 1 of this article, we found that they all practice the following:
- Intrepid accountability
- “The first sale is to yourself”
- An internal marketing strategy
- Attention to the launch
I wish I could gleefully report that we could push the proverbial “easy button” to secure permanent increases in resources and staff support. Alas, there isn’t one. In addition to the above factors, we found even more success indicators among our “85% Club” members.
Securing Internal Champions
Most of us are aware of the cardinal rule of grassroots and PAC (and any government relations initiative, for that matter) existence: senior management support is critical for program success. The mistake is being content with that, rather than cultivating an “insurance plan” via more internal champions. We need support…
How to Gain Internal Support, Status and Money for Your Grassroots and PAC Programs: Part One
Why do some government affairs departments, specifically grassroots and PAC operations, consistently get increased budget funding and staff resources while others struggle to justify their existence? We track our clients’ results, and what we found was startling.
After the conclusion of our collaborations, over 85% of our consulting clients have experienced long-term funding increases, increased staff resources, and enhanced internal status for their grassroots program and/or PAC. So, in hot pursuit of the truth, I wanted to find out what some of these organizations have in common.
Intrepid Accountability/Focus on ROI
It doesn’t take DNA evidence to prove the value of grassroots advocacy. I’ve always believed that one of the reasons many of our programs suffer from the “Rodney Dangerfield Syndrome” is because…
Motivating Grassroots Volunteers
The Good News
There is a lot of time and effort directed at motivating grassroots volunteers. The bad news is that much of it is directed in the wrong place.
What is lacking in most organizations, most markedly in the corporate grassroots programs, are grassroots managers with the motivation and team leadership skills who can motivate your members or employees to become raging grassroots thunder activists. Like it or not, just as a CEO or department Vice President imbues a type of leadership and culture upon their organization, the grassroots manager also does this with the grassroots program. Even Fortune magazine noted the drop in Christian Coalition membership when its charismatic leader, Ralph Reed, resigned.
Why Can’t We Motivate Grassroots Volunteers?
Most public affairs…
Mixing Business and Politics
You may have seen the recent research from the University of Tennessee, in which Russell Crook, David Woehr and Sean Lux have found that yes, indeed, mixing business and politics makes good financial sense. If you would like a copy of the full academic report -…