A positive assessment to all of these questions doesn’t necessarily ensure success or defeat in an advocacy campaign. The most influential factor is an association leader’s willingness to connect with the people who make our laws. Not surprisingly, that also requires the greatest investment in terms of time and money. The position descriptions of your executive committee might include an expectation that they meet with their legislators or policymakers with power over your industry’s interests. Travelling to Washington or a state capital isn’t always required. Indeed, some of the most effective meetings take place when a lawmaker is at home because they are less distracted and more connected to their base of support. Your government affairs team should have plenty of experience putting these kinds of meetings together, from logistics to preparing talking points to sharing background about the legislator’s history and priorities.<\/p>\n Having said that, it should come as no surprise that these meetings are much more likely to happen after the organization, or an individual who represents the profession\/industry, has already connected with the legislator in terms of supporting her\/his campaign. The \u201cconnection\u201d doesn’t have to be a monetary contribution. It could be through volunteering, attending a fundraiser, or even adding their address to an email list. All of these details shouldn’t become a burden. Board members are busy people. \u00a0They have a day job after all, not to mention families and downtime to consider. Again, this is where experienced government affairs professionals step in and demonstrate their effectiveness and worth to the organization.<\/p>\n In the last five years, there has been an explosion of digital advocacy tools. Member engagement in the form of a basic broadcast email has become less influential. There are dozens of services that track legislation and regulations, and just as many tools that report contact information for federal, state and local officials. An effective and efficient government affairs team leverages the latest technology to simplify, customize and analyze online advocacy.<\/p>\n This kind of activity, when it’s connected to a certain outcome, whether that’s a policy change or just a mention in the media, will fuel members’ sense of purpose and engagement. Today, we can identify which legislators need to be targeted for change to happen and which grassroots supporters are best suited to make the case. We can customize messages to supporters as well as lawmakers to quantify and assess the success of a campaign. This information helps us understand member engagement activism. An industry expert attests, “You can study your open and click-through rates, unsubscribes, and social engagements, but at the end of the day, the most important metric is the number of actions taken.”<\/p>\n When push comes to shove, it’s important for trade groups and professional associations to engage their members at myriad touch points. Therefore, those basic broadcast emails still bring value to the organization and the policymaking process. Successful advocacy campaigns depend on a more nuanced approach. What’s more, engaged members that spread your message may attract new supporters and members; organically growing your membership and strengthening your organization.<\/p>\n An effective government affairs team will increase member engagement in your advocacy campaigns by identifying the connections, opportunities and seamless tech integrations that help your association achieve more.<\/p>\n Watch this space for more “Keys to Successful Advocacy”<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/143686_EG_304-1024x684.jpg\")
Know how to use digital advocacy tools<\/h2>\n
Engage members in more than one way<\/h2>\n
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