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Grassroots Advocacy 101
By: Robert G. Drummer, J.D., CAE
Issue: 2009sep
PPAI’s lobbyist provides a primer on influencing public policy and local lawmakers.
Are you too busy to write to your congressman or senator? Too disinterested in the political process? Jaded by “Inside the Beltway” personas displayed on Sunday morning talk shows? While all of these may seem like legitimate reasons (or excuses, depending upon your perspective) not to communicate with elected officials, the overriding reason for doing so is to protect and promote your business and industry to decision makers who invariably impact them.
Case in point. A few years ago, Bill Gates had an “I’ll leave them alone and they’ll leave me alone” attitude about Washington. For years, Microsoft abandoned conventional wisdom by not having a Washington, D.C., office and not actively participating in its industry’s trade association or U.S. Chamber of Commerce lobbying activities. Then, following a U.S. Justice Department investigation for possible antitrust violations, Microsoft not only established a Washington, D.C., office, but it also hired outside consultants, ramped up its political contributions and became an active and vocal member of its industry trade group, as well as the chamber. Hence the cliché, “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” Or put another way, “You’re either proactive or reactive; and if you’re only reactive, you’ll end up with regret.”
To avoid the pitfalls of political indifference and inaction, here are some tips for accessing and influencing your lawmakers, as well as some common do’s and don’ts in effective grassroots advocacy.
When To Advocate
When it comes to influencing public policy, one effective maxim is that there are three times to best communicate with elected officials: before you need them, when you need them and after you need them—in other words, all the time. Relationships is the name of the game in politics and policy making, and you can never start too late or do too much in establishing, maintaining and expanding relationships with lawmakers so that they recognize you, your company and your industry on a first-name basis.
Even if you don’t have a pressing issue there are always ancillary issues of interest to you, not only as a businessperson but also as a citizen and, more important to lawmakers, as a constituent.
Consequently, it’s always easier to offer unsolicited help and support to lawmakers before you actually need them to side with you. Active engagement with your elected officials will help you build political capital whereby you can cash in your chips later. While you don’t want to cry wolf on every issue, there are always opportunities to simply recognize a lawmaker for his or her position on an issue.
Similarly, after lawmakers come to your rescue, don’t abandon them without a thank-you. And even if they aren’t with you on an issue, don’t permanently cast them out. Never burn your bridges. Keep a long-term view and know that even though you may lose a battle on an issue, you can still win the war down the road.
Where To Advocate
Town-hall meetings back home in a lawmaker’s district or state present regular opportunities for you to buttonhole your elected officials. Your attendance and participation demonstrates not only your civic engagement but a sincere interest in helping shape public policy beyond the ballot booth. Since these town-hall meetings usually occur on weekends, they are not as well-attended as some other events. Consequently, you’re likely to get more one-on-one time with elected officials.
Capitol Hill days and fly-ins at the capitol with industry colleagues are great opportunities for meeting with lawmakers (or their staffs) to discuss important policy proposals. These events also let you leverage your message with a strength-in-numbers approach. Lawmakers are influenced by volume, so if a high number of constituents come calling on an issue, it tends to get their attention. You and your industry can also take advantage of these events to recognize lawmakers for their support with presentations of Legislator of the Year awards and other photo ops. Never miss an opportunity to integrate good public relations and media exposure, which can have an equal if not more profound effect on your government relations and grassroots efforts.
Capitol Hill days, which are usually annual, demonstrate continuous and consistent interest in public policy issues and help raise your visibility and credibility with lawmakers. It’s presumed that an issue is pretty serious for someone to dedicate time and resources to leave home and visit the capitol.
Similarly, fly-ins are typically reserved for emergency situations when lawmakers are taking up a particular proposal that has serious implications for your company and industry. By parachuting in, you and your colleagues stress the urgency and magnitude of the legislation and can capture lawmakers’ attention at an opportune moment.
Normally, your industry trade group will organize a Capitol Hill day or fly-in; however, you can always visit lawmakers’ Capitol Hill offices on your own. Before doing so, ensure the lawmakers are in session and request an appointment in advance. Unannounced walk-ins, even for constituents or political supporters, are a huge no-no.
Site visits at your company present an educational and nonthreatening opportunity to influence lawmakers. Additionally, lawmakers visiting your company are not distracted by the myriad other issues that normally consume their day, so for that moment you have a captive audience. Besides, lawmakers like to touch and feel things versus always reading and hearing data, numbers, etc., to justify an advocate’s positions. Site visits put a face on the issues and allow lawmakers to see the employees (and voters) who are affected by their legislative decisions. This type of show-and-tell works wonders at the grassroots level and leaves an indelible and lasting impression on lawmakers.
Fund-raisers are the bedrock of any lawmaker’s survival. Politicians, on a bipartisan or bicameral basis, practice the golden rule: “He who has the most gold, rules.” In order to be elected and re-elected, lawmakers must raise money to help pay for bumper stickers, yard signs, media ads and, of course, staff and polling consultants. As a result, attending or hosting fund-raising events allows you not only to show support for elected officials but also to express and reiterate your public policy messages.
Although politically supporting a candidate does not establish a quid pro quo relationship, it certainly helps you establish and build name recognition and familiarity with the lawmaker and his or her staff. If your elected officials don’t share your personal political views, they nonetheless are in a position that impacts your business and industry. If you can’t bear to write a personal check directly to a campaign, you can contribute to an industry or other organization’s political action committee (PAC) and request that your contribution be indirectly designated for your elected official. You can also request to attend the event on behalf of the PAC and get credit with the lawmaker without your name appearing on his or her contribution reports.
What To Say
Messages to elected officials should be short and succinct. Even on a complicated issue, your message should include:
• A request to support or oppose legislation,
• Your affiliation, for example your membership in an industry trade group,
• The impact legislation will have on your company and industry, and
• Who is affected, for example employees or vendors.
Make sure you stay on point and don’t cloud the issues by going off on extraneous discussions of other policy proposals in which you may have a personal, rather than professional, interest.
Lawmakers tend to think in big-picture terms, so communicate how their legislative opposition or support will impact you, your company, your industry and the larger economy. Explaining why is perhaps the most important aspect of your pitch, so make sure you communicate the broader public policy implications of your lawmaker’s actions. This will help influence them in the direction you ultimately want them to go.
Again, lawmakers are influenced by volume, as well as personal and anecdotal examples. When communicating with them (notwithstanding cutting and pasting from an industry-trade-group-provided sample letter), personalize your letter with a brief description of your company (e.g., 3rd or 4th generation, small business, etc.). Also, if you have some acquaintance with the lawmaker, mention that as well.
Don’t use threats, idle promises or IOUs such as: “I voted for you,” “I contributed to your campaign” or “I know/employ a lot of people.” Stick to the merits of your position and leave out the posturing.
Who To Contact
Lawmakers are bombarded with hosts of issues and positions on each. They simply do not have the time or subject-matter expertise to be knowledgeable on every issue and every position of every issue. Thus, they rely heavily on staff research. When meeting with or communicating with a lawmaker through e-mail, fax, etc., get the name and contact information for the staff person assigned to the issue. This way you can follow up more readily with that staff person as the legislation makes its way through the process.
Although many are young, legislative staff members are incredibly bright and energetic, so don’t dismiss them as inexperienced or, worse, unimportant. If nothing else, staff members have their bosses’ trust and ears, so treat them with respect and courtesy even if it is not reciprocated. Remember, credibility is your calling card to your lawmaker, so don’t risk losing it by being rude or trying to circumvent the staff.
How To Make Contact
In this fast-paced, high-tech, global world, communicating in real time is essential to establishing and maintaining credibility with lawmakers. E-mails, faxes and even Twitter are most efficient at getting out your message. Of course phone calls and office visits remain valuable and effective ways to communicate with lawmakers and should be utilized for follow-ups as well as simultaneous outreach. The more your lawmakers see and hear from you the more your message stays in the forefront of their otherwise crowded message boards and potentially gains traction.
These are only a few of the many ways to get your message across to elected officials. While not an exhaustive list, these tips and tools, if used consistently, can result in favorable outcomes for your company and industry when attempting to influence lawmakers. Coupled with an aggressive professional advocacy, political or public relations campaign, these grassroots efforts can and do make the difference in swaying lawmakers toward certain policy positions. The most important thing in grassroots advocacy is not what, but whether. As Nike says, “Just do it!”
Robert G. Drummer, J.D., CAE, is the founder of Drummer & Associates, LLC, a law firm in Washington, D.C., specializing in federal legislative, regulatory and political affairs. PPAI has engaged Drummer to help lobby Congress on the proposed Physician Payments Sunshine Act (S. 301).
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