Grassroots and advocacy groups fulfill one of the most important civil responsibilities. With modern technology, even a relatively small grassroots organization can have a huge impact. That is not to say that grassroots organizing or public advocacy is easy. Quite the contrary, all advocacy groups need to have the right strategy in place. Knowing how […]
I admit it, I didn’t attend the Advocacy Conference (then the Grassroots Conference) until 2012. At the time, the conference was always around the time of my employer’s annual fly-in and the calendar never lined up. When AIA moved their fly-in […]
When trying to educate lawmakers on issues important to your organization, nothing matters more than relationships. No, I’m not talking about relationships between lawmakers and your lobbying team. I’m talking about relationships between lawmakers and their constituents. Building an effective grasstops advocacy, or “Key Contact Program,” is one of the most important aspects of your […]
Elected officials love their social media! Whether they are promoting a piece of legislation they recently introduced, posting a photo they took with constituents, or posting memes (yes… they post memes too!) lawmakers stay active on social media. In 2022 alone, federal lawmakers posted on social media more than 909,000 times. With those numbers its […]
If you’re like me, this classic song by The Who just popped into your head and, thanks to a Pavlovian response, you suddenly want to binge-watch CSI reruns. Professionally, it’s an age-old question; one that PAC and Grassroots Managers constantly ask themselves. However, the answer they come up with may be based off a set […]
In case you haven’t heard, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering implementing an appropriations rider that will help a great number of trade association PACs increase their receipts, eliminating one of the more tedious aspects of campaign finance law. If passed and signed into law, the legislation will declare the requirement for trade association […]
Ok, I admit it. I am a fan of John Oliver. His comedic “news” seems to be well researched and comedic timing is on point. I also know many people who are not fans, who find him to be at best a gadfly who selectively uses misleading information. Regardless of your views on him, he has been able to mobilize large segments of the U.S. population to take action on issues around chicken farmers rights, and net neutrality (twice!).
Mike Young, Aristotle’s SVP, Account Management: I’m sure you’ve heard about Facebook launching itself into advocacy with the release of their Town Hall tool. Given the role social media played in the last election and the days since, it’s no surprise that Facebook is dipping its toes in the advocacy pool.
You may have noticed last month that Aristotle tweeted a variety of ‘do-it-yourself’ (DIY) tools that can assist government relations professionals with presentations and other communication efforts, such as developing infographics, newsletters, Web videos and managing social media accounts.
How do you recruit and motivate advocates when the audience has a negative view towards the person, or entity, that they are going to be advocating for or contributing to?
Let’s use Congress as an example. According to a recent Real Clear Politics average, congressional approval is slightly below 17 percent.
