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CONSULTING CASE STUDY
SITUATION
A Fortune 100 company with a strong international brand wanted to rejuvenate their internal PAC and grassroots programs. Previous efforts to encourage employee communication with legislators were sporadic. Key Contact communications, as well as Action Alerts, were usually spontaneous. There was no strategy to recruit and develop Key Contacts. As a result, an employee mobilization on a critical free trade issue created an employee backlash toward the company’s public policy positions.
Existing PAC recruitment efforts were concentrated among senior executives and the sales force. Letters from senior management to select eligible employees were used to recruit new PAC members. However, the organization wanted a 100% increase in PAC receipts.
Several critical legislative issues were looming that would have effectively decimated a major product line. The lobbying team knew that they needed to aggressively recruit members of their sales team to serve as Key Contacts with specific Members of Congress.
THE TSG SOLUTION
Our consulting interventions included, but were not limited to:
-
designing Key Contact role descriptions;
- counseling staff on protocol for recruiting, developing
and interacting with Key Contacts;
- advising staff on the best Key Contact education
and communications strategy, as well as a broad-based employee education
and communications strategy;
- collaborating with staff on appropriate grassroots
program activities;
- evaluating existing PAC recruitment communications
for their scientific influence quotient; and,
- coaching staff for their senior management presentations regarding the new grassroots program.
RESULTS
Current results include:
-
motivated, proactive Key Contacts who are influential in their communities and with Members of Congress;
- a disciplined communications system to employees
who are now more likely to contact their elected representatives without
resentment or backlash to the company;
- Key Contacts who clearly know their responsibilities
and the appropriate activities they should engage in to persuade legislators
to the company’s public policy positions;
- less staff time spent reviewing issues with their
Key Contacts, and greater confidence in their ability to articulate
company positions to Members of Congress; and,
- a system to recruit new Key Contacts before legislative action is imminent.
"We hired Amy because of her extensive knowledge
of how to create sustainable grassroots and PAC programs. My staff was
very comfortable working with Amy. As a result, they quickly organized
a new Key Contact network, started a headquarter office grassroots program,
and are gearing up to increase our PAC's visibility and contributions.
Our team now has the confidence and knowledge to maintain these programs.”*
*Contact information available upon request
©2003-2005 The Showalter Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Showalter Group works with corporations and associations that want to increase their grassroots and PAC effectiveness. 513-762-7668