Video: The Three Distinctions Between Mediocre and Excellent Political Involvement Programs

ASAE Annual Convention – Evaluating Your Government Relations Program

I had the privilege to co-present with Jim Potter, interim CEO of the American Academy of Physician Assistants at ASAE’s Annual Conference in St. Louis. We focused on the topic of how to properly evaluate your Government Relations program. As usual, we made sure that the workshop was very interactive.

Some questions to ask as you evaluate your GR program include:

• Is your organization increasingly positioned as a resource for legislators? For example, is the number of legislators contacting your organization for information about your industry increasing or decreasing?
• What’s your LCR? (legislator conversion rate)
• What is your PAC evangelism rate?
• Are your stakeholders engaging in more or fewer high-persuasion behaviors?

Lessons Learned from Innovate to Motivate Grassroots and PAC Town Halls

At this summer’s Innovate to Motivate PAC and Grassroots Town Halls (www.innovatetomotivate.com), I am always leaning forward in my seat taking notes. I surveyed the Town Hall participants and found that on average, each attendee gained eight new actionable ideas ---- not a bad investment for a half day. Thanks to our I2M faculty member Brett Kappel (http:// www.arentfox.com/people/index.cfm?fa=profile&id=500) of Arent Fox (www.arentfox.com) for hosting us.

A few of the new ideas included:

• Establish a PAC Advisory Committee
• Include in grassroots training/orientation appropriate expectations for influence success
• Engage the “exclusivity” principle when building your grassroots teams
• Test messages among internal, not just external audiences before asking for PAC funds
• Use narrative (without asking for their vote) as a part of your “pre- persuasion” campaign

We also conducted a “Mini-I2M Salon” where we shared over 30 resources, everything from the best financial management web sites to the best books and recreation equipment!

Mark Your Calendar - I2M 2012 Updates

Our fearless I2M leaders for 2012 are:

Jenny Boese

Vice President

External Relations and Member Advocacy

Wisconsin Hospital Association

Heather Doucet

Director, Government Relations International Foodservice Distributors Association

You can read more about them here: http://www.innovatetomotivate.com/I2M_leadership

We have two Innovate to Motivate events scheduled for 2012. The one- day “Best of Innovate to Motivate” seminar will be held Friday, February 17, 2012, in Washington, D.C. at the ASAE headquarters on 1575 I St., NW.

We are taking our most memorable, highest-rated presentations from the last eleven years to showcase the pioneering I2M training curriculum of professional development, PAC and grassroots skill building, and the science of influence. As an attendee, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in our Action Learning opportunities, which will facilitate the implementation of ideas gleaned at the “Best of Innovate to Motivate” seminar.

The Innovate to Motivate Institute will be held December 4 – 6, 2012, at the beautiful Charleston Place Hotel in the heart of Charleston’s historic district. South Carolina. http://www.charlestonplace.com/web/ocha/ charleston_place.jsp

The Institute is invitation - only. If you’re reading this newsletter, consider yourself invited. And, if you have a colleague you’d like to invite, simply forward the invitation when it is sent to you.

We are happy to announce that the The Soft Edge (http:// www.thesoftedge.com/) and The Original Congressional Handbook (http:// www.uscongresshandbook.com/) are joining us again as I2M 2012 sponsors!

Thanks for reading!

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