REPRESENTATION ADVOCACY

							REPRESENTATION
   ADVOCACY
    27 JUNE 2004
  Arnaldo Abruzzini
  Secretary General
  EUROCHAMBRES
Objectives

• Identify representation & advocacy stiles
• Find out how to overcome lobby inertia
• Become familiar with grassroots lobbying
  (issue advocacy)
• Exchange best practices
About your organization
• Does exist a law in your country requiring the existence of
    your BRO and other business organisations?
•   Does exist any legislative link between your BRO and
    Governmental Agencies?
•   Does your BRO develop specific tasks assigned by the
    local/national Government?
•   Does your BRO maintain regular relations with the political
    level in your country/region?
•   Does you BRO apply for a “quality standard”, either
    required by law or voluntary?
•   Is your BRO included in the so-called “social dialogue”?
    Does it represent the employers? Or the enterprises?
•   Describe the USP of your CCI
• Do you have some mayor “competitors” in public
    profile?
•   Do you use Pr and Ad on medias?
•   Are you contacted by journalists/media?
•   Do you develop papers and documents on the major
    economic topics?
•   Did you ever tried to go through an economic
    magazine and see on how many issues you would
    have something to say?
•   Are you invited in conferences on mayor economic
    topics?
•   Do you maintain regular contact with political
    representatives?
•   Do you provide them with sound and solid
    arguments?
•   Do you survey regularly your members?
•   Are you consider to be “representative”?
What’s your experience
• Which level of Government do you lobby?
  – Local
  – Special District
  – State
  – International
  – Other
What’s your experience
• Who do you meet with to share the
 business point of view?
  – Government Administrators
  – Elected Officials
  – Elected Officials’ staff
  – Other
What’s your experience
• How is your organization organized to lobby?
  –   Committees look at issues and lobby for that
  –   Government Affairs committee handles policy and lobby
  –   Board review all policy declarations and shape advocacy
  –   Have an organized network to work all issues
  –   Meeting with Government as needed
  –   Government asks questions when needed
  –   You have a “scorecard” to monitor your agenda
  –   “Meet the candidate” sessions before elections
  –    You provide money to support campaigns
  –   Other
About your advocacy
• What are the 3 top business issues facing
 your members?
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  –
  –
About your advocacy
• How are you addressing these issues with
  Government?
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  –
  –
• What actions are you taking to get the business
  point of view across?
  –
  –
  –
About your advocacy
• What role should you have in promoting the
 interest of business members?
  –
  –
  –
About your advocacy
• What activities should you not pursue?
  –
  –
  –
Do you want to lobby
• People have lots of reason to lobby. People
    complain about quality of Government, the
    decisions taken and find all kind of things unfair.
•   So, why don’t people lobby?
•   Try listing a few reasons
    –
    –
    –
Common problems
• What is the most common problem in getting
 your organization to carry on a lobbying
 program?
  – Time/Money
  – Lack of informed/motivated people
  – Consensus in organization
  – Fear of loosing members/money
  – Not a function of the organization
Common problems
• What are the most common objections you
 run into regarding why members don’t lobby?
  – Time
  – Lack of information
  – Won’t make a difference
  – Lack of concern
  – Legislator unapproachable
  – Lacking communication skills
  – I pay my dues for it
Common solutions
• What mechanism have been most effective
 for your lobbying program?

                        People
  – Get right people on board
  – Use a small group for consensus
Common solutions
• What mechanism have been most effective
 for your lobbying program?

                      Priorities
  – Show impact of legislation
  – Set priorities
Common solutions
• What mechanism have been most effective
 for your lobbying program?

                  Keeping informed
  – Regular meetings
  – Meeting with legislator and his staff
  – Training programs
Common solutions
• What mechanism have been most effective for your
  lobbying program?

                            Other Tools
  –   Writing
  –   Newsletter
  –   Hot line
  –   Political committee
  –   Ask for money
  –   Radio/TV
Communicating with elected officials
• What do they believe?
  –   Letters from constituents
  –   Phone calls from constituents
  –   Studies/researches
  –   Newspapers
  –   Visit from Constituents
  –   Articles from constituents
  –   Government publications
  –   Letters from interest groups
  –   Visit from lobbyists
  –   Position papers
  –   Phone calls from interest groups
Communicating with elected officials


• Who do they believe?
  – CONSTITUENTS
  – GOVERNMENT
  – PRINT MEDIA
  – BROADCAST MEDIA
  – SPECIAL INTEREST
  – OTHERS
Real life: what to do next
• Survey your members for
  – Issue concerns
  – Legislative contacts
  – Action involvement interests
Real life: what to do next
• Structure your process
  – Chart out how your organization select issues
  – Develop formats for model policy and review
  – Create “study” and “quick action” procedures
  – Develop procedures for
     • Issues scorecards
     • Candidate interview
     • Elected official meetings
     • Issue follow up report
  – Create “thanks you” process
Real life: what to do next
• Articulate your organizational mission
  – Establish written goals, procedures, evaluation
  – Involve your members
  – Repeat each year as part of Board training
Real life: what to do next
• Set your priorities
  – Evaluate emerging issues
  – Establish a finite small number of high priorities
  – Establish a large number of policy positions
  – Stay with your plan
Real life: what to do next
• Built a network of resources
  – Identify friends
  – Network with others interested parties
Real life: what to do next
• Provide issue management
  – Create strategic plan for support or opposition
  – Communicate within your organization
  – Provide members education
  – Track issue and share consequences