Make Friends in High Places: Smart Lobbying
 Copyright 2003, Association Trends Reprinted by Permission

Author
Steven M. Worth

Publication
Association Trends

Publication Date
May  2003

Plexus Consulting Group, LLC
1620 Eye Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Phone:  202-785-8940
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Email:   Info@plexusconsulting.com

Thomas Edison defined genius as being “10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.”  Effective lobbying also is defined primarily by hard work—even though many believe it is nothing more than “having friends in high places.”

Some of the misperceptions about lobbying may be purposely cultivated by those who want others to believe that only a select few have the “access” to the decision makers who can guarantee success.  However, the bulk of the factors underlying successful lobbying are accessible to anyone who wants to put in the effort.  Here are some basics of the “perspiration” that underlies successful lobbying.

1. Define why you are relevant to the interests of the decision makers you want to reach.  Do you or mbrs of your assn represent constituent interests?  If so, how many constituents do you represent, and are they supportive of the public policy position you are proposing?  If not, are there groups that do have such supporting constituent interests with which you can form strategic partnerships?

2. Establish the relevance of your position in the current policy environment.  If you are advocating additional spending in an environment with overriding concerns about budget deficits, define how your position can contribute to a solution to rather than a worsening of the overall concern.

3. Ensure you are addressing yourself to the most appropriate policymakers.  Who is in a position to be able to help, or to recruit those who can, and who is politically compatible with the position you are advocating.

4. Recognize that politics are always intertwined with public perception.  Inform the news media and help them spread the word to publics whose opinions decision-makers value.  Track the growing public awareness you help generate and add this to your message.

5. Respect the decision-maker’s time constraints.  Don’t hesitate to speak to political staffers.  Provide concise written materials.  And whenever you have the chance to meet the decision-makers or their staffs, quickly come to the point and rehearse your message delivery beforehand. Ensure your meeting does not extend beyond 20 minutes.

6. Do not be a “foul weather friend,” the sort who is only there when you want something.  Send thank you letters, and be supportive during the election season when your representatives need your help.

7. Finally, for assn execs especially, inform and educate your membership about emerging and evolving public policy issues.  Tell mbrs how they can help and mobilize their effectiveness as “constituent interests” with the decision-makers you need to reach.  Politicians know and appreciate that “all politics is local”, and, in this regard, there is no more effective way to reach local interests than through an assn’s or a coalition’s mbrs.

Your right to lobby is guaranteed by the Constitution, which ensures your right to “petition (govt) for the redress of grievances.”  But know too that your right is everyone else’s right as well and that in the conflict of ideas some are going to win and some are not.  Your chances of winning are increased in the same measure that you make yourself familiar with the workings of govt and are conscientious in following the ground rules noted above. 

Over time, as you establish a track record of being relevant, responsible and reliable on public policy issues, you too are sure to find yourself with “friends in high places.”