American Institute of Architects - National Headquarters (AIANH)

American Institute of Architects - National Headquarters (AIANH)

1735 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-626-7300
[www.aia.org]
Contact: James C. Dinegar, Chief Operating Officer

CEO: Norman Koonce, FAIA
Budget: $25 Million+
Staff Size: 155 - 165 Employees

Contact: Sandra R Gordon, Director, Public and Media Relations
Contact, alternate: Teena T Austin, Manager, Public Relations


CEO: William W Tipton Jr, MD
Budget: $1.7 million
Staff Size: 7+

Plexus Consulting Group, LLC
1620 Eye Street, NW
Suite 210
Washington, DC 20006
Phone:  202-785-8940
Fax:      202-785-8949
Email:   info@plexusconsulting.com

Vital Stats:

As members of the AIA, more than 66,500 licensed architects and associated professionals express their commitment to quality design and livability in our Built environments.

Architect members are currently licensed to practice architecture in the U.S. Associate members are unlicensed to practice architecture, but they do meet one of the following criteria. They are working under the supervision of an architect in a professional or technical capacity; they have earned professional degrees in architecture; they are faculty members in a university program in architecture; or they are interns earning credit toward licensure.

International associate members hold an architecture license or the equivalent from a licensing authority outside the U.S.

Emeritus members have been AIA members for 15 successive years and are at least 70 years of age, or they are at least 60 years of age and fully retired, or they are incapacitated so as to be unable to work in the profession.

Allied members are individuals whose professions are related to the building and design community, such as engineers, landscape architects, or planners; or senior executive staff from building and design-related companies, including publishers, product manufacturers, and research firms. Allied membership is a partnership with the AIA and The American Architectural Foundation.

Although the AIA functions as a national organization, at its heart are 268 local and state organizations providing members with the essential local focus that reflects the nature of their professional lives. AIA members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct that assures clients, the public, and colleagues of an architect's dedication to the highest standards in professional practice.

The Challenge | The Solution | The Process |Unforseen Benefits | Measurements & Results | Lessons Learned

The Challenge

How to develop a creative grassroots lobbying campaign to emphasize the profession's legislative priorities to Members of Congress?

Each year, AIA hosts a three-day legislative conference in Washington, convening architects from across the United States to review the profession's legislative agenda and to communicate that agenda to Members of Congress. For many years, AIA had developed detailed issue papers, outlining legislative goals and talking points, which the association's grassroots members conveyed to their Representatives and Senators during personal visits scheduled during the annual conference. However, the architects found the issue papers a bit intimidating and the legislative message was difficult to memorize and easily convey. AIA's government affairs team began to think that there must be a better way to communicate the architectural agenda to Members on the Hill.

The Solution

To communicate priorities to Members the way architects communicate best, via blueprint.

Several years ago, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) "hit AIA with a 2 x 4" - the inspiration for the "blueprint" concept. When AIA's government affairs team noticed that NAHB had it legislative agenda engraved upon 2x4s, which the association distributed to rave reviews by Members of Congress, the 'blueprint' concept was inspired. What creative lobbying tool could AIA use to convey its message? Since architects think visually, it occurred to AIA to make things simple and to render its legislative priorities (School Modernization, Brownfields Redevelopment, Public Architecture) onto blueprints for members to present to congressional representatives.

This way, AIA's architects could speak to Members in the visual language that architects know best, conveying the profession's legislative agenda using a creative and compelling medium, which easily lends itself to the all-important photo op. During the 2001 legislative conference, AIA's grassroots lobbyists stormed the Hill with blueprints --cheaper to print by far than issue papers-- making an impact and drawing Members' attention to the need to "Invest in America's Communities."

The Process

"Architects think and communicate visually."

AIA's blueprint lobbying campaign was as simple and straightforward to implement as it was effective. Here are the steps AIA took to make a lasting impact on the Hill:

• Brainstorming
• Development of legislative priorities
• Articulate legislative priorities in blueprint form
• Printing
• Government Affairs Day - Delivery of blueprints to Members of Congress
• Brainstorming

In looking to develop an effective communications vehicle that architects could readily embrace, AIA's Jim Dinegar, Vice President for Government and Industry Affairs, developed the blueprint concept. While lawyers may be comfortable working from issue briefs, architects think and communicate visually, by drawing. Dinegar realized that a community blueprint, depicting AIA's priorities visually in the form of a school, courthouse, etc., would make it simple for AIA members to deliver an effective and memorable message to their congressional representatives.

Development of Legislative Priorities
The most important thing to remember in developing legislative agendas is prioritization. Congressional representatives are easiest to deal with when presented with only one or two pressing issues.

Articulate Legislative Priorities in Blueprint Form
Each AIA blueprint measures 3x4 feet. Under the heading, "Invest in America's Communities," AIA depicts a community complete with various building projects that illustrate each priority on the association's legislative agenda, identifying these as "Priority Issues for the 107th Congress":

• Public Architecture: Enhanced by Design
• School Modernization
• Brownfields Redevelopment
• Printing

AIA printed 2,000 blueprints at a cost of .30 cents per blueprint, dwarfing the cost of replicating issue papers for each congressional office. For a paltry $600, AIA made an unprecedented impact on the Hill.

Government Affairs Day - Delivery of Blueprints to Members of Congress
When architects present blueprints, they usually roll the prints out with corners facing down to keep from having the print roll up or having to hold it down during a presentation. To ensure an effective presentation to congressional offices, however, AIA's architects purposely rolled the prints out, corners up, to provide each Member of Congress an opportunity to hold down the misbehaving corners and actively engage the visual representation. The blueprints served as a highly effective 'ice-breaker' and provided the perfect segue into substantive discussions about AIA's community development priorities.

Unforseen Benefits

AIA's blueprint campaign made such an impact on the Hill that many Members have framed the architects' message for display! It is clear that the results went above and beyond expectations.

Measurements & Results

The blueprint emerged as an exceptionally effective lobbying tool and visually attractive reminder of the profession's legislative priorities. Even though it is impossible to quantify the effects of the lobbying at the moment, the issues have remained relatively prominent in the political landscape - a mark of success.

Lessons Learned

"Know your members."