The Other Side

Do your arguments stack up to what the other side is coming at you with? You had better be prepared for what they are bringing otherwise your argument is lost.

Here's a good guage of how you know where the holes are in your argument -

1) What would you say to shoot down your arguments? Yeah not that creative, but its where you stard. follow it up closely with what your peers would say.

2) What's been said in the past? Has the issue been addressed before? if so what was raised and how could you adress those issues? Did those old arguments expose new holes?

3) Are they giving you their game plan? If you know who is coming out against you, do they post their materials online? You'd be surprised at how transparent even the most seemingly sophisticated groups are when it comes to their advocacy strategy. Use it against them if you can.

3) What does the average person say? take your issue to a friend who doesnt have much of an opinion on your issue, they are most likely to theow you the curveball that will catch you off guard.

Know your issue, know your weaknesses, know your opportunities, and try to prepare for the inttangible... from there you will have a successful strategy.

Friends, Foes, & Sycophants

In politics you will often find elected officials will say one thing in private and do something completely different in public. Dealing with it is up to you but the key is to know the difference.

Friends - they're the ones who will promise to do something, and actually follow through.

Foes - they're the ones who wont do anything to you want. But at least you know where they stand.

Sycophants - they're the ones that are pleased as heck to get your endorsement and support... and really think your issue is very important and wants to support you. but gee... wouldn't you know it... the chairman needed a vote... so I just couldn't... but NEXT TIME I promise...

They're the worst

Free Publicity

Your issues and your organization represent something bigger than you and your current membership.

There are litterally thousands of people out there that would be great supporters if they only knew more about you.

So what are you doing to let them know you are there?

One of the most valuable ways you can get your organization's presence to grow is through the press... and the free publicity they can provide.

Pick your top issue. Write an editorial about why you are right (target 300 to 500 words). Call the editor of your local paper and ask them to meet about your issue. Give them your editorial.

It may not happen right away. It may not be 100% your message when it comes out. But when it does you will have put your organization in front of a large number of people who otherwise didnt know about you, and now want to know more.

The press needs stories and your story needs attention. Bring the two together!

Are You At The Table?

There's an old saying in politics -

"If you're not at the table, you're probably on the menu."

What are you doing to make sure your organization is at the table on issues that concern you? There is a simple way to make sure you are invited, follow these steps -

1) State Your Issues - Send a letter to elected officials and staff explaining the issues of importance to you, ask that they include you in any discussions.
2) Follow Up - Send an email, a phone call, take 'em to coffee... whatever it takes to make sure they get it.
3) Monitor - Look up the agendas, read what's going on, keep in touch.
4) Make Friends - If you have a strong coalition in place, they can help keep you in the loop if they come across something.

Set it up right and you'll spend more time looking at the menu than wondering if you're on it!

Who Knows Your Story?

With all these great moves you are making, who are you telling?

You should have 3 messages that come out of each effort -

a) What matters to your most ardent supporters / members / consumers
b) What matters to those who are likely to support you / future members / coalition members
c) What matters to the general public.

Another way to look at it is,

a) What you would send in a newsletter
b) What you would put on your website
c) What you would like to see in the newspaper

Re-examine your efforts, and figure out what you can do to get those messages out.