5 Quick Ideas - Getting Involved In Elections

People often say they don't want to get involved in elections.  Organizations should get engaged for many reasons.  Here are some of the best ways to do it correctly -

IDEA 1 - ENGAGE YOUR BASE
Elections provide you an opportunity to get your members more involved in the community.  The more you are involved in the community, the better your message can make its way through to decision makers.  Your base is key to that.
- Encourage them to register to vote, it is free, it is relatively non-controversial, and it is part of what we consider our civic duty.
- Encourage them to meet the candidates and find out where they stand on issues important to them
- Give them opportunities to connect the base with the decision makers and community leaders

IDEA 2 - PROMOTE YOUR MESSAGE
When candidates are running for office, they are looking for groups to support them.  AS such you are in a rare position to get your message out to them and find out where they stand on your issues.  Use this as an opportunity to bring your issues to the forefront.  Send them questionnaires and share that information with the base.

IDEA 3 - DEVELOP EVENTS
Often your base - and the public in general - don't know what is happening on a local level with their elected officials.  This provides opportunities for you as an organization. 

Host a debate, on your issue, and bring it to the base and the public in general.  Host a forum where the public can ask these individuals questions directly.  For a bonus effort, you can follow up the event with a private reception for your larger political supporters.

IDEA 4 - CONNECT WITH CANDIDATES
There may or may not be candidates that you support.  However the base will likely have candidates they like.  Encourage them to get involved with those candidates and support their campaigns through campaign activities. 

IDEA 5 - COMMUNICATE YOUR STRENGTH
Let the candidates know - and your own base - how many of your members participated in efforts, contributed to campaigns, got involved in political efforts.  This will leave a lasting impression with both groups, and can be something to build on into the future.

Getting involved in elections can come in many different ways.  Every organization that wants to be successful should be implementing this strategy to advance their membership and position in the community.

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Giving Political Thanks

We make a lot on this blog that there is so much more that can be done with the level of political discourse, civic engagement, and strategic thinking when it comes to getting involved in politics. 

For a minute, let's look at all we have to be thankful for politically -

- We have the right to complain about what is happening
- We have the ability to make changes to what is going on
- We can freely work together with others who are like minded and want change
- We can take issues that aren't popular, aren't fully understood, and make them important
- We take our opportunities that we make in the industry
- We take the time to learn about our system and how to change it
- We make a difference in our communities
- We make our leaders listen to us

Not every country has those rights, and we should be thankful we have them.

And the best way to show our thanks to those who came before us to help ensure that we had those rights is to NEVER surrender them to government control.

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5 Quick Ideas - Community Groups and Coalitions

Building your presence in the community means more than knowing the key players.  It means building a relationship with the organizations that drive your community.  The unique position you have is that you can build these organizations if they don't exist, and when they do, you can be the coalition builder in just a few simple steps:

1) COME WITH IDEAS - There are plenty of things you can work together on as organizations.  Maybe its an update on the current trends in your industry, maybe its a policy discussion.  Being able to bring things to work on together is what will lead to gravitation in your direction.

2) MEET ON COMMON GROUNDS - Where is it important to be seen, and who is it important to be seen with is sometimes even more important than what it is you are doing.  Presence is about building a relationship not just for yourself, but for others.  Being able to make the right introduction to the right person can be more valuable than anything else.  As such making sure you always find opportunities to meet in a public place where other leaders congregate is a great idea.  If you don't know where that is, make one - set one meeting with one person at a location at 3, and an hour later someone else, and introduce them in passing.

3) DON'T PUSH - Coalitions are easy to build, but even easier to destroy.  Knowing when you are at the edge of what the group is comfortable with is an important factor to making sure your organization continues on.  There will be plenty of times where you drive the discussion, and plenty of times where you are dragging others along to a common goal.  But be sure to recognize those warning signs that you are going beyond their comfort zone.

4) SERVICE FIRST - Many of these organizations are predicated on the notion that service to the community is the goal of the organization.  Even business focused organizations.  It may not be your direct interest, it may not even be something you fully understand, but sometimes throwing caution to the wind and diving in to lend a helping hand in something you have no connection to goes much further than anything else, especially knowing that you are trying to drive an issue sometime soon.

5) FOLLOW UP - Anything you come up with, work on, decide, or even just show up for requires follow up in community groups.  Why?  Because no one does any follow up, and sometimes things you've asked for get forgotten.  Plus showing some initiative to follow up positions you as a leader, and someone people can rely on.  Use this to your advantage whenever possible.

Coalitions and community groups are great places to find support for issues, but the relationship must be there first. Build that and you will have more success.

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The Devils in the Details

One of the hottest issues hitting local government right now is addressing the issues of short term rental housing.  Or - how cities can regulate VRBO, AirBnB, HomeAway, etc.

The issues are more or less the same in every community.  Too many parties.  Too many cars.  Too loud too late.  Too many on my block.  Or some combination / variation thereof.

There are a number of arguments that we can go through here from Property Rights to Community Integrity.  Not the purpose of this post.

On the October 20, 2015 city council agenda the City of Anaheim decided to address this issue through extending their moratorium on issuing any new permits related to any vacation rental homes.

Sounds innocuous enough right? I mean sure, it's anti-business, but its a measure to take while you are studying the issue and impact and figuring out the best course for the city moving forward.

There is just one small problem with their proposal.  There are plenty of these rentals that already exist.

And if you read in the details of the proposal, they plan to deny any of the permits related to such businesses - INCLUDING the renewal of business licenses, existing conditional use permits, or any permits for planning building or construction.

Let me translate that -

• If your annual business license is up for renewal in the next six months - you just lost your business
• If your conditional use permit is up for renewal - you just lost your conditional use permit and your business
• If your water heater breaks and you need a permit to put a new one in - you just lost your business

You read that right.  In an attempt to stop any NEW businesses while they address this issue, they effectively said all existing ones would be shut down if they come up for any work with the government in the next six months.

The question you have to ask yourself is - what little things like that are being snuck in on you and your business?

5 Quick Ideas - Engaging Leadership

We've already covered that one of the most important things in any organization is having the right leadership team in place.

However more than just having them in place, you have to make sure they are engaged.  This team is the key to your success as an organization.  Making sure they are set for success is essential in keeping them around.

This guide should give you some of the key elements of making sure your Leadership team is empowered to succeed.

IDEA 1 - UNDERSTAND WHY THEY ARE THERE
They believe in you and the organization, that's why they are in the door.  But why they show up, contribute, and stay is the reason they are there.  Understanding their motivations, desires, and expectations will help lead you to guiding their leadership

IDEA 2 - KNOW THEIR NEXT STEP
An extension of understanding why they are there is knowing their next steps.  This takes place in 2 forms:

• Their personal next step - where they are looking to take their career, their interests, their motivations
• Their organizational next step - where do they want to be or what do they want to do in the organization

Both steps are important because if you know where they are going, you can help guide them there, if you know what they want to do next, you can help incorporate that into the organizations strategy .

IDEA 3 - INCORPORATE THEIR SUCCESS
Your leaders are there for a reason - they have demonstrated success.  If they haven't, then you've got the wrong team - Go back to the drawing board and get a good leader.  Use how they have found their success in your organization. 

• If they are great motivators, let them inspire your team and membership.  
• If they are great connectors, allow them to bring in new partners.  
• If they are great managers, empower them to find efficiencies.  
• If they are great advocates, put them in front of decision makers.
• If they are great innovators, give them a chance to shape your future growth.

Doing these allows 3 things - first it allows them to excel at what they excel at in front of their peers.  Second it allows you to get for free what others would pay enormous sums of money to garner.  Third it gets your leaders to buy in greatly in what you are doing.

IDEA 4 - INQUIRE ABOUT THEIR NEEDS
Outside of the obvious element of if you are able to help them, they will in turn feel a need to invest back in you and your organization, understanding their needs helps you bring them the personal, professional, or organizational elements that further their success.  Ask them - maybe they need a new personal assistant, maid service, HR manager, tennis coach, or their kid may need an internship.  Whatever it is, you can most likely help.

IDEA 5 - RECOGNIZE THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
Yes, it seems like it goes without saying, or at least that its already been said (because it kind of was in the first leadership post), but it is key.  If they know you appreciate them, and hear it, and their peers hear it... you are building their resume and reasons to support your efforts.  Also, it sends a subtle signal to the other leaders that they need to be a part of this process and effort.

Leadership is key.  Good leadership is imperative.  Good engaged leadership is the gold standard.  Make sure yours is worth its weight in gold by succeeding together.

The Threat You’re Missing

--> Washington D.C. is the cornerstone of our democracy, it is where the bulk of broad scale governance and regulation occurs.

Every organization has a federal presence. 

Justice Brandeis famously referred to State government as the “laboratories of democracy” in a way to show that they should have the right to try new things that may be useful to other states, or to the federal government.

Many organizations have a state network of some kind.

However partisan gridlock has left most institutions paralyzed, or at the very least one sided in its governance.  While no organization sees themselves as strictly partisan, the issues you work on appeal more to one side or the other – or if they become a bill, they are sponsored by a members of one side or the other.  So by default, your issues become partisanized (Yes, I did just make that word up).

Despite this lack of ability to govern effectively at either level, governing needs to be done.  Increasingly that responsibility is falling to the local level.

Now I know what you’re thinking – “What jurisdiction do they have on my business/ industry / organization?”

 

The answer is probably none.  But that isn’t stopping them from inserting themselves into regulating it since they can’t get any action out of any other government.

So what can you do about it?

Reach out.  They’ve probably never been contacted by an organization like yours.  That wont be enough to dissuade them, but it can be enough to stall them long enough to pursue a couple of options depending on what it is:

• Organize a local group of partners/ vendors/ members/ etc. to address local policies with local policy makers.
• Organize a community group to push back on local regulation.
• Point out to their city attorney that they really have no role here, and that you are governed by state and federal laws, and that any action they do is likely in violation of the state constitution.
• Push local press and media to investigate the role of local government in broader issues.

Those local elected officials will later be Congressmen

Every issue is dealt with differently.  It may require one or a multiple of these options in pushing back on government over-stepping its bounds.

However these efforts also come with an added benefit – relationships.

Most local elected officials have higher aspirations.  Which means you will soon be dealing with those same individuals on the state or federal level you are accustomed to dealing with.  Developing the relationship with them early makes you a more valuable ally in the long run. 

How You're Going To Lose Your Future Advocacy Efforts

Advocacy has fundamentally changed.  We've all seen it.  What worked even 2 years ago, isn't necessarily effective anymore.

• Letter campaigns are now screened for harmful substances and are not timely.
• "Call Your Congressman" campaigns result in ticks for an up or down vote only.
• Email campaigns are almost ignored if they look like they are mass-produced.
• Congress members and staffers are less trusting of advocacy groups.
• Fly-ins are costly, difficult to manage, and only a few people are there.

However this is how just about every organization addresses their advocacy.  You need to keep doing this and add to the discussion. Your effort is an important addition to the noise, but its not enough.

Some have some creative alternative ideas -

• Meeting their elected officials "in their districts" meaning at their local offices.
• Working with local staff to get the message delivered back to capitol staff.
• Attending local events in support of the elected official.

These are all examples of a great next step.  The problem is most organizations stop there.  And it STILL isn't enough.

The problem honestly is, they are only hearing from YOU.  Your issue, your problem, your message.  The more organizations fill the space talking about only themselves and their own issues, the less impacting your advocacy efforts are going to be.

Being effective in the future will mean bringing in groups that aren't your members, your peers, your industry, your influence group.  Being effective will mean bringing in other groups to speak on your behalf:

• Coalitions
• Affiliated groups
• Leaders outside your core group

Truth be told, in a few years that too will not be enough, because everyone else will be doing that.

If you are going to stay the same, you are going to lose as you get swallowed up by the noise.  You need to change, evolve, and be two steps ahead of the pack.

Money will only be able to go so far in politics.  Efforts can only be so effective.  If you want to truly succeed long term, you need to be planning now for what your effort will look like in several years.

5 Quick Ideas - Building A Government Affairs Program That Lasts

Getting a government affairs program off the ground is a challenge.  Undoubtedly the people you have involved are invested - which is mostly great.  The part where it isn't great is where support could challenge your program's success.

The following ideas should help you figure out how to properly start -

1. CHECK THE EGOS AT THE DOOR - The biggest threat to the program is the personalities of those involved.  The goal is to benefit the organization, not the individuals.  As such, everyone involved needs to buy into that fact, and commit / reaffirm it every time you work together.
2. ALSO, CHECK YOUR POLITICS - It's GREAT that your volunteer know the State Senator from the area.  What isn't great is that your volunteer pushes that Senator's political agenda.  This applies to political parties, other organizations, or philosophical viewpoints as well.  The politics of your organization center on your issues, and your issues are what impacts your organization.
3. ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES - You can find a reason why any issue impacts your core beliefs.  However getting launched into fights that aren't yours will divide your supporters and lead to the demise of your effort.
4. START WITH AGREEMENT - President Reagan and Speaker O'Neill often found agreement despite having diametrically different political views by simply starting where they agreed, and worked to the details where they differed.  It wasn't perfect, but it was an approach that moved towards more success than failure.
5. SYNTHESIZE YOUR MESSAGE - The reason you are going through this effort is to represent an interest.  The only way to spread the message is to make it easier to understand.  Whenever you leave your meetings, agree on a simple statement of what was accomplished, and promote it to everyone you want to support your effort.

There are many keys to success, but these 5 will make create the information that you can build upon.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Contact Relationships

The most successful government affairs programs center around a strong contact database.  Whether you are looking to change policy, increase your PAC, or build coalitions, your contact database is going to be the key to unlocking success with other people in your efforts.

Simply put the deeper your reach, the more effective you can be in your efforts.  Influence depends on trust, reach, and support.  A broad contact database can provide you with the ability to influence others to support your efforts.

So where do you start in these efforts?

1. YOUR CURRENT LIST - Who do you know to start with, and how can you get a hold of them?  Sure you've got their work phone numbers, but do you have their home phones, cell phones, email addresses (including personal), or other ways to get messages to them?  
1. Do you have them organized into contact groups - meaning if you need to quickly get a message to a group of people quickly, can you get a blast out without looking up a bunch of people?  
2. Do you know how to get a hold of them on social media?
3. No idea how to figure this out? - Check out the RAP Index
2. YOUR MAIN AUDIENCE - Whether that is your employees, core volunteers,
   
   membership, leadership, or key businesses, the best place to start is there.  Obviously knowing how to communicate to them is key, but more importantly, you want to know who they influence:
1. Do they know elected officials, community leaders, business leaders?
2. Are they "influencers" to certain groups either within your audience or the community in general?
3. Are they willing to promote your messages for you?
4. No idea how to engage them?  Check out NationBuilder
3.  YOUR CORE LEADERS - Slightly different than your broad organization here we mean your people that will take the message out for you.  The ones you can empower with tools like Aristotle to build that PAC and grassroots presence.
4. COMMUNITY LEADERS - Where are your holes?  You know who your members are and who they influence, but who is important that you can't get to quickly?  This list could be elected officials you don't have a relationship with, or large businesses / organizations in town that have a strong reach / influence. How can you get to them?  Have you looked at resources such as CapWiz to assist you in this?
5. MEDIA - Do you maintain an active media list for your organization?  By active we mean actually engaged with them and connected through social media and the like.  One of the core resources for this is Vocus.
6. YOUR INFLUENCER'S INFLUENCERS - Who do the people you are trying to convince engage with online?  And can you reach out to and incorporate them?

Next comes the act of engaging with them.

The secret that social media doesn't want to admit is - just because you have 2500 friends on Facebook... that doesn't mean you have 2500 friends.

Friends, whether online or in real life, require attention.  Otherwise your contacts are the online equivalent of that guy who ordered beer ahead of you at a hosted bar event that you made a joke about getting more free tickets with.

The good news is attention can be given in many different ways online to cultivate that relationship. Here are a few simple ways that wont take a lot of time for you

• "liking" updates and photos
• Commenting on people's updates (It doesn't have to be much, just a "good info")
• Sharing other people's updates when appropriate (dont share other people's kid's info
• Putting up an update that you tag people in (because they may be interested)
• Promoting your updates / posts / etc. in areas where they would be interested
• Creating smart links (shortened URLs using a service like Bitly) so that your updates could be shared
• Dropping them a quick "Hey, how are you doing?" type message

Thinking about those same 2500 contacts - If you liked 10 updates, put in 10 comments on updates, shared 10 more, tagged 10 people in your update, sent 10 people a "hey how are you?" message each day - all of which would take you less than 5 minutes in a day - You would have a person touch to all 2500 every 2 months.

That is how you cultivate those relationships.

How Quickly Can You Build a PAC Fundraising Culture?

Today I am off to Beautiful Downtown Tempe.  Home of theArizona State University Sun Devils, and my well spent College Years.  My Delta Sigma Phi fraternity house may be gone from Alpha Drive, but the lessons I learned there live on.

One of those lessons was that organizations operate off of a culture.  If you're a jock, you're in the jock house, and you do jock things.  If you don't care about something, your peers aren't going to care about something, and therefore that something wont get done.  It's just kind of how organizations work.

I also learned that just because you operated one way, it didn't mean you couldn't shift.  Cultures Can Change!

So I will be meeting with a business group today that has a historical culture of NOT raising PAC funds.

• Their member participation rate was low
• Their total dollars raised per year was low
• Their dollars per contributor rate was low
• Their awareness of the PAC was low

So much so that I was repeatedly told for years that it wasn't that THEIR participation was lacking, it was that their participation reflected the state's participation in political engagement in ANY form.

This was a very convenient excuse because it sounded reasonable.  It's a state culture, not ours.  Regardless of whether or not that was true, its what they believed.

So several years ago I set about to help them change that culture.  Population wise its a good sized state, political influence wise it is a strong state, and even presence on the national stage, it is a strong state.  So why couldn't this group too become a more influential state when it comes to the PAC?

We started with a simple question - How can we change the culture here?

In examining exactly how they can shift the culture, we started with a small plan to get the leadership more engaged, to pass that through the organization, to the industry leaders, and out to the general members to become a stronger PAC state.

So what kind of results have we had?

• Every chapter in the state has improved their fundraising year over year in terms of participation rates and dollars raised by up to seven times in some chapters
• The state has improved its overall fundraising rates by about 20% year over year the past two years
• So far in 2015 they have raised 20% more than they did in all of 2014 with 4 months to go in the year.
• In less than 2 years they have increased their participation rate and fundraising totals by 50% each.

So how did they do it?  What changed?  What was the catalyst?

They each committed to trying and did try new things. 

Not everything worked, but nothing was catastrophic as they feared.  And they learned that they could accomplish something by just trying.

They still have a ways to go to meet their goals, but the culture has shifted, and provided they keep up the work, the culture will have permanently changed for their organization.

Making Use of the August Recess

So Congress is out of session for the summer recess.  Your state legislature may be as well.  For that matter... many city councils go dark in August as well.  However your issues still persist.

Over the next couple of weeks you have a real opportunity to capitalize on the off season to get your agenda accomplished.  Here are 5 quick ways to keep your issues top of mind for the key decision makers necessary.

1. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - no, very few people are swayed by these.  That isn't the point, the point is who does still read these - Your elected officials.  They know that their name could easily show up, so you should remind them of your issue.  Bonus points if you target the districts that your swing votes are likely to be.
2. FUNDRAISERS - Just because they aren't working, doesn't mean that they aren't still working for money for their campaign.  Show up at a few, bring people.  There are two things every fundraiser needs - bodies and money.  So bring them, maybe work out a deal with the fundraiser to bring more people.
3. COMMUNITY EVENTS - Whatever is the most important thing in your area, you bet your elected officials are going to be there.  A street fair, Rotary club meetings, whatever it may be.  If they are there, so should you.
4. IN DISTRICT MEETINGS - Most of the time these breaks aren't vacations.  They just work from the district.  Set up some time to meet with your elected officials in their local offices.
5. SET UP A DINNER - Fundraiser? Perhaps.  Meeting? Sure.  A chance to sit down with the elected official and introduce them to community leaders in an informal setting... That's a great way to make their acquaintance on a whole new level.

These breaks are an incredible opportunity.  You don't always have to go to their office to get things done, you can often make a difference just by being present.

Independence Day

The most American Things Ever.

If you can't laugh at this, you can't laugh.

Happy Birthday America.

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA!

Why Do We Have The Filibuster?

So Obama and the Fast Track Trade Bill avoids a Senate Filibuster.

Here's what we are talking about if you don't know - CLICK HERE.

Now this isnt a discussion of that issue.  There are very deeply held beliefs on both sides of this issue.  What is important is how it passed the Senate and avoided a Filibuster.

Whenever these things pop up we always hear "Why do we have the Filibuster?"

Simply put, the Constitution provides for all manners of dissent to be heard.  The Filibuster is part of that.

And believe it or not despite recent issues you've heard in the news, it isn't very common.

It also always seems that the party in power wants to get rid of it, and the party that isn't loves it.  Which is also why its important not to abuse the Filibuster.

In the end, the Filibuster is an important tool to make sure the minority is heard, and that legislation isnt forced through without the consent of the people.

When I went to work on the Hill, the person who ran our orientation asked a very interesting question -

"What is the purpose of Congress?" she asked.

The half sheepish half snotty answer given typically was - "To pass laws?"

"No, the purpose of congress is to stop bad laws from getting passed."

That's why we have the Filibuster.

Another trip to the Capitols

This month, I will get the opportunity to hit up my state capitol, and Washington DC.

One of the great things about working in advocacy is the ability to see what congress actually works like.  And the sad side of that is seeing how far off the general public's view of the members of congress is.

The general view people have is that the congress is broken because nothing ever gets done.  For the better part of 2 years congress' overall approval ratings has been in the teens.

At the same time the re election rate in congress is actually higher than the soviet politburo was.

So essentially the public says "congress is the problem, except for my congressman."

Well the truth is the problem isn't congress or any individual congressperson, but the fact that we don't hold our members of congress more accountable for action.

The reason we don't hold them accountable is because we generally don't pay attention to what they are doing.

Our members of congress are in general good people who want to do good things. Regardless of political persuasion, background, or supporters this is generally true.  The difference between them is less about party, or if they are corrupt, but instead how they see getting good things accomplished, and the priority with which they place those issues.

So if you want to truly know your member of congress, or how to get them engaged on things. Here is a fool proof plan to success:

STEP ONE - don't be a one issue / one position / one approach person

Know all the issues. Know all the stances. Know which are priorities. Know how to promote things that may not be your first priority.

STEP TWO - don't try to eat the elephant in one bite

Legislation takes time, and change needs to be an evolution. If you look at the history of any policy you love or hate it started small and took time to grow.

STEP THREE - stay on top of things

Information about what is going on in DC or your state Capitol, or even your city hall is very easy to follow. No it's not as easy to digest as a reality tv show or as entertaining as a sit com, but there are resources that can make the issues much more accessible. Check out thehill.com politico.com and fivethirtyeight 

STEP FOUR - don't just follow one point of view

It's easy to just watch fox, or just watch msnbc, or just watch cnn.  However when you do that, you never challenge your own thoughts, and you never see how anyone else could view an issue. In other words, it's like talking into a mirror. You learn from other perspectives

STEP FIVE - don't become that guy/gal

Here's the thing. Neither Bush nor Obama are like Hitler.  And that kind of talk makes you look like a lunatic. So stay away from that, it does nothing for anyone, anywhere, anyhow.

Five steps and you'll quickly become an involved engaged person.  You might also find that your congressman is the problem and that the congress isn't!

Stepping up YOUR game

Congressional Quarterly just released several interesting reports examining the 2014 election cycle.

Associations: 5 Big Movers from CQ Roll Call

The goal is examining what associations have fundamentally advanced their political efforts (combining lobbying and PAC spending).  The National Association of REALTORS topped their list (REALTORS also topped the CQ list of PAC fundraising and spending)

Government Affairs Strategies, LLC has been pleased to be part of the team that helped make this a reality for the past 5 years.  We know the hard work and dedication that went into this success.

So what would it mean to take YOURS organization to this level? It comes down to several key things -

1) Commitment - this took many years, a lot of time, and a great deal of money. The results are clear, but to get there you must be ready to commit. We've also worked with organizations that weren't ready to commit, and their results are also clear. So look internally and ask if you are ready to implement the necessary strategies and steps to succeed.

2) Awareness - the REALTORS have always been strong. Where they are today however took a realization that a) the game has changed, and b) they need to make fundamental changes to remain strong. They were also aware that there was a lot they didn't know - even about their own oeganization and members - so they assembled the right team to figure it out.

3) Ever-growing goals - You can not rest on your laurels. If you do, it gives everyone a chance to catch up, or worse - surpass you. By setting attainable yet challenging goals that evolve, you are able to stay ahead of the curve.

4) The RIGHT team - all the plans and goals you make are pointless if you don't have a good team behind them making sure those plans and goals are accomplished. Get the right volunteers, the right members, the right staff and the right consultants in place. Build the needed resources. Empower everyone to succeed.

We've been honored to help drive the REALTORS to success. It truly has been a great experience. 

-- oh, and by the way, we know what's in store for the future there... And you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet!

What are my odds? Can polling predict your future?

“C-3PO: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.

Han Solo: Never tell me the odds!”

With several upsets and surprises in the recent elections both at the federal, state and local levels, many candidates might be scratching their heads wondering if knowing their polling numbers was a good or a bad thing while campaigning.  And for many election season might have made them feel like Han Solo in Star Wars fighting through an asteroid field.  But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know your odds.

Whether your polling shows you up 10 points or down 10 points at the beginning, middle or towards the end of the campaign, anything can happen on Election Day! We are a fickle voting public and our minds change easily and rapidly.  Knowing your odds, knowing your polling numbers, knowing the perception voters have of you, are all vital aspects to your campaign.  Polling may not be an exact science but it’s still an essential part of having a glimpse into your future.

As Yoda once said, “Difficult to see.  Always in motion is the future.”