subject: Developing A Legislative Strategic Set Up [print this page] The 111th Congress is in an exceedingly frenzy of activity because the new administration proposes new legislative priorities on several fronts. State legislatures are meeting or will be meeting over the following few months. State Internet produces an glorious state legislature calendar. If your organization has not already done so, now is an excellent time to develop a Legislative Strategic Plan.
Most nonprofits diligently work on strategic designing, however most typically that planning is restricted to the business end of the nonprofit and not the policy end. A Legislative Strategic Plan helps you determine precisely what your legislative goals are in the short and long terms, and determine what it can take to assist you reach those goals.
Unless you are a large organization, just like the Yank Association of Retired Persons or the National Education Association, it's best to limit your short term legislative goals. Mid to smaller nonprofits usually do not have the resources and "person-power" to take on dozens of issues and actually they don't have the resources and person-power to try and do all well. Like regular strategic coming up with, Legislative Strategic Planning begins with understanding your mission and brainstorming what policy goals will facilitate the organization achieve that mission.
I prefer to develop a listing of primary, secondary and tertiary issues. What are the 2 or three problems that are primary and crucial to our members? What would be secondary or perhaps tertiary? Clearly identifying your primary problems helps you intend a way to use the resources you have got (cash, time, members) and keeps you from getting aspect-tracked by issues that you'll have a stake in however are not critical. After figuring this out then you can higher confirm how you may spend your political capital.
Most of us are not islands; we have a tendency to work in coalition with different teams and organizations that have similar or sister missions. For instance, what would the cattle association have in common with the sheep herders' association? Is it grazing or water rights? Legislation that protects open land while allowing structured use? Is it legislation that funds disease research and eradication? Conduct outreach to organizations that you think that your nonprofit crosses ways with and realize issue areas of agreement. Leveraging the ability of your membership and the power of another organization's membership is critical.
For the secondary and tertiary issues, I continuously loved finding things I might sign on to, whether it absolutely was another organization's legislative strategy, letter to Congress or amicus briefs. Signing on not only place you in the game, it conjointly will increase your cache and visibility. It tells your members that you're doing "something" to be half of a public policy effort, however you are not spending your resources on issues that don't rank at the top.
In your Legislative Strategic Plan it's okay to dream. In an exceedingly excellent world, what do we have a tendency to wish? Is it an modification of an existing law? Is it a fully new regulatory scheme or a fully new law? Are we have a tendency to going for a Constitutional Modification? I did say dream. What would it not take for us to realize that dream? Additional money, a lot of members, more clout? The dream legislation will become part of your longer vary goals.
How are we have a tendency to positioned to mobilize once we tend to have our set up? Within the olden days, we have a tendency to used to make phone banks, I still have an previous chapter training manual that taught our chapters how to phone bank. Now it is thus straightforward to pop off a message, provide links, even sample letters, etc. My favorite tool for mobilization is CapWiz by Capitol Advantage, however there are various of these tools out there that employment equally well. Mobilization needs planning and judiciousness, you run the risk of sporting people out if you're constantly issuing a decision to action. Suppose concerning how you are positioned. I had a conversation recently in which I was told the organization didn't have the email addresses of its members. Therefore now, they need to go collect those addresses of over one,000 members before they can begin to send out instant alerts.
What will it take to familiarize the decision manufacturers with our cause? Have we have a tendency to done a good job of educating legislators or do we want to make an effort? Have we tend to identified and matched our members with legislators? What do we would like to try to to to achieve that?
During a later article I can speak concerning visiting your legislators and decision makers. Except for currently, these are a few hints on developing a Legislative Strategic Arrange, a very vital method if you are in a corporation that needs to advocate for itself or for a worthy cause.
by: Writers Cafe
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