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Turning Public Policy Initiatives into Membership Gains
- 1. www.votility.com Turning Public Policy Initiatives into Membership Gains
- 2. www.votility.com In Person Panelists • Scott Tate, President & CEO Greater St. Charles County Chamber (GSTCCC) • Wendy Rackovan, VP of Marketing and Communications , GSTCCC • Brent Willis, Founder and CEO Votility, Inc.
- 3. www.votility.com Virtual Panelist • Carole Mahoney, Sales & Marketing Coach & Consultant • Ten years of experience as a growth strategist with startups and small businesses in both the for profit and for purpose (not profit) sectors. • Favorite quote: “Always be learning.” • Lives in picturesque Maine where she currently writing her first book on startup sales. • c. (207) 604-6287 www.carolemahoney.com
- 4. www.votility.com Virtual Panelist • Michael O’Brien, Founder & Principle, MOB Advocacy • Ten years experience as a state and local lobbyist. Michael has lobbied governors, mayors, legislators, state and local agencies and regulators in more than 40 states. • Responsible for national state and local government affairs departments, political and grassroots advocacy programs, creating strong public-private partnerships • www.mob-advocacy.com
- 5. www.votility.com Advocacy: Membership Loss or Gain? “Advocacy is a pillar to the core mission of the chamber.”-Mick Fleming, previous ACCE president Image credit: The Fifth Pillar of Amateur Radio
- 6. www.votility.com It can happen. How to prevent it from happening? What to do if it does? Image credit: http://jameskaskade.com/
- 7. www.votility.com How did we get here? Image credit: webwhispering.net
- 8. www.votility.com What type of Chamber are you? 1. No Advocacy 2. Top Down Advocacy 3. Bottom Up Advocacy Image credit: myfootpath.com
- 9. www.votility.com Agree or disagree: Is member engagement is crucial to member retention? Image credit: The Web Shoppe
- 10. www.votility.com Advocacy engagement on the rise.
- 11. www.votility.com Advocacy= Retention & Acquisition
- 12. www.votility.com How to construct a positive, membership driven advocacy policy… •Advocacy Committee and Board alignment • Marketing / Communications and Advocacy alignment •Tools to help involve members in policy decisions for transparency
- 13. www.votility.com Tips & Stories •Matt Largen, Williamson County Chamber- Franklin, TN “Move from a case by case basis on issues to guidelines and factors to consider.” •Carlye Morgan, Sr. Director of Government Relations. “Get in front of issues with regular check-ins with officials. If we are really doing as we say we are, we are involved in issues that are important to the business community. Policy has become a sales tool – folks are joining for the advocacy benefits we can offer to their company.”
- 14. www.votility.com Recap • Advocacy is core to the chamber mission • You can’t make everyone happy all the time. To avoid membership losses involve them early and often. Embrace transparency and have a road map for engagement. •Avoid Top Down; membership losses are more probable, organization is seen as “out of touch”. • The demand for advocacy is on the rise. Be proactive and prepared to educate on the issues. •Engagement equates to retention. Advocacy engagement rates are the highest.
Editor's Notes
- No one starts advocacy efforts with the goal of membership losses…but it can happen. So, what to do when it does…
- http://www.ccemo.org/
- Michael O’Brien Principle MOB Advocacy www.mob-advocacy.com
- The right match versus any match. The job of the chamber is to create an environment where business can grow. Reference Mick Fleming- it is core to the Chamber’s mission. Past president of ACCE. Question to ask: How many do some type of advocacy now? Tell story of Mick Fleming.
- No one starts advocacy efforts with the goal of membership losses, but the unsaid truth is that it can happen. The good news there are steps you can take to minimize or prevent it from happening, and even things you can do if it does happen.
- How did we get to the point where the policy position the chamber took led to a membership loss? When dealing with people, in general, how do things usually get off track in a relationship? If you had to pinpoint 2-3 critical mistakes that can throw things off track where feelings get hurt, what would they be? Lack of Communication.. Clear and concise communication, none of which can happentoday without a willingness to be completely transparent. Improper, or no, setting of expectations.
- – Advocacy for the ‘entire’ business community is a pillar of a chamber of commerce, is it not?Creating an environment that fosters business growth requires chambers to at least be involved in education and engagement. – Advocacy decisions made at the Board / C-Level and broadcast to membership as official position. Little communication and input= higher likelihood of membership loss. – Membership involved from beginning. Everyone’s given a chance to participate so most all are on the same page Obviously, you need to advocate for your membership but… how do you do it effectively? Words that describe each… Top Down: Special Interest Driven, Exclusive Behind Closed Doors, Non Transparent Creates Division Gives the impression that the chamber plays favorites Bottom Up: Membership Driven Open Honest Has the best interest of is membership and community as a whole in mind Which one sounds positive and healthy to you? Which one has a positive impact of membership sales and retention? So, which type of Chamber are you?Top Down or Bottom Up … There are real differences and they directly affect how your membership views you
- Question image
- What are the type of words that describe Each? Top Down Special Interest Driven, Behind Closed Doors
- Advocacy is on the rise in terms of engagement. Engagement is the foundation for retention and acquistion. Give members a voice in advocacy. Question: What do they think attributes to the retention? 1- Let go of the reigns- a little 2-Become a trusted source of information 3-empower members and inspire action 4-make it easy to act 5-consistent communication 6- stay active and report on process and results
- What’s the downside to giving your members a chance to voice their opinion internally as a part of the decision making body? Mention the Grassroots Advocacy Checklist in progress now- help them align the marketing communications and legislative process.
- From other chamber execs we work with