Linchpin Strategies is a government relations and policy consulting firm that provides strategic advisory services, public policy and advocacy, coalition building, federal regulatory practice, association management, and strategic communications services to clients. The firm specializes in select domestic policy issues like workforce, education, health, and has expertise in the workings of Capitol Hill and federal agencies. The document provides an overview of Linchpin Strategies' services and areas of focus and includes testimonials from clients praising the firm's work.

1. Government Relations
Policy Consulting
Strategic Advisory Services
F I R M O V E R V I E W

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WORKFORCE
• Budget and Appropriations
• Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act
• Job Corps
• Rehabilitation Act
• Randolph-Sheppard Act
• Workforce Investment Boards
Linchpin Strategies focuses exclusively on select domestic
policy issues where we offer a competitive advantage. We dive
deep and stay there, becoming recognized policy thought lead-
ers on issues of top priority to our clients.
Expertise
We specialize, and know our issues cold.
EDUCATION
• Budget and Appropriations
• Program Design and Implementation
• Regulations and Funding Opportunity
Announcements
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• Child Care, Head Start and Early Head Start
• Voluntary Home Visiting
• K-12 Education
• Advanced Degree Program Development
• Higher Ed
HEALTH
• Budget and Appropriations
• Medical Research
• Advanced Medical Technologies
• Rehabilitation Services
• Medicare Policy and Reimbursement
• Maternal and Child Health
• Trauma and Mental Health
• Women’s Health
• Veterans’ Health
• Public Health
• Food and Nutrition

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Linchpin Strategies’ team understands intimately the workings
of Capitol Hill and federal agencies. We know which levers to
pull, and how to create new ones when none exist.
Services
Strategy, judgment, persistence –
a winning combination.
PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY
Linchpin’s federal lobbying prowess is core to all that we do.
From strategy development to execution, Linchpin’s depth of
experience and expertise makes us a leader.
Linchpin’s Public Policy and Advocacy service offerings include:
• Policy Analysis
• Policy Development
• Relationship Development
• Legislative Strategy
• Regulatory Strategy
• Education and Outreach
• Lobbying
• Budget and Appropriations Initiatives
• Advocacy Campaign Management
COALITION BUILDING
Linchpin is a fierce advocate on behalf of its clients and
their causes. Sometimes, lobbying is most effective when
we engage with a broader community around a policy issue
or concern. We are adept at generating support for client
objectives within existing networks and coalitions, and at
developing new alliances.
Linchpin’s Coalition Building service offerings include:
• Partnership Development
• Constituency Development
• Grasstops Campaigns
• Coalition Mobilization
• Development of Unlikely Allies
• Matching Messengers and Messages to the Audience

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FEDERAL REGULATORY
PRACTICE
Direct engagement with federal agency
and White House officials is often a critical
element of Linchpin’s day-to-day work. The
usual suspects are obvious – and we know
them well. What sets Linchpin apart is our
knowledge of the obscure. We plumb the
depths of the federal government, working
with offices many in Washington have
never ever heard of, to produce results for
our clients and the people they serve.
Linchpin’s Federal Regulatory Practice
service offerings include:
• Regulatory and Executive Advocacy
• Agency Budgeting and Negotiations
• OMB Program Support
• Federal Investigation Support
• Federal Marketing and Opportunity
Development
• Non-Lobbying Education and
Outreach
Services
ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT
Linchpin Strategies is well versed in
the complexities of running non-profit
associations. From formation and governance
to agenda setting and member development,
Linchpin has what it takes. We can guide the
transition from ad-hoc coalition to formal
association, and manage operations for
maximum impact.
Linchpin’s Association Management service
offerings include:
• Organizational Development and
Governance
• Strategic Planning, Positioning and
Branding
• Policy and Position Development
• Leadership and Membership Recruitment
• Meeting Planning and Coordination
• Communications and Public Relations
• Website Development
• Education, Outreach and Advocacy
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
AND SUPPORT SERVICES
An effective communications and media strategy can
be critical to the success of any public policy effort –
or it can be a red herring, diverting resources from the
ultimate goal. To be effective, communications must
amplify the legislative and regulatory strategy and tactics.
Linchpin knows how to integrate messaging into lobbying
and advocacy campaigns, deploying PR in support of
client objectives. Working with partner communications
experts, the Linchpin team helps clients ensure that every
communication is on-message and hits home.
Linchpin’s Strategic Communications and Support
Services offerings include:
• Strategic Message Development
• Press Release/Op-Ed Strategy and Placement
• Congressional Witness Selection and Testimony
• Press Conference Support
• Media Training
• Digital and Social Media Strategy
• Graphic Design
• Website Design
• Materials Development

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Don’t take our word for it. See what our clients have to say.
Testimonials
Linchpin delivers.
And we don’t stop until we do.
It has been my very good fortune, in my capacity as a
volunteer leader of the Campaign for the Civic Mission
of Schools, to work with Catriona Macdonald at Linchpin
Strategies as she has guided our efforts to achieve sound,
effective federal policies in the area of civic learning. I have
been around this town a long time, and I have seen lobbying
and lobbyists from every conceivable angle---as a Hill staffer,
White House official, public affairs consultant and, on rare
occasions, as a lobbyist myself. And, make no mistake about,
Catriona is one of the best. Her profile may not be high and
her firm may not be huge, but Catriona and her colleagues do
a terrific job advocating on behalf of their clients, and those
clients are lucky to have her in their corner. I know I sure am.
Les Francis
Chair, Federal Policy Task Force,
Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools
ASTHVI is fortunate to have the team at Linchpin Strategies
supporting and guiding us through the creation and growth
of our new national association. Thanks to their leadership,
in less than a year ASTHVI has assumed a key role in policy
discussions with Capitol Hill, the Administration, and the
home visiting coalition. Linchpin is extremely skilled and
knowledgeable about running a diverse membership
association. They are a great collaborative partner, working
with the Steering Committee to ensure that everything
we do is driven by, and responsive to, the needs of our
members.
Carol Brady
Executive Director, Florida Coalition of
Healthy Start Associations and
ASTHVI Steering Committee Member

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Testimonials
A lot of lobbyists understand talking points and can rattle
them off with some capacity, but Catriona’s understanding
of the rationale that governs our issues and the philosophy
that justifies its existence is as deep and intuitive as any
stakeholder. She speaks with conviction, passion, and a
depth of knowledge. I couldn’t recommend anyone more
highly than Catriona and her team at Linchpin Strategies.
Dan Frye
Executive Director, New Jersey
Commission for the Blind and
Chairman, NCSAB Randolph-Sheppard
Committee
Catriona and Linchpin bring a deep understanding of the
legislative process and how individual representatives’ and
senators’ offices work. They understand the mechanics and
the art of legislating. Catriona has a background in executing
policy from a variety of positions, a profile and portfolio
custom made for success. I’m glad NCSS has her expertise to
make us more effective.
Susan Griffin
Executive Director,
National Council for the Social Studies
As an Arkansas-based program, we depend on Linchpin to
be our eyes and ears in Washington. When the Every Student
Succeeds Act was moving through Congress last year, we were
pleased that Linchpin, working with home visiting partners,
was able to preserve funding for home visiting options. But
Linchpin went above and beyond, using their knowledge of
our program, familiarity with the bill, and relationships with
Congressional offices to create an entirely new potential
funding source never before available to school readiness
programs delivered in the home. Linchpin’s creativity, tenacity,
and know-how maintained existing services, and opened up
unanticipated new opportunities for HIPPY to serve more
children and families.
Lia Lent
Executive Director, Home Instruction for
Parents of Preschool Youngsters
Linchpin Strategies has provided a major contribution to
the field of home visiting by supporting the foundation
and formation of the Association for State and Tribal
Home Visiting Initiatives (ASTHVI). Linchpin’s acumen at
organizational development, stakeholder engagement and
national policy has positioned ASTHVI to have a meaningful
and effective voice in national discussions and decisions
about home visiting.
Laura Alfani
Home Visiting Program Manager,
Washington State Department of Early
Learning, ASTHVI Steering
Committee Member

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Results
Take a deeper dive into some of Linchpin
Strategies’ signature client wins.
A New Voice for Children and Families
When funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early
Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV) was
extended for one year in March of 2014, the home visiting
community knew that a lot of work would be needed to
keep the program alive. One of the obstacles: although
the federal government provided $400 million/year for
voluntary home visiting programs, there was no forum
for states and tribes to speak with one voice about the
importance of home visiting in their communities.
With financial support from the Richard W. Goldman
Family Foundation, Linchpin set out in September
2014 to create the Association of State and Tribal
Home Visiting Initiatives (ASTHVI). State and Tribal
administrators were excited to form a membership-driven
organization for peer-to-peer communication, networking,
and sharing of best practices. Under Linchpin’s guidance,
a steering committee was recruited; mission and by-laws
drafted; and priorities identified by the membership
with participation of more than 80% of states in the first
year alone. When a rumor spread on Capitol Hill that
there would be no impact on children and families if the
legislation were not extended on time in the spring of
2015, ASTHVI facilitated communication by the states
to clarify the need for timely reauthorization. As a result
of efforts by ASTHVI and partners in the home visiting
coalition, a two-year extension of the MIECHV program
was one of very few extensions to be added to Medicare
legislation that was passed by Congress in April 2015.
C L I E N T S U C C E S S S T O R I E S

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Results C L I E N T S U C C E S S S T O R I E S
Power Behind the Scenes
Sometimes, the most effective advocacy is the
quietest. In May 2006, a policy undermining the
priority for blind entrepreneurs in federal food
service contracts was issued by the Department
of Defense and the Department of Education.
Because it had been developed at the request
of Congress and the administering agency had
signed off, there seemed to be no promising court
of appeal.
Linchpin set up a meeting with a little-known
entity in the Office of Management and Budget
that is responsible for coordinating policies
involving multiple federal agencies and potentially
significant impact on private enterprise. Working
with partners, Catriona outlined the legal and
contracting case to be made to the Administration
officials and lawyers who attended the meeting,
and recruited and prepared the experts who
would have greatest credibility with the federal
audience. The result was a hold on the policy prior
to promulgation of regulations. In the interim,
Linchpin worked with partners to educate federal
officials about the ways in which the proposed
policy violated the letter and spirit of the law
creating opportunities for blind entrepreneurs
to own and operate their own food service
businesses. As a result, the proposed regulation
implementing the policy was rejected even before
publication.

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Launching the Campaign
After President Obama announced a major early
childhood education initiative in his 2013 State
of the Union, the First Five Years Fund launched
Grow America Stronger, a collaborative campaign
to expand federal funding for early childhood
education. With former Obama staffer Jim
Messina and FFYF Executive Director Kris Perry
as co-chairs, the campaign turned to Catriona, a
veteran FFYF consultant, to serve as campaign
manager. Linchpin worked around the clock with
a team of government relations professionals,
communications specialists, and national and
state advocacy partner organizations to make a
broad, nuanced, and effective case for additional
investments in early childhood education.
For more than a year, Linchpin helped shape
strategy, tactics, messaging, coordination with
partners, and directed daily campaign activities.
In January 2014, when the FY 2014 appropriations
bill was finalized after the government shutdown
and Ryan-Murray budget agreement, accounts
funding early childhood education were increased
by a total of $1.4 billion. The addition of resources
for early childhood education was highlighted
by The Washington Post as one of the largest
increases to any related set of programs,
government-wide, in the legislation.
Results C L I E N T S U C C E S S S T O R I E S

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Going the Extra Mile
When Congress created a fund of nearly $1 billion
to evaluate medical outcomes and compare
different approaches to treatment, it seemed that
research might be conducted to help patients
with limb loss and their clinicians determine the
most effective approaches to prosthetic care.
An orthotics and prosthetics outcomes research
agenda is vital to ensuring that patients receive
optimal care, as well as to reducing future
health care costs. However, resources were not
provided: the fund is focused on health care
conditions that affect larger numbers of patients.
In response, the American Orthotics and
Prosthetics Association retained Linchpin to
obtain research funding for an evidence base that
would inform prosthetic and orthotic patient care.
With multiple research agencies each shifting
responsibility elsewhere, and significant federal
budget cuts, the task seemed daunting. Through
hard work and perseverance, Linchpin identified
a Congressional champion who was willing to
fight for this important priority. A $10 million
research account was created in the FY 2014
appropriations bill, focused for the first time on
needed outcomes research. But Linchpin didn’t
stop there. Working with our Congressional
champion, we successfully advocated to
minimize the administrative overhead retained
by the agency, and significantly increased the
funding awarded in direct research grants.
Results C L I E N T S U C C E S S S T O R I E S

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New Resources for Evidence-Based
Practice
The passage of federal home visiting legislation
in 2010 was a watershed event for programs
designed to assist parents in their role as their
child’s best and most important teacher. For the
first time, national standards, and funding for
programs that met those standards, helped states
determine which models were worth replicating and
expanding.
The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool
Youngsters program, known as HIPPY, was one
such model. HIPPY asked Linchpin to help boost its
visibility with federal agencies, Congress and the
home visiting community, and to identify growth
opportunities and potential liabilities in legislation
and regulation.
Dozens of HIPPY programs partner with local
school districts to prepare at-risk young children
for success in school using Title I and Title III
Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds.
Linchpin identified provisions of the law that were
at risk of being dropped in the ESEA reauthorization,
and worked proactively with partners to ensure
that the new bill would continue to permit home
visiting programs to be eligible for funding. But just
defending the status quo wasn’t enough. Linchpin
identified an opportunity to create an entirely new
potential funding source for home visiting. We
worked creatively with Congressional offices to
develop legislative language that could achieve
bipartisan support, and succeeded in making home
based early literacy programs eligible applicants for
literacy grants created in the new legislation.
Results C L I E N T S U C C E S S S T O R I E S

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Contact
Reach out.
We want to hear from people doing worthwhile things who are
encountering policy challenges that we can help to solve:
LINCHPIN STRATEGIES, LLC
Capitol Hill, 639 Massachusetts Avenue NE
Washington, D.C., 20002
866.443.0998 | info@linchpinstrategies.com
Check out our website for the latest updates in our news
section at linchpinstrategies.com.
@LinchpinDC
linkedin.com/company/linchpin-strategies