Are you wondering how to improve or even establish a legislator relationship that may have gotten off to a rocky start? Many organizations and companies are faced with this every election cycle – the candidate you backed isn’t the one who won. Aside from what your organization can do (PAC contributions, lobbyist/leadership meet-and-greets), you may … [Read more…]
It’s that time of (every other) year again. New legislators are being sworn in across the country (unless they were last month). And for those of us in the advocacy world, our volunteer Key Contacts are getting to know these legislators too. Today I’ll cover some first steps for new Key Contacts. Like many of … [Read more…]
Seven months ago today, I lost my biggest fan, or at least he was this blog’s most faithful reader. My Dad, an accomplished teller of tales and maker of deals, was a successful serial entrepreneur during the middle age of Silicon Valley (the 80s and 90s). He was a voracious reader, an obsessive consumer of … [Read more…]
(First of all, a shout-out to my Dad, who I think is the only one reading this blog.) This morning Facebook was kind enough to remind me that seven years ago, my client and I had a very nice win against well-funded and powerful opponents in the waning days of California’s legislative season. Given the … [Read more…]
It seems that President Trump has pulled the plug on his new blog due to low readership. Well, faithful readers, rest assured that lack of followers won’t deter me. In fact, I think the only one actually reading this is my dad. (Hi Dad!) But I digress. Today I want to talk about the unsung … [Read more…]
Previously it had been unthinkable to me that a sitting president of either party would incite his followers to attempt to violently overthrow a legitimate election with an end goal of seizing control of the government for himself. It’s not so unthinkable anymore. Over the last five years, I have intentionally avoided posting my personal … [Read more…]
Happy New Year Faithful Followers! One good thing about 2020 was that it allowed me some time for introspection. 20 years ago this week, I started my public affairs business. It feels like just yesterday, but it really has been a long time. In the past several months I’ve thought long and hard about what … [Read more…]
Blogging of late has been a real challenge for me. I started this blog to talk about the tactics and strategies used to engage voters and stakeholders in the legislative process. However, every time I went to put pen to paper (or keyboard to screen, if you prefer), I’d find myself not wanting to expound … [Read more…]
As a small business owner, I’ve been working from home for just shy of 20 years. Originally I compiled this for a group of colleagues who found themselves suddenly working from home without a net. I sent them the first few “hints” to help them get started. I compiled the “Addendum” once the stay in … [Read more…]
This is a theme I’ve adopted for myself for this year (for a number of reasons). But it’s also an important reminder in the world of grassroots advocacy. Legislators listen when someone has a story to tell. There’s been a lot of talk lately in the advocacy world about using storytelling to make your case … [Read more…]