Articles

Working with Other Association Staff:
Encouraging Teamwork Outside of the GR Department to Get Things Done

By Robert E. McLean, CAE
Government Relations, March 2004

Every lobbyist, whether working at the federal or state level, understands that success is almost always built with the help of a bipartisan coalition—a diverse group of individuals working toward a common goal. That same cooperation is just as essential within an association if the government relations function is to achieve success.

There are several reasons why cooperation among your entire association staff is essential; some are practical, while others are philosophical, such as leadership.

The most important reason for teamwork is a practical one. In many associations, the government relations "department" is at most a single individual. For the nearly 60% of ASAE member associations that are technically small staff, government relations is just one of the executive director's many duties, work often shared by an administrative staffer and perhaps a contract lobbyist.

Another practical issue is that legislative work, especially at the state level, is seasonal. Most state legislatures meet for six months or less. Even Congress, in a presidential election year such as this one, will observe a much shortened second session. For these and other reasons (most of them budgetary) a full-time person managing the GR program is a luxury most find unaffordable.

Furthermore, when Congress or a state legislature is in session, the amount of work can escalate tremendously and very quickly. That's especially true for associations that host a state or federal lobby day. Staging such an event and accomplishing your legislative goals require support from the entire staff—and may require the hiring of temporary staffers or consultants.

Ensuring teamwork among all these individuals involves three issues: education, motivation and coordination.

Education

From board members to meeting planners to the receptionist who answers the phone, everyone in your association must be able to answer basic questions about your GR program, or know where to refer such questions. And for many of these individuals it has been a long while since their last civics or political science class.

To improve their understanding of how government works, and how the legislature and regulatory agencies can influence the industry your association represents issues, develop a short training course. You can cover general topics, such as how a bill becomes a law, as well as association-specific issues that are important to your members.

Next, your colleagues need to know understand something about your association's history—bills passed in previous sessions, regulatory changes you influenced, your current legislative agenda and if you have them, the operations of your grassroots network and political action committee (PAC). If you don't already have a "historical sketch" pamphlet that outlines your legislative campaigns and successes, now's a good time to prepare one. This pamphlet is also a terrific membership recruitment tool.

Motivation

Once your colleagues understand how government works and what your association needs in terms of legislation and regulation, the next step is to give them an answer to this essential question: Why should I care about this?

This is a fair question, and one just as likely to come from a prospective member as an association staffer. The answer if often quite simple: Legislation and regulations often can determine a business or an industry's future, or whether it has one—and the same goes for the association that represents them.

Coordination

Once everyone is up-to-speed on process and appreciative of the GR program's value, it's time to divvy up the work. Even a small-scale GR program involves everyone from the reception desk to the president's office, and functions ranging from membership recruitment to meeting management.

Coordinating the work, and the GR program's message, is a primary responsibility of the association's leaders. Whether recruiting association members to participate in the GR program or staffers to support it, the visible, vocal participation of your leaders is essential. Credibility, especially for associations building a grassroots network or PAC, occurs only when the association's members see that the GR program is a priority for those at the top of the chain of command.

There are two critical means of supporting a GR program: by expressing its value in speeches, articles and during meetings, and by funding the program's activities. Remember that financial support includes both direct spending and your officers' and staff members' time. With that essential sign of support from your leaders, you'll be well on your way to developing the teamwork that is a hallmark of an effective GR program.