In today’s competitive political climate, gaining the attention of state and federal legislators is increasingly difficult. Successfully influencing them is even harder. Legislators are faced with more complex issues, and more interest groups than ever before are trying to win their support.
The grass roots approach used by Boffa and Associates separates our clients from the pack. It relies heavily on involving the public in the promotion of a client’s cause. This means we go straight to the districts of legislators, identify groups that have favorable relationships with those legislators, and make them advocates for your issue.
The high turnover we witness in Congress today makes members of Congress more sensitive to what the voters in their districts are thinking and feeling. That’s why the grass roots approach we use relies heavily on organizing within the districts—the base of support that can make or break a legislator’s career.
Boffa and Associates lobbies primarily from the bottom up, building a groundswell of support or opposition from the people a legislator cannot afford to ignore.
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We
offer a full range of grass roots lobbying services:
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Legislative Monitoring. Too often, corporations and trade associations
find out about legislation that will have an effect on them when it's
too late to act. We monitor legislation by issue for our clients,
and keep them abreast of proposals likely to have an impact on them.
We also can monitor individual state capitals as a client's needs
dictate.
-- The Political Assessment. No lobbying campaign can be focused
accurately to achieve effective results without a thorough political
assessment. How strong is public support or opposition for your issue?
How can your issue be shaped to gain maximum attention? Who are your
allies and opponents? Who is on the fence and can be brought to your
side? How will the legislators you need to reach react to your issue?
These are some of the questions that should be answered in order to
shape an effective campaign. They are the questions we address in
the campaigns we undertake for our clients.
-- Polling. Accurate polling can be an important first step
in a lobbying campaign. Knowing how the public feels about your issue
can help shape the course of a campaign and determine how to use resources
more effectively. And, the results of a poll can be a valuable public
relations tool. If 90 percent of those surveyed support your issue,
that survey result can be a powerful news story. We are prepared to
design, execute, analyze, and deliver surveys that identify and probe
the voter groups your campaign must reach. |
-- Press Relations. One of the most potent tools in any campaign
is communications media. Boffa and Associates has extensive experience
managing media issues. Effective media work can help build support
for your issue. And, legislators pay close attention to both print
and broadcast.
-- Contacts From the District. Often legislation will be moved
along by letters and phone calls from key opinion leaders and organizations
within pertinent legislators' districts. Boffa and Associates know
how to generate original letters and phone calls from key constituents
that will make a legislator pay attention. These contacts can be generated
quickly on the federal or state level through our national network
of organizers.
-- Coalition Building. Frequently, an industry or trade group’s
interests are strengthened by identifying allies and forming a grass
roots coalition. That coalition can advance the client’s goals under
a broader banner, promoting a public interest that commands greater
respect than just the client's own interest. Boffa and Associates
have background both in creating coalitions and in putting them to
work.
-- VIP Meetings. Boffa and Associates can arrange meetings
between important people on the state or local level and the legislators
or regulators you need to reach. We do this through our national network
of organizers. |
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