Government Relations: Strategy & Tools for Effective Advocacy

1. Government Relations ABCPLD Session October 28, 2016

2. Agenda • Setting priorities and developing your outreach strategy • Key messages and how to use them • Overview – GR strategies and tactics • Structuring your presentation • Review of the ABCPLD toolkit • Getting ready for your presentation • Q and A

3. Setting priorities and developing strategy • Who are you targeting for advocacy – and why? • Know your audience • Do your research • Leverage existing relationships - ask for introductions • Be strategic

4. Setting priorities and developing strategy • Goals and objectives • Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely • Audiences (in this case, municipal government) • Vulnerabilities and opportunities (SWOT analysis) • Key messages • Strategies and tactics • Evaluation

5. Key messages • What are they? • Define and provide structure and consistency to your narrative: what you want to say, and how you say it • Shared language about how you talk about yourselves • How you use them • Not written in stone: you can customize them for your audience

6. It’s about relationships • Government relations: knowledge, understanding and relationships with government officials, influencers and decision makers • Networking – building relationships before you need them

7. Government relations strategies • Writing formal letters and emails • Making formal presentations to committees, boards or councils • Inviting influencers and decision-makers for tours, events @ library for first-hand view of your work, challenges and impact • Informal coffee meetings

8. Government relations strategies • Connecting at community and cultural events (networking) • Third-party validators • Media events and media relations • What’s been successful for you?

9. BREAK

10. Structuring your presentation • Know your audience • What kind of meeting is it? • Learn from past experience – what works, what doesn’t? • What materials will you need? • Decide on your core 2-3 key messages

11. Government relations toolkit • Reviewing the toolkit • Fact sheet templates • PowerPoint template • Instructions and tips on content and format • How to use them • Customizing your materials for your library, and the purpose of your meeting

12. Government relations toolkit

13. Meeting materials • What your library is doing; quantification of the impact • Fact sheets; additional facts and figures • What you need (funding, policy changes, advocacy) to be successful • PowerPoint, photos, videos–pros and cons

14. REAL PEOPLE

15. Inspiring your audience • Don’t just make it about policy, funding and data – make it about impact • Connecting emotionally with your audience • Exciting goals that will leave legacies – a chance to be part of something unique and remarkable • Relevant success stories about real people (patrons and community members)

16. Preparing for meeting/presentation • Practice: rehearse, get comfortable with the material • Get your handouts together • Prepare your speaking notes • Have a quick huddle with colleagues before a meeting • Formal run-throughs for that multi-million dollar ask

17. Preparing for meeting/presentation • Anticipate questions: especially the hard ones • Run through likely Qs and As before a coffee meeting and event and make sure you know the answers • Write out answers and vet them with your colleagues and peers – make sure you’ve thought about all the answers • Never wing it • Debrief on lessons learned: what worked, what didn’t, for next presentation

18. Your questions