Building a Winning Coalition

1. Building a Winning Coalition Friday, February 19, 2010

2. Six Stops to Success Putting your Transportation Message in Service March 19, 2010: Making Your Message Matter April 23, 2010: Social Media: Friending, Tweeting & Blogging Your Way to Success May 14, 2010: Silencing the Naysayers All webinars will begin at 1:00 PM ET. Registration is available online at www.cfte.org or www.napta.net Upcoming Webinars

3. California Transit Initiatives Training Workshop This workshop is an abridged version of the biannual Transit Initiatives and Communities Conference tailored to meet the needs of communities in California. For more information and to register, visit www.cfte.org. Program-at-a-Glance 9:00 am      Welcome & Introductions 9:15 am Election 2008: Winning Campaigns & Effective Coalitions 10:30 am Marketing & Media Strategies that Work 11:45 am Lunch & Keynote Presentation 1:30 pm Building the Transit Vote Coalition 2:30 pm California Statewide Measure 4:00 pm Workshop Adjourns Sacramento, CAMarch 9, 2010Sheraton Grand Hotel

4. Building a Winning Coalition Today’s Program • NAPTA-National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates • Alliance for Public Transportation, Austin, TX • Livable Communities Coalition, Atlanta, GA • Citizens for Modern Transit, St. Louis, MO

5. Speakers • Kylah Hynes, Program Manager, NAPTA & American Public Transportation Association • Glenn Gadbois, Alliance for Public Transportation, Austin, TX • Raymond Christman, Executive Director, Livable Communities Coalition, Atlanta, GA • Tom Shrout, Executive Director of Citizens for Modern Transit, St. Louis, MO

6. Glenn Gadbois Gadbois Consulting creative marketing and engagement strategies Move Me LLC demand management Two decades building “table setting” organizations • Texas Bicycle Coalition • Just Transportation Alliances • Alliance for Public Transportation • Great Public Spaces

7. Lessons from 2004 Won in 2004 62% support $90 million for 32 mile commuter rail Financed with current Metro revenues. What we learned: Politically expedient proposal Strong inside effort Strong outside support Not prepared for “yes”

8. REQUIRED • Know who will vote • Solve a problem those voters care about • Champions • Credibility • Money • Volunteers • Ownership

9. Forming APT Using the TIME between elections to line up REQUIRED pieces • Determining the problem and best solution. • Under your your assets and deficiencies • Spend time “setting the table”

10. Setting the table Building organizational capacity with a deliberate mix: • Private businesses and associations • Non-profit organizations • Public entities

11. Activities that Engage • Keep the supporters you have • Cultivate champions • Strengthen agency work • Technical • Finance • Community engagement • Host outreach and education events • Use free media

12. 2010 • City of Austin • Solving real problems • $400 million bond election for Phase One of urban rail and more.

13. Lessons • An all-volunteer “staff” has severe limitations • Success is easy with a “real” Solution, Leadership, Organization, and Demand • Setting the table in advance really helps • Each activity takes more time and resources than you expect

14. Want more? Makes it easy to listen, talk, and participate. • A4PT Website www.allianceforpublictransportation.org • A4PT Friending http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/ Alliance-For-Public-Transportation/93927129210?ref=ts • A4PT Tweets @tomtransit • A4PT E-mail newsletter Sign-up on website Got questions? Transitalliance(at)gmail.com

15. Livable Communities Coalition Coalition Building in Metro Atlanta Ray Christman Executive Director

16. Livable Communities Coalition History • Created 2005 • Born from and rooted in business community – Metro Atlanta Chamber Quality Growth Task Force • Legacy: Civic public partnership • Business power to convene, fund • But extensive outreach to greater metropolitan community

17. Livable Communities Coalition Responding to a need • Development consuming 55 acres a day • Non-attainment for air quality; loss of highway funds threatened • Top five in U.S. for length of commute, congestion costs (time and fuel wasted) • Labor pool shrinking • Housing price gap (mean income to mean price) worsened by cost of commute

18. Livable Communities Coalition Rule of thirds • One-third business community representatives • Cousins Properties (Atl-based REIT) • Georgia Power • John Wieland Homes • Wachovia • Jordan, Jones & Goulding • BellSouth (before sale to AT&T)

19. Livable Communities Coalition Rule of thirds (2) • One-third government representatives • Georgia Municipal Association • Ga Department of Community Affairs • Atlanta Regional Commission • City of Atlanta • Cobb County Commission • Ga House of Representatives

20. Livable Communities Coalition Rule of thirds (3) • One-third civic leadership • Georgia Conservancy • East Cobb Civic Association • Blank Family Foundation • King & Spalding • Trust for Public Land • Alston & Bird

21. Livable Communities Coalition Livable Community Coalition • Government drops out because of advocacy • Environmental interests added • Sierra Club, The Clean Air Campaign, Southface, Park Pride, Atlanta Regional Health Forum • Neighborhood/housing interests added • ANDP, Ga Affordable Housing Coalition

22. Livable Communities Coalition Livable Communities Coalition • Advocacy added • Citizens for Progressive Transit • Alliance for Quality Growth • Council for Quality Growth • Center for Quality Growth (Ga Tech) • Congress for the New Urbanism • PEDS

23. Livable Communities Coalition Responding to a need • MARTA: Once the model for South, now running on fumes, facing $120M annual deficit • “Solutions” growing outlandish – tunnel under Atlanta • Minimal suburban transit network collapsing: Clayton closing, Express bus service runs out of funds next year • Polls show public ahead of leadership in wanting transit

24. Livable Communities Coalition Transit Advocacy Campaign • Big-tent model • Groups at the table range from biggest transit provider and DOT to ACT Now! citizens group representing transit-dependent riders • Clear delineation of roles: • LCC responsible for proposal to funders • But LCC can’t win without help, participation • Shared vision, goal is only practical approach

25. Livable Communities Coalition Lessons learned • Rally to a need and/or vision • Stretch the tent – business, government, civic, and citizen leaders • Build a foundation for education (research, polling, analysis) • Be patient: Two-phase education • Help people understand the need/problem • The remedy

26. Livable Communities Coalition Lessons learned (2) • Make more friends than enemies • Pick issues/actions that build on shared values (e.g., for LCC, a concern about deteriorating quality of life and business competitiveness) for coalition members

27. Livable Communities Coalition Lessons learned (3) • Be for something more than you are against something • LCC doesn’t like sprawl, but it is more pro-smart growth than anti-sprawl • Transit campaign is pro-transit, not anti-road • LCC is pro-smart growth and development, not anti-growth and development • Positive strategy creates, keeps important allies (e.g., Greater Atlanta Home Builders Assn., Metro Chamber)

28. Livable Communities Coalition Lessons learned (4) • Include people early • People who are at the table early are part of the discussion • After direction is set, you’re preaching to them • Keep lines of communication open, active • Four Advisory Committee meetings annually • Twice monthly communications (Letter from Executive Director, e-News)

29. Livable Communities Coalition Coalition Building in Metro Atlanta Ray Christman Executive Director

30. Citizens for Modern TransitSt. Louis, Missouri Thomas R. Shrout, Jr. Executive Director Citizens for Modern Transit

31. Environment of St. Louis Early 80s • Dramatic drop of population in the core • Rapid suburbanization • Unpopular Transit Agency with declining bus ridership • Political Rivalries Citizens for Modern Transit

32. Why CMT? • Common vision that great cities develop around transit • Desire to build light rail, but … • Only NIMBs speak at public meetings • Low creditability of transit agency Citizens for Modern Transit

33. Incorporated in 1985 • 501 (c) 3 • limited lobbying • Independent Board • no vested interests Citizens for Modern Transit

34. Shared Vision • Improved public transit • A rail component • A vision for a revitalized downtown and older neighborhoods Citizens for Modern Transit

35. Building the organization • CMT is pro rail -- not anti highway • CMT is pro development around rail -- not anti sprawl • CMT is pro additional funding for transit – not anti-highway funding Citizens for Modern Transit

36. Who might join? Business Vested interests. • suppliers -- rail, bus, • architects/engineers • businesses along the proposed line • people/businesses interested in downtown Citizens for Modern Transit

37. Who might join? Other vested interests • Unions • Construction/Trades • Electrical • Elevator • Laborers • Sheet metal workers • carpenters Citizens for Modern Transit

38. Who might join? Disadvantaged • Dlderly – AARP, Oasis, Ten Toe Participants • Disabled– Paraquad • Faith based organizations • Organizations of people of color Citizens for Modern Transit

39. Who might join? Do-gooders? • trolley/train/Amtrak enthusiasts • planners • artists • joiners, community volunteers, members of other organizations Citizens for Modern Transit

40. Groups that are hard to motivate • transit agency employees • bus riders • poor Citizens for Modern Transit

41. What you can do • form a speakers bureau • take trips to other cities and talk with community leaders and ordinary citizens • take a noon time bus trip of a proposed alignment • involve volunteers -- hand out literature • raise money -- hire a staff Citizens for Modern Transit

42. Trips to other cities Citizens for Modern Transit

43. Special Events Citizens for Modern Transit

44. Visiting Dignitaries Citizens for Modern Transit

45. Building Partnerships Citizens for Modern Transit

46. Raise money - Big Business • Civic Progress • $50,000 - 1985 • $65,000 - 1986 • $75,000 - 1987 • $90,000 - 1988 - 1993 • $125,000 1993 - 1999 • $25,000 - 1999 Citizens for Modern Transit

47. Membership Revenue • 1988 $14,000 • 1992 $25,000 • 2009 $68,000 Citizens for Modern Transit

48. Grants and Contracts • 1985 - 1995 - $0 • 1996 $125,000 • 2001- 04 $ 500,000 • 2007 -10 $2.5 million Citizens for Modern Transit

49. In Kind Help • Incorporation papers • Tax Returns • graphic design/printing • Dinners/receptions • Web design Citizens for Modern Transit

50. What’s the budget? • 1987 CMT Budget • Income • Civic Progress $85,000 • Membership $15,000 • Total $ 100,000.0 Citizens for Modern Transit