Keynote for convention or fly-in: about one hour. Motivate advocates to carry a
personal experience on your issue to elected officials and build relationships when
they get home. Seven steps that insure they deliver your message with impact and
ask for support. They will laugh and learn.
Meet the Pols: 20-45 minute stand-up interviews with one or two politicians. In this
session we DO NOT discuss any issues or current topics. Rather, we focus on
what politicians want from people in their district, how they want to be influenced,
what works on the average legislator and on leadership, how money works and
doesn’t work and why money is important from the standpoint of elected officials.
Works well at luncheon or breakfast.
Power to the PAC: to raise money. This can focus on helping your audience
understand why they need to give. Involves your committed givers, a PowerPoint
covering typical information about your issues, opponents, state law, etc., that helps
prospects understand about PACs and want to give.
Power to the PAC: for leadership. This session evolves from focus group research
into why people do and do not give money to PACs and politicians. Explains how
research-based solicitations work best, what information to include in the
educational process that will create a culture of informed, enthusiastic giving, what
kinds of solicitations work best. Model presentation uses a video, my PowerPoint
template and local solicitor.
Personal Political Power: for advocates. This helps members understand the
importance of their own attitudes about their ability to influence politicians, how
politicians feel about informed, active constituents, of building long-term
relationships, of delivering a message of personal experience from the district on
your issues.
Personal Political Power: for executive directors of state associations, leadership,
board and professional staff. Session 1 – How to recruit, motivate, activate and
retain grass roots advocates. Session 2 – How to Increase understanding of
differing roles of professionals and volunteer advocates, identify target politicians,
discover political assets and contacts, assign key contacts to politicians, set up
political organization, set goals and timetables for contacts, explore power of home-
based fundraisers, site visits, campaign participation, personal contact/relationship
development.
PAC/Grass Roots video shoot: Since you will have all the key players present at
your fly-in or convention it is easy and inexpensive to collect video featuring your
elected volunteer leadership, your professional staff and lobbyists, your active
volunteers and PAC givers and your political champions. From this we can create
streaming video to draw people to your website, a PAC solicitation video for use by
state groups, a grass roots educational/motivational video, a short video to show at
your annual convention to highlight your government relations successes to non-
participants and to stimulate attendance at lobby day next year. These video clips
can be used on CDs and DVDs to give to incoming members and others and will
have a shelf life of about two years. They are easily updated and customized as
needed. Imagine sending an email “Click here for an interview with Sen. Smith and
your volunteer President…”
Keep On Voting After The Election (the book): Available in bulk or single copy in
generic version with special editions for insurance agents, educators and
administrators and physicians or customized for your association to include
interviews with your staff, leadership and champions. Ask about articles for your
web site and publications to stimulate grass roots action and contributions.
And whatever we do, we always have fun! SM
Request Information
2020 Pennsylvania Avenue NW #929
Washington DC 20006
GrassRootsGuy@JoelBlackwell.com
Washington (202) 277-5209 / Sacramento (916) 273-9180
