Craft approaches that are strategic and action focused.

Many organizations talk about being strategic but then fail to follow through. The results are often advocacy campaigns that look great but fail to meet their goals. We believe there are seven keys to crafting winning campaigns. We can help you write a strategic campaign plan using each of those keys, and we can additionally be your partner in executing that plan. Where needed, we can even further expand your organization’s capacity by managing one or more of the seven keys. They are:

Research: What is the factual basis for your campaign? What data backs up your preferred policy approach? What similar policies have been passed? How will the political environment impact your efforts?

Coalition creation and management: Who are the partners that you need to be successful? These should always include people from the communities that will most benefit from the policy change.

Audience definition: Who do you need to persuade to win this campaign? Who are the secondary audiences you must reach to reinforce your messages to your primary audience?

Message development: Do you have the right message and is it being delivered in a way that your defined audiences will hear it?

Messengers: Grassroots, Grasstops, Organizational Staff, Key Partners and others. Do you have the right people engaged in your campaign to deliver your messages so that those messages will be heard?

Funding: Do you have the money you need to pay for this campaign? Are there funders engaged in your work?

Direct lobbying: Managing lobbyists can sometimes be a job unto itself. Do you have the right team and are they working as effectively as possible?

Serve as your thought partner. Train and mentor groups and individuals as needed.

Our success wouldn’t have happened without mentors and thought partners guiding us along the way. We work with individuals to identify their goals and challenges and then ask the questions that help them accelerate their path to success. We train staff, volunteers, grassroots advocates, board members, coalition partners and other key stakeholders in public policy change best practices so that they buy into your strategic plan and play the most effective role possible in executing that plan.

Meet your public speaker needs.

Carter is a former radio DJ, media spokesperson and current podcast host. He is trained in storytelling and skilled at serving as a panel moderator or keynote speaker. With expertise in politics, government relations, health policy, food policy, tobacco policy and resilience, Carter engages audiences and shows them solutions in a chaotic world.

Develop winning messages.

Getting the message right means delivering the points you want to make in a compelling way that your target audience(s) will hear and understand. From avoiding or emphasizing certain words and phrases for targeted individuals and groups to effective storytelling for different audiences, it’s important to take time and do at least some basic research to develop and test your messages. We provide thoughtful message development support, from basic to advanced work where we partner with polling and focus group firms.

Lobby decision-makers/serve as deployable government relations staffing.

In cities and states around the country, Carter has given legislative testimony, done legislative witness preparation, provided coalition management and support, and worked with elected officials. If you have need for a short-term presence in a state or community to cover a staff vacancy or enhance your government relations team, we can provide on the ground coverage for your organization.