At Lumin Strategies, we value long-term, collaborative relationships with our clients. Such...
30 Advocacy Tips for Chamber Directors
During the month of July and the beginning of August, we ran our 30 Days of Advocacy Tips for Chamber Executives LinkedIn campaign. If you missed some tips (or all of them) and you don’t want to sift through Brian’s LinkedIn, we’ve compiled all of them for you right here.
Advocacy Tip #1: The chamber must speak for business - at the local and state level especially!
We spoke with Brandon Burton at ChamberChat Podcast about why Advocacy is so important for Chambers.
Listen here: https://www.luminstrat.com/chamber-chat-podcast
Advocacy Tip #2: Leverage the power of coalitions in your chamber’s advocacy strategy.
In this article, we look into the 5 most important reasons coalitions are effective in the chamber world.
Why coalitions are effective: https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/top-five-reasons-coalitions-work
Advocacy Tip #3: Ensure your advocacy efforts are member driven.
How do you ensure your chamber’s advocacy program is going in the right direction? Don’t let your staff make all the decisions! You can’t be the voice for business without first asking your members what they need.
Unlock member-driven advocacy here: https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/member-driven-advocacy
Advocacy Tip #4: Host candidate events that are informative, interactive, but not partisan.
Inside the below video, we give a step-by-step tutorial on how to run candidate events that will bring your members, and community, so much value as they prepare to make informed decisions in an upcoming election.
https://www.luminstrat.com/candidate-event
Advocacy Tip #5: Raise funds for your advocacy program before you launch it.
We hosted a panel of chamber directors to share their experiences with funding their advocacy programs and they offered great advice!
https://www.luminstrat.com/funding-advocacy
Advocacy Tip #6: Identify where you are with your advocacy program to bring more value to your members.
Upon completing this short assessment, we’ll compile your results and send some recommended next steps to you.
Advocacy Tip #7: State governments shape local business landscapes.
Often during elections, the majority of voters only care about the big name, federal level positions. In reality, it is the local positions that have the most impact on their day to day lives. That is why it is so important to increase coverage and knowledge about the local government candidates and allow voters to learn more about them.
Here’s a webinar to help you navigate the election process and to focus on the most impactful candidates: https://www.luminstrat.com/navigating2024
Advocacy Tip #8: Adapt and overcome. Never stop learning.
Use this free lesson from our Advocacy Framework program for chambers, and start growing!
https://www.advocacyframework.com/offers/oVdEo9hi/checkout
Advocacy Tip #9: Talk with policymakers in a casual setting and allow them to be the most authentic version of themselves.
If you want to practice talking with a policymaker or building relationships with your elected officials, schedule a meeting with me.
https://meetings.hubspot.com/bfrancis/30-minute
Advocacy Tip #10: Sponsorship is an investment, not just a deal.
In our webinar we talk about the different ways to raise funds for your advocacy program that doesn’t involve cutting deals to get by but rather finding ways to do what is best for your chamber while still giving your sponsors the return they desire.
https://www.luminstrat.com/funding-advocacy
Advocacy Tip #11: Integrate the feedback and insights gathered from your members into the legislative process.
If you want to learn more about useful communication tips, read our blog about helpful tips when communicating with your audience so they can communicate with you.
https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/5-strategies-for-communicating-with-your-key-audience
Advocacy Tip #12: Advocacy isn’t a one way fits all type of deal. Find the way that works best for you and capitalize on it.
Check out our free lesson from our Advocacy Framework program to get on the path to building the right advocacy program for you.
https://www.advocacyframework.com/offers/oVdEo9hi/checkout
Advocacy Tip #13: Keep your community "in the know" of the work you are doing and your priorities.
The Chamber of Catawba County has been successfully sharing their legislative priorities with their community, helping foster growth with the Catawba County businesses. We want to highlight the success that Lindsay Keisler and her team have had in being the voice of business in their community.
If you want to read more about the success of The Chamber of Catawba County, click here: https://bit.ly/3y17ltf
Advocacy Tip #14: Have a plan for your Capitol trip!
This will make your experience smooth, more controlled, and more relaxed.
We wrote a blog about the best strategic tips for having a successful Capitol visit.
https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/capitol-visit
Advocacy Tip #15: Run your chamber like a business, but think like a non-profit.
If you need help better understanding how to accomplish this in the best way for your chamber, read this quick guide on when to operate like a business and think like a non-profit.
https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/business-or-nonprofit
Advocacy Tip #16: Keep your Legislative Agenda positive. Try to use language that emphasizes what you support rather than what you oppose.
Watch a free webinar on 5 mistakes chambers make when adopting their legislative agenda.
https://www.luminstrat.com/legislative-agenda-mistakes
Advocacy Tip #17: Having trustworthy news and information sources is key to making educated decisions.
Use your state legislature's website to learn about the legislative calendar, bills and laws, or the committees. Using the .gov website for your state will have updated information that you should leverage and is a great place to answer questions about what's happening in the legislature. If you want to learn more about how to properly use the information that you learn, read the blog below.
https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/member-driven-advocacy
Advocacy Tip #18: Leverage alliances. Having the same issues as others should inspire you to work with them in finding a common goal.
Our client, Barbi Jones, was recognized in an article from the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation for her leadership and significant contributions with chamber advocacy. Barbi was part of a fellowship that helped her find answers and navigate the challenges. She has been leveraging insights and advocating for programs that have helped improve the economic future and showcases the impact of a powerful advocacy.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/3SaKEtC
Advocacy Tip #19: Host a candidate event and take down the invisible wall between the politician and the voter.
If you want to learn more about how to run a successful candidate event, watch here: https://www.luminstrat.com/candidate-event
Advocacy Tip #20: Customize your packages for your chamber sponsors and investors.
Not only will this build a stronger relationship and make them feel important, you’ll get a complete picture of what matters to them and build your package around that. Giving them what they truly want (it might not be a table at your annual meeting!), often means an increase in investment.
In the below training, we hosted 3 chamber directors to learn how they uniquely and creatively fund their advocacy programs.
https://www.luminstrat.com/funding-advocacy
Advocacy Tip #21: Cultivate strong relationships with your local government.
If you want to learn more about building the right relationships with your local government watch our training: Friends, Frenemies or Worse: Working with Your Local Government.
https://www.luminstrat.com/friends-frenemies-or-worse
Advocacy Tip #22: Having strong leadership for your advocacy/policy committee is vital for an effective advocacy program.
Our lesson on Policy Committee formation from our signature Advocacy Framework program is perfect for helping identify these potential leaders.
https://www.advocacyframework.com/offers/oVdEo9hi/checkout
Advocacy Tip #23: Provide opportunities for clear communication and engagement with your members.
If you want to get started, let’s talk about how you can accomplish this.
https://meetings.hubspot.com/bfrancis/30-minute
Advocacy Tip #24: Host elected officials to build the connections that will make communicating and negotiating much easier down the road.
In our webinar Hosting a Candidate Event we address all of your options for events with your elected officials that will benefit your members and your chamber.
https://www.luminstrat.com/candidate-event
Advocacy Tip #25: Having your board of directors support you will make achieving impactful advocacy much easier.
If you need help convincing your board on advocacy fill out the form down below and we will get in touch with you to send you a slide deck that you can present to them to get them on board.
https://www.luminstrat.com/free-ppt
Advocacy Tip #26: Prioritize issues that directly impact your members or community.
If you want to evaluate how you are doing at achieving your goals use our free advocacy assessment where we can offer you help with your own process.
Advocacy Tip #27: Identify who can assist you in effectively advancing your Chamber’s objectives. Coalitions stand out as excellent partners due to their ability to amplify impact and garner widespread support.
https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/coalition-building-which-partners-should-chambers-choose
Advocacy Tip #28: Sync your Capitol visit with key legislative timings.
For more tips on powerful visits to your state capitol, check out this post:
https://www.luminstrat.com/blog/capitol-visit
Advocacy Tip #29: Tell your story.
We find that chambers often assume their members and their broader community knows what they are doing. But, that’s often not the case! Find creative ways to share the work that you are doing - especially unique partnerships, a strong legislative agenda or a new program to support small businesses. You are making an impact. Don’t forget to brag!
Advocacy Tip #30: Get help!
At Lumin Strategies, we help Chambers of Commerce build A+ Advocacy programs through personalized consulting and our signature on-line Advocacy Framework Program. If you want to get started, set up a meeting with me and we will find the best way to build your advocacy.
