Association Government Relations is About Relationships

Well, duh, you are probably saying...

But all too often associations treat government and public relationships as a sales-based transaction instead of relationships that can help to build and manage their brand.

At the CSAE-BC government relations session yesterday, Pace Group’s Norman Stowe described government and public relations as a ‘bank’ that associations should be filling with goodwill. Investing in good relationships with government and policy-makers as well as other external stakeholders is critical because someday you will inevitably need to “make a withdrawal.”

In other words, when the time comes that your association is dealing with a PR crisis or else needs immediate action on a piece of legislation, organizations that are already on the radar of government are far more likely to be successful than those that don’t.

Subsequently, it is important not to “just go to government when you have a problem.” The importance of partnering with government for long-term solutions of mutual interest is a much more effective approach.  If you are “meeting with government once a year, it’s not enough.”

Norman explains that associations need to be there “at the beginning” and not just at “the end” of the decision-making process. In other words, they need to have a seat at the table so that they actually influence legislation instead of always being on the defensive or reactionary side of the equation.

Makes a lot of good common sense to me!

What does your relationship with government look like?

Photo: jaliaj via flickr

Comments

[Michael Rogers]

Hi Carol-Anne,

Great post! Glad to hear the MLA day was a success - it sounds like a lot of great information was covered.

I think people often forget the key word in GR is "relations" - a relationship is an ongoing process, and not something that emerges overnight. Great reminder to invest in this relationship now, and save for a rainy day.

[Carol-Anne Moutinho]

Thanks Michael - I thought that was a great analogy, too. One more post coming tomorrow...Lots of good food for thought at this event. I'm glad I attended!