Our current digital age and the ascendancy of social media has made engaging in government affairs more high stakes than ever. Associations as a whole and association members individually operate under the constant threat of viral opposition or outright cancellation by opponents of their agendas. Engaging in the traditional role of political mover and shaker can now quickly devolve into career ender or reputation breaker.
Despite these very real risks, I would still argue that, if Chambers and Associations are to remain relevant, an active and credible government affairs role is not merely a ‘nice to have,’ it is a ‘need to have.’
To navigate today’s treacherous waters safely, here are three basic tips to keep in mind:
- Know Who You Are. Carefully develop an agenda. Transparently communicate that agenda to your membership and the public. Stick to that agenda. In a ‘gotcha’ world, your best protection is staying consistent and true to your core purpose. If your members expect A and get A, you are going to be fine in the long run. If they expect A and get B, you’ve got a problem waiting to happen. Clearly identify who you are and stick to it.
- Know Who You Aren’t. Today more than ever, membership associations are under pressure to be dragged into every ‘flavor of the month’ trend or topic out there. If Tip #1 leads to knowing when to say “yes,” Tip #2 is the equally important flipside of knowing when to say “no.” There are a lot of great causes out there. Not every one of them lines up with your organization’s core mission. Have the self-awareness to realize that you may not be the right voice, even for the most righteous cause.
- Hyperbole. If I had a magic wand, I think one of the first things I would do is ban the use of the word “existential” from our social vocabulary. Issue after issue today is couched in the hyperbolic language of being an “existential threat” to everything from the free market to democracy to the planet to humanity itself. While there are very real issues out there, “existential threat” language too often leads to ‘any means necessary’ excesses or ‘ready, fire, aim’ mistakes in combatting whatever issue or cause is tripping society’s trigger at any given time. That has frightening consequences for society, but it is also a danger to associations. Shooting stars get oohs and aahs but quickly burn out, blow up, and are gone and forgotten. The best Associations and Chambers are stable north stars for their constituencies and communities that provide a sane center for sustainable, serious, discussion, and government affairs action that stands the test of time.
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