Advocacy Help Desk

Fly-ins are cancelled - but virtual (VIDEO) fly-ins are just as easy and more effective! We break down, step-by-step, how you can connect your advocates on video calls with staffers - and why they can be MORE successful than face-to-face meetings! Everyone is sending letters, tweets and doing calls. "You want your voice to be heard - show your face! Use Video!"

It's no secret that organizations and their members look to peers for guidance. With the emergence of COVID-19, this is more true now than ever. As groups shuffle, reschedule, suspend and cancel their events, AHD is joined by Mary Kate Cunningham, VP of Public Policy @ ASAE to dive into how associations are helping guide their membership. From being a central point of industry related information and setting up specific webpages, to advising on pushing fly-ins and dealing with potential financial impact, we touch on a variety of scenarios that can potentially help associations, coalitions, corporations and non-profits dealing with how to be a resource in a time of need.

Everyone has a story to tell. On this episode, we're joined by Janelle Brevard, Chief Storyteller at the National Association of Realtors. In a new role for their organization, she gives us insight into how her career evolved, from journalist to speechwriter, community builder and communications to her latest move, and all the lessons she's learned in between. Every advocacy group can pick up a tidbit here and there over both what makes a story compelling [hint, you better know your audience!] and, at the same time, what makes a good storyteller. Data only gets you so far, a compelling story can be the difference between a yes and no vote.

Guest: Janelle Brevard, Chief Storyteller, National Association of Realtors

GOTV For Advocacy – Why You Must Have A Program & How to Run it Right

It’s an election year and some associations and groups still do not have a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) program to activate their communities. Mike Panetta, Partner at the Beekeeper Group, sits on the help desk to help explain the rules, best practices and tips to setting up a successful GOTV program to compliment your advocacy & lobbying programs. A must-listen episode for all advocacy professionals!

Guest: Mike Panetta, Partner, Beekeeper Group

LinkedIn. Most of it have used it at some point to post up our resume, claim skills and even write recommendations for trusted friends and colleagues. But if that's all that comes to mind when thinking about LinkedIn, you may be missing the full potential of the platform. This week we're joined by Erica Pyatt, who helps us dive into LinkedIn's potential for brands, advocacy efforts, targeting and more.

Guest: Erica Pyatt, Manager, Advocacy & Government – LinkedIn

Seems like everyone is talking about data these days, but what does "data" really mean? On this episode we're joined by Henri Makembe, who helps us ll dive into the type of data you should be looking for, where you can find it, and what best practices look like for getting started. It's not Big Data, it's better, smaller data points that really drive effective advocacy efforts.

Guest: Henri Makembe, Partner, LPS Campaigns

In the advocacy space, we talk a lot about what's coming next, what's down the line, what should practitioners be looking towards in the future. This week, we bring on Mike Panetta of the Beekeeper Group to talk through what he sees as some of the challenges and opportunities of new technology. From Virtual Reality to Voice to Tik Tok, how are organizations employing the latest tools, and, more importantly, what are some of the things they should keep in mind when pitching the idea. The future is bright, how can advocacy groups keep their folks up-to-date while engaging a whole new generation of potential advocates who consume information completely differently.

The AHD gang talks all things podcasting for the mission based folks.

Matthew Wright of the Children's Hospital Association joins us to talk about advocacy storytelling, using influencers and how to better manage advocate data and lists! 

This episode’s guest was digital guru Caitlin Donahue, Senior VP and Head of Digital at the Curley Company. Caitlin shared how, the keys to setting up a video advocacy program (from script to equipment) and how to develop engaging content to drive action and grow your grassroots network. With 80% of the internet now video content, we encourage you to watch this episode and get started with dynamic video and even podcasting!