GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

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Government relations is the systematic effort to influence the actions and policies of government to help achieve objectives or protect interests in a way that reflects well on the organization and the decision-makers involved.

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Government relations is the systematic effort to influence the actions and policies of government to help achieve particular objectives or protect particular interests in a way that reflects well on the organization and the decision-makers involved.

A good government relations program involves much more than maintaining a relationship with the local Councillor.

What is required is an ongoing contact program with all local politicians and senior staff. This involves creating a database of politicians' at all three levels of government.

It is also about providing politicians and their staff with a copy of the organizations newsletter and setting up one-on-one meetings and tours with them to identify their issues and priorities and to explain the projects and contributions of the organization.

Government Relations

These meetings provide the organization with an opportunity to put forth their arguments directly to the people that will be making the decisions. It also gives the organization an opportunity to listen to what political needs and priorities are. This increased understanding enhances relationships greatly with politicians and bureaucrats.

At the same time, representatives from the organization should be sitting on the board of directors of appropriate associations and playing a major role in the association's government relations efforts.

Organizations will quickly start seeing a return on their government relations investment. Politicians and senior staff will be contacting the organization directly about upcoming issues in order to fix a situation rather than waiting for it to blow up in the media and community.

Quick Government Audit

Take our 5-minute quick self-assessment to see how your organization fairs when it comes to managing your Government Relationship.

 

Full Relationship Audit

To get a total picture of how your organization fairs in terms of all 6 relationships, we recommend you take our full assessment.

You will need approximately 15-30 minutes to go through the assessment.