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Joel Blackwell
The Grass Roots Guy
202.277.5209
Get more people to write letters,
make phone calls and give
money to politicians and your
PAC

Joel Blackwell
The Grass Roots Guy
202.277.5209
Services available
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Advice and techniques for lobbying and grassroots advocacy from politicians
Helping School Boards, Principals, Superintendents
And Their Associations
Get More People To Write Letters, Make Phone Calls
And Give Money to Politicians And PACs
                                 
New Book For School Board Members, Superintendents and Principals
Letter From Margaret Buckton
Government Relations Director
Iowa Association of School Boards

Thank you so much for your advocacy
sessions at our Iowa Association of School
Boards annual convention.  The session on
building the relationship with legislators
was so valuable.  

I have seen evidence in the first 3 months of
our legislative session here in Iowa that our
members who attended that session have
a different approach and long-term focus on
getting to know their legislators well.

One of the greatest benefits to me was your
confirmation of what I have been telling our
members - the lobbyists can bring technical
information and amplify the message from
home, but the message must come from
home before I have any power.  

I have spent several years asking people to
let me know when they talk to their
representatives and senators and the
essence of those conversations.  Having
you stress the connection between my role
and my members activities has really
helped.  The definition of my role as coach
was something they could easily
understand - and I'm getting more
information back from those local
conversations then in any previous year.

Your book has also been valuable - we are
right in the middle of our second class of
school board leadership academy students
- a small but mighty group of 20 people
each year.  They are reading the book and
find it easy to read and understand - and it
provides real strategies for a small group of
citizens to make change at the state public
policy level. One piece of evidence that
demonstrates a change for me is an email,
that one of our leadership academy
graduates from last year, sent to a senator -
floor manager of a key piece of school
infrastructure funding legislation.  Before
the convention sessions, she felt that her
senator never listened and always
disagreed with her perspective.  Not
surprisingly, the tone of her conversations
was often negative, even threatening.  This
latest message started out with thanks for
all his support of legislation helping public
education and continues in a very different
tone asking for a small change to his bill.  It
ends with "see you Saturday" at a local
forum - so I know that her relationship with
her senator has changed in a very positive
way.  Incidentally, the subcommittee on that
bill met yesterday and he incorporated her
requested change into the bill.  

Another key benefit to both me and my
members included the importance of
advocacy through the media.  Our web site
now contains links to media all over the
state so our members can write letters to
their editors and contact editorial boards for
those important conversations on issues
important to education. Although we have
templates to start their communications
and conversations, we now stress the
importance of making the communication
your own and not simply sending the form
letter on to your legislator.  

Your knowledge about the importance of
media and suggestions for our members to
send articles and letters from the print
media to their legislators during session
has proven a good tool for both building that
relationship and stressing that the press
agrees that our issues are important.  It
also gives our members a sense of
accomplishment when they see their letter
in print and have something tangible to
demonstrate their advocacy.  

Lastly, the work session with our key people
really helped me think politically and
geographically - about which of our
members can be key contacts for important
legislators.  A bill changing school board
elections with potentially huge negative
impacts made it out of committee and to the
floor of the House.  The individual key
contact from our strategy session who is a
constituent of the House Majority leader
took only two communications before he got
back in writing from the majority leader that
he agreed the bill was a bad idea and
would not let it come up for debate.

Another member of our board of directors
who attended that session found a bill that
the senate ways and means chair had
authored, completely unrelated to
education, but something he could offer to
support locally.  That senator has now
answered two other emails particular to
education legislation from the board
member constituent that previously he
religiously neglected to answer.  The
assignment of personal responsibility for
those key individuals to work closely with an
important decision-maker has really
strengthened our ability to participate in and
alter the outcome of legislative action.

Thanks again for all of your help in talking
over our government relations strategies,
helping me understand the importance of
rewarding and acknowledging our
members advocacy, and understanding
what I can do to help our members build
effective and meaningful relationships with
their representatives and senators.  I look
so forward to impacting the legislative
process in Iowa for an even better
education future!
'Sis' Henry
Executive Director GSBA
Joel's grassroots training:
"Best we've had on the topic"
Click to ask about
Books
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The perfect solution for your lobby day or
fly-in at the Capital. Motivate your grass
roots army to build long term
relationships, educate them to deliver
your message with impact, activate them
to continue communicating.