Talking heads speculate on what issues are most important to everyday people. Pollsters ask people what issues are most important. But what issues are truly important enough to drive everyday citizens to actually take the time to contact Congress?
For the first time, we have insight into what issues Members of Congress are hearing about from their constituents.
Yesterday our firm, Adfero Group, and Fireside21, a software provider to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, released the first ever Congressional Conversation Index (CCI), a monthly survey of the top issues Congress hears about from citizens. Each month, the CCI measures the average number of recorded contacts on specific issues participating Members of the U.S. House of Representatives receive from the constituents they represent. Issues vary in topic, including public policy concerns, such as health care and technology, as well as overall citizen concerns about specific issues like energy and the environment.
On a month-to-month basis we will be able to see which issues are generating the most public engagement. The comprehensive data will reveal where true citizen interest in issues contradicts the conventional wisdom from talking heads, political consultants and pollsters.
Click here for more about the CCI, including detailed data for the first five months of this year.
If you attend one professional development event this summer, I hope you will consider the half-day conference next Tuesday morning, June 15, at the National Press Club entitled, “The Most Effective Strategy for Reaching Congress.”
At the conference we will tackle three crucial items:
1. The Most Effective Strategy for Impacting Congress
The first panel will not only include seasoned advocacy professionals but also staff from House and Senate offices. There will be a great discussion about advocacy strategies and tactics that really work.
2. What Exactly is the Difference Between Grassroots and Astroturf?
There has been a lot of confusion lately about where grassroots organizing ends and astroturf begins. Our expert panel will include both practitioners and reporters alike sorting through the confusion.
3. The Launch of a New Index that Measures Citizen Engagement with Congress
Two DC-based firms, Adfero Group and Fireside21, will officially launch the Congressional Conversation Index, a ranking of the top issues that Members of Congress are hearing about from their constituents. This is the first time this kind of data has been made available to the public.
For more information about this half- day conference please visit here.
To register for the event click here.
Hope to see you on Tuesday!
Last week The Economist’s Lexington column profiled a community organizer in Seattle who faced a $10,000 fine for not reporting her grassroots efforts to oppose government takeover of private property.
She ran into a second little-known state law. If she prints some fliers, calls some meetings and urges her neighbours to write to their state representative demanding change, she has to register as a “grassroots lobbyist”. This rule applies to any group that spends more than $500 in any given month trying to influence the legislature. That sum includes not only cash but also anything else of value, including voluntary labour, the use of office space and so forth. In other words, it could cover nearly any grassroots group.
In response, she filed a lawsuit to have the law repealed arguing that it would have a chilling effect on free speech.
What do you think? Should every act of grassroots organizing warrant disclosure? At what point does grassroots activity cross a threshold that should trigger registration and transparency regulations?
A few Thursday evenings ago, NBC aired a rerun of last year’s highly anticipated The Office episode that featured Pam and Jim getting married. When I watched the episode again two weeks ago, I could not help thinking about a crucial lesson to be learned for any organization planning their next advocacy campaign.
If you watched Pam and Jim’s wedding, you will recall that the writers heavily borrowed the memorable wedding routine from the extraordinarily popular YouTube video JK Wedding Dance. It’s the one where the wedding party dances down the aisle to Chris Brown’s song, Forever. The video became so popular (now over 44 million views on YouTube) that the entire group was invited to recreate the routine on The Today Show.
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In case you missed the Politics Online Conference last week, Microsoft announced the launch of Townhall, a new online community platform. The Townhall platform allows political campaigns to quickly launch a sophisticated ongoing community discussion with supporters and volunteers. The platform not only allows a campaign to manage the community, but also gather instant and ongoing feedback from voters through polls, surveys and other kinds of data feedback mechanisms.
Of course, Microsoft is not new to the world of political campaigns. Its Windows operating system and Office products have been the staple technologies of political campaigns for decades. Campaigns of all stripes would also be well advised to explore how Microsoft Tag and Windows Live Messenger can be used to communicate and collaborate with voters.
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I wanted to take a moment to inform K Street readers of an upcoming event series for PR professionals. Starting March 26, the National Press Club and Adfero Group will be co-sponsoring a series of half-day conferences and classroom-style training seminars to help PR pros stay up to date with the latest industry trends and tactics. Topics will include how social media has changed the way reporters, sources and communication professionals effectively work together and how to use new, inexpensive tactics to get the word out.
Events are open to both members and non-members. To see calendar of seminars and conferences and to register, please visit here.
Now that the first two months of the new year are behind us, I thought K Street Café readers would be interested in some articles on the outlook for the Public Relations, Advertising and Public Affairs industry in 2010. Some of the articles survey the PR or advertising industry nationwide, while others are focused on the DC market specifically. All the articles are helpful for understanding the state of affairs for the specific corner of the world we operate in. (more…)
This morning at the Public Affairs Council’s National Grassroots Conference, former Member of Congress J. C. Watts spoke on what makes an effective grassroots advocacy strategy. Obviously, every Member of Congress has their own unique perspective, but it was helpful to hear from someone on the “inside” who advocacy organizations are trying to influence.
One interesting point Watts made was that he and his staff took notice of the volume of communications from constituents on any given issue:
“When I ask my staff, ‘Have we heard from constituents about an issue?’ and they say that we have received 47 calls, that does not impress me. But, if we receive 547 calls, then everyone sits up and takes notice. I think there must be something legitimate going on. We need to take notice.”
And then later, during a question and answer period he said:
“When the staff tells me we received 721 communications on an issue it makes me say, ‘Something is going on here – we need to find out more and take notice.’ ”
Watts then outlined some tips for Grassroots practitioners who are trying to influence Congress. He spoke about the good, the bad and the ugly:
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I just wanted to take a moment to announce that the close of 2009 brought with it a Silver Davey Award for K Street Café. We are thrilled to receive this honor from the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) that recognizes creative excellence by small firms – “where strength comes from big ideas rather than large budgets.”
Since its beginning in September of 2008, K Street Café has continually strived to be a comprehensive resource online for public affairs professionals to keep up to speed with the latest trends and tactics in the industry. I would like to take a second to thank all of K Street’s expert contributors who have worked hard to make K Street Café what is has become today – an award winning blog that hosts vigorous conversations on a variety of subjects.
We look forward to the opportunities of 2010 and hope that you continue to allow K Street Café to bring you more insights into the future of advocacy. And as always, we hope you continue to join us in the conversation.
In case you missed it, the Hill ran my column “Promoting a Cause Through YouTube,” about the State Department’s use of social media as a powerful diplomacy tool used to promote democracy around the world.
Much can be learned by studying State’s Democracy Video Challenge user generated content campaign. Launched last year, the Video Challenge invites citizens worldwide to submit videos completing the phrase “Democracy is…” The campaign had more than 900 video submissions and was successful in engaging the public through social media.
The Democracy Video Challenge provides many good lessons for advocacy organizations trying to recruit and mobilize supporters both here and around the world.
