You'll Lobby for Me Whether or Not I Join

Bob Harris, CAE, The Nonprofit Center

Non-members benefit from lobbying --- maybe you call them “freeloaders.”  I call it a “legislative welfare” program. We respond to their objections with rationale like: “your membership allows access to influence the process,” or, “your participation increases our clout.”

The fact is, successful lobbying benefits everyone, not only dues paying members.

Solving the Dilemma

The issue is how to make lobbying a member benefit; an activity respected by prospects and members alike. 

Do this by transforming lobbying efforts and results into tangibles. A tangible benefit is one you can publish, sell, share, distribute and control. It positions the organization as a leader by managing and controlling the information. 

Try these ideas to transform lobbying into tangible member benefits:

• Compliance Manual – When a law is enacted, create a compliance manual that describes how the law came about, the exact wording, definitions, how to comply and where to go for help. Every law has a history and there is plenty of content to create a manual.
• End of Session Report – A summary of the legislative session is valued by members and retained for reference. It summarizes the organization’s platform, efforts and results. 
• Legislative Directory – Create a legislative directory with contact information and committees of interest. Or, adapt an existing directory by imprinting the cover or inserting several center pages describing the organization’s issues or key bills. A legislative directory is an excellent member benefit and sellable to non-members.
• Legislative Platform – The organization or lobbyist determines a legislative agenda for the upcoming session. Prepare the legislative platform in a brochure to inform members of issues and goals. 
• Legislative Audit Checklist – Most businesses comply with regulations enforced by multiple agencies. For example, a restaurant complies with licensing, smoking, safety, taxation, and labor laws, at a minimum. Describe all the regulations monitored and influenced by the association to create a legislative audit checklist. Distribute it to members annually as a checklist of the many laws requiring compliance. The checklist format serves as a practical guide to conformance.
• Regulatory Audit Service – Expand the value of the legislative audit checklist by employing staff to visit with members who want help in understanding and complying with the laws influenced by the association. One great value of the audit service is that the association has an engaging relationship with members wanting help. A second advantage is the collection of data about compliance problems that will result in better lobbying. 

To protect your lobbying program as a member benefit, consider ways to transform information into tangibles. Let non-members access the information at reasonable fees.   
Bob Harris, CAE, offers free governance tips and templates at www.nonprofitcenter.com. 

We want to hear from you!

What does your medical society do to ensure its lobbying efforts are a tangible member benefit? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

A Lesson from the Disney Playbook

By: Sheri Jacobs, CAE
Visit Sheri's blog at www.avenuemgroup.com
 
One of my favorite races, The Walt Disney World Marathon, offered a clever new way to give runners a race experience unlike any other. They partnered with the magazine, Runner's World to offer customized training plans, connections to experts and VIP treatment during the race weekend. Runners also received a private packet pick-up, exclusive pre-race walkout to the race start corrals, books and publications and an invitation for VIP access to a post-race celebration. Only a limited number of spaces are available and I've heard that the offer quickly sells out each year even though runners must pay an additional $300.


Can this approach work in the association world? Absolutely.

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) took a new approach to pricing a highly valued and often sold-out course that prepares individuals for the hospice and palliative medicine board certification exam. Similar to the approach taken by Disney or the airline industry, AAHPM staff created a pricing structure that offered practitioners the opportunity to attend the intensive board review course at a budget-friendly price (coach class) or with additional benefits (first class).

As part of the process, AAHPM staff identified a list of benefits that would provide additional value to attendees and provide a boost in revenue for the organization. In addition to offering member and nonmember prices to attend, AAHPM offered a limited number of "premium seats" for an additional $250. Participants who paid the extra fee received:

• Reserved seating in the "preferred section" (the first five rows of the middle section of the room);
• A special "express" registration line and entrance into the lecture hall;
• A wine and cheese reception with course faculty; and
• A special gift from AAHPM, including two popular AAHPM books (Primer of Palliative Care and the accompanying workbook), an AAHPM pen, mints and a Starbucks gift card.

The result? According to Steve Smith, CAE, AAHPM's executive director, AAHPM sold 120 of 126 premium seats prior to the course, generating an additional $25,000 in net revenue. On site, staff sold the last four seats and raffled two remaining seats to other attendees.

Excerpted from the new ASAE-Wiley Series book The Art of Membership: How to Attract, Retain, and Cement Member Loyalty, by Sheri Jacobs, CAE. Used with permission of Jossey-Bass Publishers, © 2014. (Available at ASAE Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes and Noble)

We want to hear from you!

Has your organization tried this approach at one of its events? Leave a comment and let us know what you did and how it worked!