The First CRM of Congress
by Bradford Fitch
on March 14, 2011
I recently made an historic discovery regarding what is probably the first system to track relationships between Members of Congress and organizations that seek to influence them. Any grassroots or government relations professional knows that it is essential to have an understanding of Congress, and one of the best ways to do this is to set up a customer relationship management (CRM) system to track relationships between supporters and legislators. The tools also are used to note important characteristics or interests of the legislator that may either connect him to your cause, track meeting discussions, and note follow-up actions.
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Winning a Gold Mouse Is Like Moving a Grand Piano
You might be able to do it alone, but it's easier with some help! In fact, it's close to impossible for a single staffer to create an award-winning website by himself. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire office to maintain an excellent website.
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It’s Not How You Send It, It’s What’s Inside
When communicating with congressional offices, the most pressing question used to be: are email or postal messages more effective? While each has its advantages, congressional staff view them equally. The more important question is: are the messages personalized?
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Senator Bingaman Reinvents the Constituent Telephone Call - Hear How They Did It
Managing high volumes of constituent calls is a challenge for many congressional offices, but the office of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) is taking matters into its own hands to help New Mexicans get their answer when they first call the office.
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Coming soon: 112th Congress Gold Mouse evaluations
As Hollywood prepares for the Oscars, Congress is gearing up to compete for a different prize: the Gold Mouse Awards. They are awarded to the Members of Congress who best use the Internet to more effectively communicate with and serve citizens. Preparations have already begun for the evaluations to start this summer!
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Switch - How to Create Change in Advocacy
by Bradford Fitch
on January 27, 2011
I just got done reading an amazing book about creating change in society, "Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard," by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. This morning, as I heard the stories of the winners of the Public Affairs Council's Grassroots Innovation Awards, I realized that these innovators used some of the same strategies that the authors urged.
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Contrary to Popular Belief, Constituents Trump Lobbyists
Today, CMF and the Partnership released a new survey of congressional staff which reveals that they believe constituents have far more influence on undecided lawmakers than lobbyists. If you listen to the media, the pundits, or the general public, however, you might think lobbyists are at the top of the heap. But our research shows this is not the case.
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New House Calendar Benefits Grassroots Advocates
by Bradford Fitch
on December 12, 2010
The newly released House calendar for the 112th Congress presents a fascinating opportunity for grassroots advocates seeking to build relationships and influence legislators. The calendar makes good on part of a promise the House Republicans made that they would operate differently than Democrats, and even previous Republican leaders.
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New Members, Avoid These Office Mistakes
by Bradford Fitch
on November 16, 2010
Special to Roll Call
Former Speaker Tip O’Neill (D-Mass.) once said, “It’s easier to run for office than to run the office.” Running a campaign and creating a Congressional office are vastly different tasks. Setting up a House or Senate office includes all the challenges of starting a small business with all the red tape of a bureaucracy.
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Lady Gaga and the Evolution of Constituent Communications
Members of Congress and their staffs have gotten used to a world where a constituent writes a postal letter or e-mail or calls the office and the office responds in written form to the citizen's concerns. One of the challenges that social media creates for congressional offices is that they can no longer just wait for constituent communication to come to them. They now need to monitor external sources to capture it all.
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