Businesses and organizations should develop effective relationships with local governments to further their causes and missions, according to an attorney and communications specialist, Deanna Deveney.

If the success of your organizational goals relies on key lawmakers, it’s essential to learn how to mobilize advocates and relate to government officials effectively. Deanna Deveney has served as Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex, MA, and as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Communications for two cities, Medford and Everett.  As a valued member of local governments, she has developed a successful strategy for dealing with government affairs and officials. She has put together a few tips to help others effectively communicate with decision-makers.

Deanna Deveney Says to First Establish Your Legislative Priorities

In order to see successful results, you must first establish your legislative strategy, you need to first set your priorities. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want to accomplish first? What is most important and time-sensitive?
• How can local, state, and federal officials help you achieve those results?
• How do your goals fit into the agendas of the aforementioned officials?
• How much support can you rally to pressure legislators to pass the required legislation?

According to Deanna Deveney, these questions will help you better understand the barriers and opportunities available when enlisting the help of local officials.

Track Legislation Around Your Issues Advises Deanna Deveney

Local and federal governments introduce thousands of bills each month. With all this noise, it’s crucial to stay on top of issues affecting your priorities. To accomplish this, find out more about what technology government officials and professionals use to track legislation. If you have access to these systems, they are great resources that help ensure you don’t miss any updates on important bills, says Deanna Deveney. Having an understanding of each program and the niche each offer can pay dividends in time while researching.

Educate Government Officials About Policies Your Organization Cares About

To establish healthy relationships with government officials, it’s important to clarify the mission of your company or advocacy goals of the organization. By educating key lawmakers, you can also familiarize them with your organization. This will help you build clout and attract the proper attention in the state capital or on Capitol Hill, according to Deanna Deveney.

Show lawmakers the importance of issues you advocate. This will help them create solid legislation that targets your objective. It’s equally important to know which lawmakers would naturally want to champion the exact causes.

Evaluate Your Government Affairs Success To Spark Continuous Improvement

When you measure and evaluate what has worked and hasn’t, you help your organization learn from your successes and failures, says Deanna Deveney. This will also help your team create up-to-date reports on any progress made in the legislative arena. Effective reporting tracks the return on investment of your advocacy efforts. Studying it carefully can improve your efforts and help you get more positive legislation passed over time.

Deanna Deveney cautions that it takes time to build solid government relations strategies. However, the payoff includes laws that consider the needs of your company, employees, and community.