Maximize Member Involvement and Increase Your Political Power
Mark P. Dunham
Executive Vice President
Idaho Association of REALTORS®
Ten years ago, I encouraged a local association president to visit Idaho's Legislature to discuss a bill important to REALTORS® with his legislator, who wasn't supporting our efforts. Aware of their 50-year friendship, I saw the president as the REALTOR® who was perfect to lobby this particular legislator.
As the association president talked to his legislator friend, I watched his efforts through the glass doors of the Idaho House of Representatives’ lobby. Lobbyists eyeing the activity complimented me on the effectiveness of grassroots lobbying by REALTORS®.
Suddenly, as I watched in horror, the president grabbed the legislator by the lapels and started shaking him. As I rushed through the doors, I heard the association president curse the representative as “nothing but a dumb so-and-so,” only much more graphic.
As I hurried the association president away from the House lobby and explained that abuse wasn't a favored lobbying technique, he yelled that the legislator was “as stupid as he was in first grade 50 years ago,” since he wouldn't vote for our bill. That experience has never been repeated, but it certainly provides a perspective on using members in government affairs. Certainly, one of the strengths of the REALTOR® organization is our ability to mobilize members to contact government officials. Nevertheless, as staff, we must make certain that their efforts aren't counterproductive.
Members Ensure Success
Here are three ways to effectively recruit and involve members in your association's government affairs program. We've had great success using these methods at the Idaho Association of REALTORS®.
1. Involve those members who are active in RPAC and legislative committees. Such members tend to be politically astute, and we often rely on them to contact key elected officials. Informed, prepared, and intuitive, they serve on the front lines of our outreach efforts.
2. Have members meet and greet political powers. During our annualREALTOR® Day at the Legislature, several hundred members visit the Capitol, meet with legislators, the governor, and lieutenant governor, and attend committee hearings. This is an especially effective strategy to remind legislators, and lobbyists, that the size
of our membership is considerable.
3. Mobilize entire membership. On certain vital issues, we mobilize the entire membership to contact the Legislature. A well-placed broadcast fax throughout the state to keyREALTOR® leaders has often resulted in overwhelming mail, phone calls, and E-mail to the Capitol. We use this third technique sparingly because we want to avoid wasting our ammunition and because it can be tough to control an outpouring of REALTOR® enthusiasm. We mobilize the entire membership primarily when the stakes are high for the industry and its customers--what we see as a mega-issue. To learn how the Idaho Association has made the most of its members’ political involvement, read “Tips for Success--Maximize Members’ Efforts,” at the end of this article.
Taming of the Rogue
Despite an association's best efforts to involve members, to keep them informed, and to lobby effectively on key issues, some members will invariably torpedo the efforts of their fellow real estate professionals with a sneak attack opposing the association on an issue.
Nothing is worse for REALTOR® association lobbyists than to have their testimony followed by a REALTOR® who publicly opposes the association's position. In fact, that's one of the inherent risks of mobilizing the entire membership; you might provide information to members who may actually use it to try to sabotage your efforts.
Such counterproductive efforts can take many forms, such as letters to the editor, letters to elected officials, and direct opposition testimony. Respond to such opposition in a respectful manner, because members who oppose the association's views also pay dues.
In the rare instances when damage control is necessary, you'll want to thoroughly outline the procedures the association requires to develop public policy positions. At the Idaho Association, we stress that we've taken all sides into account in developing the association's position and reiterate that our organization encourages, appreciates, and respects members’ political activity. Nevertheless, we strongly advocate the official position of the organization.
This phenomenon can be even more devastating if the REALTOR® happens to be an elected official. I once heard a senator who was also a REALTOR® aggressively denounce the REALTOR® organization during a Senate floor debate on what we considered a mega-issue. To compound the problem, the senator was an NAR director at the time and championed that fact during her vocal opposition to our bill.
Damage control in that instance was critical and immediate. We reacted swiftly by writing to each senator, stressing our respect for the REALTOR® senator while respectfully rebutting her points of opposition. We also outlined the process we follow in developing positions.
We mobilized the membership on that mega-issue to convey to the other senators that the senator who was also a member wasn't in the mainstream on that particular issue. However, we were careful in our message to members to ask them to stress the association's position on the issue. In our message to the members, we didn't mention their fellow member's adverse position because we didn't want to hurt the senator's professional relationship with her peers and because she had supported the association on everything else. We won.
Mark P. Dunham became the executive vice president and government affairs director for the Idaho Association in 1985. He was the association's primary lobbyist until 1993. Dunham served as the 1992 chair of NAR's Government Affairs Directors Group.
For More Information
In the grassroots lobbying game, it pays to follow some basic rules. Alabama REALTOR®. Jan./Feb. 93:1 (supplement).
75-plus ideas for enhancing government relations. Association Management. Aug. 95:168–174+.
Wright, Randy. How to plan for effective legislative visits. Texas REALTOR®. Feb. 95:40.
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Tips for Success--Maximize Members’ Efforts
Here are ways the Idaho Association of REALTORS® maximizes members’ involvement in the association's government affairs efforts.
Keep members informed. An informed member who knows the issue and the process is a powerful ally. An ill-prepared member can be your worst nightmare. We provide members with talking points and the pros and cons--especially the cons, because we believe it's imperative to understand the opposition--of an issue. We use meetings or a broadcast fax to get the message out.
Tie legislative efforts to RPAC fund-raising. We keep our entire membership informed of legislative activity, especially when the Legislature is in session. Members who contribute $49 or more toward RPAC also receive the association'sCapital Insidernewsletter, which provides in-depth analysis of key issues under discussion in the Legislature. It's an effective tool in raising RPAC contributions and keeping politically active members involved and informed.
Involve members in candidate endorsement process. The foundation of our work with the Legislature is finding and supporting candidates who are trying to win seats, and we actively involve our members in that process. During the legislative election cycle, the local associations and the state association in Idaho are responsible for interviewing legislative candidates and making recommendations to the state RPAC. We provide local political organizations with a state candidate questionnaire and encourage members to participate in interview panels in their area. Such activities raise the value of the state association in the minds of the members and make our organization even more effective.
Help get members elected. The ultimate in political involvement on the state level for members is to get elected to office. That can be a great asset to the organization because those members understand REALTOR® issues and can be valuable allies. We aggressively identify and assist REALTORS® who seek office, provided they support the association's issues. However, we respect the fact that their legislative constituency is broader than the REALTOR® family. Most of our REALTOR® legislators have great voting records on our issues; however, we understand that on rare occasions they may not be with us. The key to preserving a strong working relationship in such instances is honesty and respect for one another's positions.
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