Action Strategies is offering a Pro-bona lobbying grant

Kicking off 2010, we're grateful for all the support we have received over the course of the last year. As part of our desire to demonstrate our continued dedication to the non-profit sector, we will be offering our services pro-bona to one deserving organization seeking to make their case to Parliament.

As part of this offering, we are providing up to a year of ongoing federal government relations support to nationally based organizations to include:

- relationship development and meeting coordination with civil servants, Members of Parliament, and Senators
- legislative monitoring to ensure your organization stays on top of the issues
- government grant research and writing (if required)
- grassroots campaigns to mobilize your supporters before government

If this is of interest to your organization, we ask that you submit your proposal/ request outlining the following items:

- a complete profile of the organization including a break down of the board of directors and their biographies
- a description of your organization and its history of building networks of support/ membership across Canada (or in the least a minimum of 2 provinces)
- describe the cause you are seeking to support and why Canadians (and why legislators should care)
- describe the media coverage your organization has managed to garnish

We look forward to your proposals!

___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

Do non-profits and associations allot professional development funds in public relations or marketing for their staff?

I've started a discussion on my LinkedIn group. I'll hope you'll check it out:

Do most professionals prefer in-person training, or distance learning (i.e. webinars)?

http://tinyurl.com/yapfj75

Best regards. Mark


LinkedIn Profile: http://ping.fm/ckBJ1
LinkedIn Group for Non-Profit Public Relations: http://ping.fm/A0dPY
LinkedIn Group for NonProfit Government Relations: http://ping.fm/1hqCe

Mark A. Buzan, APR
Principal & Chief Magnifier
Action Strategies
#3, 270 rue Champlain
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 3S1
819.770.2899 phone
877-336-2701 toll free fax
http://ping.fm/HZ9RV (Action Strategies website)
mark@actionstrategies.ca (email)

How Association Executives can Maintain and Track Networks of Contacts for better Lobbying

As 2009 comes to an end and Parliament prepares to recess, it's time to take stalk of your network of contacts and process for monitoring the legislative and regulatory process. There are 312 Members of Parliament in Ottawa and 105 Senators. With anywhere from 10 to 20 different committees meeting each day referring through hundreds of testimonials and background materials, even the most seasoned association public affairs professionals can find themselves encountering challenges. Add on the need for media monitoring to put a contextual and political analysis of affairs and the process becomes all the more challenging.

At Action Strategies, we have been able to maintain a consistent level of contacts through a number of techniques that include:

Attendance at political fundraisers: also a social opportunity, political fundraisers can be a great opportunity to not only demonstrate one's tacit support for a politician, it also positions my clients in a favourable light when we respectfully disagree on a point of order or want something changed. Also, if you are so inclined, volunteering in political parties can also help your cause.

By mixing our public relations activities with our government relations services, we multiply our contact base: It amazes me each day that as we serve our association and non-profit clients in their social media, public relations and marketing communications needs, inevitably we we often find ourselves undertaking initiatives or attending networking events that put us in contact with other professionals who share their contacts with us. Also interesting is that in many instances, legislators themselves often take part in these events offering an opportunity to relay my clients concerns onto them in a social atmosphere.

Find Other Opportunities to Maintain Contacts – Local organizations often have their Senators and Members of Parliament speak at luncheons and other gatherings. Many MPs also frequently schedule “Town Hall Meetings” where any area citizens can talk with them. Look for such events in your area and go, or have someone from your company attend, and talk with the Member, mentioning your company. Send a follow-up letter to them after any personal discussion. Also, send them a letter at least several times a year commending them for some position they have taken, even if it does not relate specifically to your business. Members need to know that you are paying attention to what they are doing and that you care.

Maintaining and monitoring legislative and political digests - To be an effective practitioner, you really do need to have a grasp on a number of different subscriptions, publications, and media sources to monitor committee meetings, upcoming legislation, and who said what. Keeping on top of this information can be a challenge but it also provides us the chance to identify up-and-comers.

By implementing these strategies and maintaining my contacts from the time of when I worked as a Legislative Assistant to Jason Kenney, MP, I have been able to open doors in many corners of government.

Finally, I cannot stress enough the value of putting in place a system of monitoring the progress of legislation and identifying the possibilities of regulations that can come about regularly. Each year, hundreds if not thousands, of regulations and bills go through the system. While many associations stay on top of the issues of importance to their membership, it can be a tall order to fill expecting them to know of every possible politician's quote affecting their issue, Private Member's/Senator's Bill, upcoming committee hearing date, or regulation. For this reason, I believe the value of engaging legislative monitoring into your advocacy efforts cannot be overlooked.

Addressing this point, Action Strategies has launched it's newest GR service: Legislative Monitoring. Are you on top of everything occurring on Parliament Hill and in the Provincial capitals? What have been your experiences in developing networks of contacts in the legislative system?


___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

Are you moving your organization into 2010 with a Social Media Strategy?

Social media, like it or not, is here to stay. Unfortunately, many non-profits and associations still remain confused on how to implement social media into their communications initiatives. A mystery for many, social media need not be beyond the capacity of non-profit organizations.

When Action Strategies works with it's clients on social media strategy, we work to repurpose your organization’s online PR and social media strategy is so as to wire together any content that you produce into many different web sites, in as automated a process as possible. To be effective, you need to have an understanding of how this will fit into your overall public relations and establish which social media presences will be your "anchors" vs. your "outposts". We walk our clients through developing a very robust identity and set of connections on specific Anchor Sites (eg LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, etc), and then develop a thinner identity on a large number of Outpost Sites. The Outposts lead people both to your Anchor sites and to your main web site. At the same time, your friends/connections/contacts will be connecting to you through your Anchors, and your prospects, clients and the media will find you through better and more consistent exposure on Google.

By undertaking an outpost and anchor strategy, the objective here is to connect with audiences all over the social media sphere (and internet) and draw them into your website, blog, or in the very least, your anchor sites where your team most regularly interacts with fans and supporters.



Posts on outpost sites incite visitors to your profiles downwards through to the various other positions your organization holds on the net and as a result, allow them to connect with other fans of your cause. In addition, by creating such buzz on so many other sites on the net, your organization's position in Google search engines improves and the likelihood of connecting with media, sponsors and other connections increases too.

Because the power of your strength in social media rests upon continually putting out good and relevant content, the challenge comes in assuring that your potential audiences receive information about your organization through the numerous internet forums they prefer. The trouble of course in all of this is identifying which out of the 300+ social media sites out there will act as your anchors and outposts. As an organization, you cannot nor should you try to be in every single sphere of activity. Answering that question involves the first step of a social media strategy: the social media audit which answers clearly where your audiences are located and how you need to reach out to them.

Do you know where your audiences are in the social media sphere? Give us a call for a free consultation and quote on setting your organization on the right step.
__________________
Mark Buzan is principal and chief magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service strategic communications, public relations and public affairs consultancy for nonprofits and associations. Contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Yes, Non-Profits CAN Build an Energized Fan Base with Social Media

As many know, last week, I hosted my first independent webinar. It was a great success with over 95 registrants from all over North America. Many requested a transcript or recording of the presentation and as such, I invite you to take a look:

Open up the video in a separate window and/ or download it
For your information, the video is in Quicktime and runs for a total of 54 minutes, 21 seconds. (Click here to download Quicktime). You can also download the slides in Powerpoint format here or in Keynote format here.

__________________
Mark Buzan is the Principal and Chief Magnifying Officer in Action Strategies, a full service Public Relations and Advocacy consultancy for associations and non-profits. He employs a number of services such as social media in order to aid his clients increase support and engage their stakeholders. Please register for his free newsletter series in public relations or government relations.

Are your blogs receiving comments?

As mentioned earlier, this past week I was speaking at the Canadian Society of Association Executives' Annual convention. During this time and as a result of the comments I received as well from last week's webinar on social media for non-profits, I thought it pertinent to address a recurring question. Namely, "why isn't my blog receiving any comments"?

To answer that question, my response would be the following:

1. How inviting and relevant is the need for commenting? From the beginning, your metrics may need to consider whether or not people are actually visiting and reading your website. Reading through the website of the Social Networking and Media Association (SNAMA), I found an interesting stat that showed very clearly that on average, most social media participants are "lurkers". In other words, they're often more interested in consuming information on blogs than in actively participating. So...don't be so hard are yourself! In my view, the number of unique visitors and other metrics you can receive from Google Analytics is more valuable.

2. Is your content boring?? More often than not, visitors may come to your blog and think "hmm...so what?" In my view, if your constant objective is to elicit comments, you're going to need to become a thought leader and be provocative. For associations, this lesson is all the more pertinent - whether seeking comments or not. As the experts in their respective field, associations have an obligation to be ahead of the pack.

What are your thoughts?
___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a PR and GR Consultancy for non-profits. Subscribe now to his newsletters at www.actionstrategies.ca

New Book Released: Online PR & Social Media for Associations and Not-for-Profits

Well..new news. After much deliberation, research, trials and errors, I'm happy to announce the release of my first book. Back in March, I placed a YouTube Video on this blog announcing the launch of a trial and error process to learn specifically how non-profits can build a fan base through social media (you can view the video by clicking here). The end result has been a book I have co-authored with Randall Craig of Pinetree Advisors which I believes goes far beyond the far too common hype around social media. Instead, we've aimed to offer concrete step-by-step advice on how you can leverage this great new communications tool for your organization. I sincerely hope you will check it out:


___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

CSAE Conference: Lessons in the Need for Strategic Plans

For those not already aware, I'm here in Toronto this week attending the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) annual convention. While there are a number of subjects we have already covered and undoubtedly more will come, one topic in particular stands out:

"Why do good association executives get fired?"

Presented by Jack Shand (Leaderquest Inc.), there are a number of factors that point to indicators of why matters can go awry. More often than not, association executives themselves are not to blame. They are the victim of poor strategic plans or the lack thereof of any strategic planning itself. When non-profits exist in a vacuum of a clear idea of where it is that they are going, boards and volunteers (not to mention staff) can be left in a guessing situation of what can be expected as measures of success. When this occurs, association executives can soon find themselves in an environment where no matter what they do, their efforts and hard work can be quickly placed in doubt. While the ramifications of this may seem evident for senior association and non-profit staff, I cannot help avoid thinking that from an effective communications or even government relations perspective for NPOs, there are important lessons to be learned as well. PR and lobbying efforts in an association environment will only be as effective as the planning processes that exist behind them.

Strategic planning is needed on two levels. First, a non-profit itself needs an overall strategic plan that sets a clear mission and direction. It cannot be a vague document nor can it set out a laundry list of "to-do's". If an organization's overall strategic plan is unclear, it cannot be expected of a communications professional or lobbyist to reach clear goals. After all, as communicators and government relations professionals, we set in place initiatives with the objective to back up an organization's strategic plans. In the same tune, communications and government relations initiatives need to have their own planning processes. If we fail to plan, we plan to fail!

So, what are your thoughts? Do you think association and non-profit organizations given enough attention to strategic planning? What about in general terms towards the need for communications and advocacy planning? I argue that more than ever, NPOs need to pay more attention to the value of planning of course for the strategic direction of their organization - but they also need to pay attention to the value of strategically planning their advocacy to government and their communications. Without such clear objectives laid out, too often we see the professionals that act in this sphere fall victim to the whims of boards of directors who may not have the insight of all of the ins and outs or successes that have occurred.
___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

A new webinar: Social Media Strategies for Associations and Non-Profits

Booked for November 24, 2009 at 1PM EST.

Engaging Members & Supporters in Grassroots Lobbying

Many associations and advocacy non-profits engage in lobbying. What sets them apart however from corporations who also lobby is that they have an important asset at their disposal: a membership & supporter base. Understanding this concept, earlier in my career as the Director of External Communications for the Canadian Construction Association, I coordinated a nation-wide campaign initiative to engage CCA members into the 2004 federal election.

Faced with frustration at the lack of attention CCA was receiving from federal legislators regarding its issues, I was assigned with a strategy to raise the association’s profile. Undertaking a full year effort to identify construction industry champions on Parliament Hill and opportunities where significant legislative advances could occur, I developed a strategic plan that included the following:

1. An interactive website was developed especially where the media could learn about construction issues and members could login specifically to a special area of the website to download a series of manuals and ideas on how to influence candidates in their region.


2. A specific communications campaign to the Members was undertaken to educate them on the election and how their involvement could make all the difference.


3. Options for sharing content were provided and members were also trained/ encouraged to forward on news of the campaign to colleagues.

Over the course of a year, I succeeded in earning the association an invitation to participate in consultations with the federal government over reforms to the Bankruptcy Act. Approaching the policy developers of each of the five federal parties present in Parliament, I also succeeded in having aspects of the CCA’s position reflected in each of the party platforms during the 2004 general election.

Now...it is important to note that all this occurred before the rise of social media and social networking. I am currently experimenting means of how these grassroots campaigns can be all that more improved with interesting results. Now, with the expanding world of social media, lawmakers are creating Twitter accounts. Granted, the person actually doing the tweeting probably isn’t the lawmaker, but this does provide another avenue, on top of paper, phone calls and emails, to communicate with elected officials. Other effective means of grassroots advocacy is occurring through specially made applications that permit sharing of content and as a result, engage other supporters as well.

Whatever your strategy, a grassroots advocacy campaign will need to consider the key elements of what will engage and motivate supporters towards your cause.

Give us a call for more information!
___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

Best practices in Media Relations: The Canadian Convenience Stores Association

In late September, Action Strategies was engaged by the Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA) to assist them in a Quebec-wide awareness campaign to lower the taxes on legitimate cigarettes to combat the sale of contraband tobacco in the hands of youth. Concerned by studies that upwards of 30% of the tobacco in the hands of minors was originating from illegal sources, I undertook a campaign of identifying journalists in the Outaouais region who would be interested in covering the story.

To be most effective and ensure CCSA received the value they deserved, the following tactics were undertaken:

1. Lists of very targeted journalists were developed: Good media relations requires good lists! Before sending out a press release, I make certain to qualify a list for the right contact information and to ensure the list or coming release is appropriately targeted to the identified journalist interest.


2. A specialized email tracking system is used to distribute communiques: I believe in going one step further than simply sending out via email or fax a news release. Too often, it is far too easy for a communique to be lost in the morass of email/ mass communications an average media outlet receives in a day. To be most effective, Action Strategies uses our specialized distribution system. Once a communique is sent, I know exactly which journalists have received and opened my message. When I conduct my follow up calls, I know as well which links they have clicked upon and as a result, I can gage their interest.


3. Follow up, Follow Up, and more Follow up! Journalists are a busy bunch. Merely leaving a message or relying on an email message is no guarantee the media has received your invite. It is certainly not enough for me to ally the concerns of my clients that the media will take interest. In as much as it is possible, I endeavor to connect personally with each and every contact on my list conveying the importance of the story or the "pitch" as we say. In delivering this pitch, I use the principles I addressed in a blog posting from one year ago: "Pitching by Phone"

Undertaking these tactics for the CCSA, Action Strategies successfully organized a press conference and radio interviews that secured interviews on:

Le Droit

TAG Radio FM

Revue de Gatineau

TVA (television)

We can do the same for your organization as well! Contact us now for a quote on our media relations services to non-profits and associations.
_____________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Can traditional networking compete with Social Networks? Recruiting Members in the Facebook Age

Being a member of a business association or volunteering for a charity used to be the ultimate ways to network -- that is, until LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter came along! How can your membership-driven organization survive and even thrive within a landscape of always-on social networking? These are questions I know that trade association executives are facing these days particularly as they attempt to reach out and recruit Generation Y into the leadership of their board and into their staff. Added to this challenge is that for many associations, the perceived value their members receive from their annual dues comes from the opportunity to connect with colleagues, broaden their knowledge of the field and possibly network to build their business. However, in a downturned economy, chances are that members will be looking to other means outside of association events to make these connections.

The key to "bums in seats" at association networking events relates to engaging your members and supporters. To compete and ensure they remain engaged, you must make sure that you provide value to your members and donors and if you’re already providing value, you must make sure you communicate that value. Members, and especially Gen Yers are very savvy "consumers", electronically connected, and they are looking for value.

Communicating that value will require non-profits to undertake a paradigm shift. In an internet age where your potential market for support is bombarded for appeals for help from thousands of causes, non-profits need move away from mass appeals and work towards narrow casting their message. In other words, addressing messages that directly appeal to the individual.

If you are looking to learn more on this subject, I fully encourage you to register for our November 4th webinar on how non-profits can use social media to build rewarding networking opportunities for their members and supporters.
_______________

Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service strategic communications, public relations and public affairs consultancy for non-profits and associations. Find him on Twitter at @markbuzan.

Keeping busy association members active and interested

Quipped from an excellent article I found from the Education and Training Unit for Democracy and Development (a South African based non-profit) that deals with a challenge many associations face comes an interesting consideration: What are you doing as an organization to keep your members engaged and involved. Many professional associations face this challenge and the need to address this challenge becomes all the more relevant when your association relies on volunteer power, your members keep very busy schedules and even more so when membership in your professional association is not a regulated requirement.

Keeping members active

Many organisations lose members as fast as they recruit them. There are common problems we all have in keeping members involved and active. Here are some typical ones:

The organisation's meetings are long and boring
Members do little other than to listen to leaders talk
A small clique has all the power and does not encourage others to get involved
Members are not valued and are never thanked or praised for the work they do
Members feel useless or frustrated
The organisation has no projects that members can be involved in
Members feel that they are getting nothing out of the organisation.

People usually join an organisation because they want to do something for their community. But they also want something out of being a member. You should find out what motivates members and make sure you manage them so that they stay motivated and involved. Members are usually motivated by:

Feeling that they are valued by the organisation and making a contribution
Opportunities to learn new skills or get education about issues that interest them
Working on issues that will improve their lives or the lives of their families and communities
Feeling part of a team
Activities that entertain them or add to their social life
Rewards in terms of status, personal development or access to employment opportunities.
Here are some of the things you should do to keep members motivated and involved:

1. Do an introductory induction workshop for all new members so that they understand the organisation and its work


2. Welcome and introduce all new members at the beginning of each meeting


3. Run regular education and development sessions for all members - either as part of regular meetings or in special workshops


4. Encourage members to get involved in projects and campaigns


5. Give people responsibilities and tasks and team them up with experienced members - they will feel useful and valued


6. Thank people and praise them in meetings for work done


7. Structure your meetings so that they are exciting and everyone gets a chance to participate


8. Organise social events for members such as picnics, parties and outings


9. Leaders should spend time talking with members and getting to know them

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Want to Learn Social Media for NonProfits? "Working Knowledge" Webinar Series Now Launched

I promised it would be here and I've kept my promise. Action Strategies has teamed up with Wild Apricot, the internet's leading integrated set of web tools combining membership, event and website management for associations, clubs, online communities, membership website, non-profit organizations and other groups. How can your membership-driven organization survive and even thrive within a landscape of always-on social networking?
Being a member of a business association or volunteering for a charity used to be the ultimate ways to network -- that is, until LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter came along! What kind of event will generate interest? How will you get the word out? And how will follow-up with attendees to make sure your hard work doesn't end with simply having a great event? For charities, it seems there are more causes than ever making the ask for a shrinking amount of people's hard earned money. How will your organization ensure fundraising success for now and for the future? These are all questions I hear often as a constant preoccupation for non-profits, charities, and associations. Over the course of November and the first week of December, a three-part webinar series will be delivered covering all the aspects of how your organization can:

1. Leverage Social Media to double the networking value your members and supporters can receive from your organization
2. Double event attendance at fundraisers or your next convention through effective public relations techniques
   
3. Magnify and monetize your fundraising initiatives through sound and savvy communications techniques

So...I'd love to see you all out for what should prove to be an interesting learning series. Best of all, it's FREE! So what have you got to lose? Click on the links above and register your spot now.

If I haven't already mentioned, there's Twitter

I feel I must go into remiss...I have not been posting as much as I would normally like. That being said, do not believe I have been offline at all! More often than not, I am on Twitter daily posting interesting links and tidbits of information I find on Twitter.

I invite you to check out my postings at http://twitter.com/markbuzan
. Work is full steam ahead on my new book, "Social Media for NonProfits and Associations" and a new webinar series is set to be launched in two weeks on the subject as well.

In the meantime, please do write your comments for ideas and requests on articles!

Engaging Generation Y into the leadership of your NPO

In November, I will be addressing the national convention of the Canadian Society of Association Executives. Of the two subjects I will be addressing, none brings more frustration than comments I hear from non-profit executives regarding the sector's difficulties in recruiting Generation Y into their organizations. Many industries, especially those in the trades, quite rightly are concerned by the aging trends in their membership. Amongst associations, the concern exists that those most senior in leadership (staff and board) will be arriving near the end of their career. For charitable organizations, the need to adapt their fundraising and volunteer pitch to a new audience also means reviewing how they communicate to this demographic.

Known as Gen-Y or millennials, Generation-Y are individuals born between 1980 and 1995, at a volume of 80 million strong in the United States alone. Gen-Y has been raised on technology, so much so that their cell phones are extensions of their hands and text messaging, instant messaging and Facebooking are how they interact with others, even different generations. Older generations can learn a lot from these communities, to better understand who millennials are and what they’re about. One of the major concerns association and non-profit executives are facing these days is how to cope with Gen-Y, yet many of them don’t take the time to get to know them better.

This new paradigm means not only a thought shift is required but from a communicator's perspective, it means thoroughly different communications strategy. Social media is not just a "nifty" networking tool. It demands of associations and non-profits a complete strategy that integrates older and traditional communications strategies with online means of communication. Generation Y expects the ability to be able to use online forums and networking means to facilitate first contact and beyond.

Us "old geezers" have the challenge of showing them the value of face to face networking. By integrating old and new media based on solid strategy of why communication is taking place first off, I believe associations and non-profits will make the significant leap towards engaging Gen-Yers.

What do you think? Can integrating the two "magnify" the unappreciated value non-profits present before this demographic?
_____________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Training in Social Media Marketing for Non-Profits

Over the course of the last few weeks, I can honestly say I have been surprised by a continuing trend I have seen from those in the association sector. That trend has been the request to learn more about how they can leverage this new and emerging communications vehicle called social media. I believe this is a positive trend because there is no indicator from our data that Social Media will go away, in fact the adoption rates of Generation Y, indicate this is a trend (I'll even be speaking to this issues at the CSAE's annual convention in November). The trouble with social media is that with everyone able to create content and share the details of their personal lives in detailed minutia, the problem of excessive content becomes an issue. Every 60 seconds, 13 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube (says YouTube employee), and millions of tweets are generated every day. With so much content being created, how will one filter out what’s important?

Through all this clutter, non-profits face three challenges:

1st challenge: What do I say?: Determining content that will drive followers and recruit support requires serious thought and strategy.
2nd challenge: How much time should I be spending Tweeting or on Facebook?: Once you start tweeting or facebooking you will find that there is a lot of content and it is easy to spend a lot of time going through the content. Non-profit executives need an understanding of how they can coordinate staff and time resources to be most effective online without compromising their day-to-day operations.
3rd challenge: Staying organized: As one follows more folks on Twitter, it is easy to forget who they are or why I decided to follow them.

In response to these challenges, Action Strategies is launching a training module we hope to have ready by mid October covering the following issues:
Here are just a few of the inside techniques you'll cover in this intensive one-day workshop:

1. Learn how to monitor your reputation online, starting today


2. Discover how to set up a measurable, accountable social media program


3. Identify and track top blogs in your industry–––and decide the best time to join in the conversation


4. Acquire the techniques for placing the right messages on leading social media outlets, like FaceBook, del.icio.us, Digg, and YouTube


5. Harness the power of blogs and podcasts (including critical insight on who in your organization should blog and who should not )


6. Start using the latest Search Engine Optimization techniques to supercharge the visibility of your website and press materials


7. Find out the smartest (often ignored!) features of a social media newsroom

We are taking pre-registrations now for webinars and in-person seminars. Contact us today. I invite your team to book its training spot now!

New Legislative Monitoring Service for Non-Profits & Associations

Keeping track of legislation, regulations and committee movements on parliament hill and in various provincial capitals can be a wearying task for any organization. What's worse is the possibility of being caught off guard. To help our clients, Action Strategies is now offering a new service: Legislative monitoring and policy tracking. Action Strategies now delivers the information you need, when you need it, through automatic and personalized e-mail and handheld alerts.

Through real-time legislative, regulatory information and news, your issues are checked daily for committee action and process through the parliamentary/ legislature system. Hearing Alerts are sent to clients in advance of all published hearings. We monitor information from Ottawa, Queen's Park, and Quebec City ensuring it is filtered, tracked, compared, and archived. In summary, our new services provide the following:

Priority bill alerts are sent via email alerts to the client.

Bill summaries are written in-house and customized for each client based on a complete reading of the text.

Current bill text is attached to each bill report. Previous bill versions and amendments are also linked whenever available.

Extensive bill search capabilities

Complete committee schedules

There are many more service elements to share. We are also available to respond to client needs for additional information or assistance – at no additional charge. For only a few hundred dollars, your organization can be provided the piece of mind it needs to stay on top of the issues and avoid any unwanted surprises.

Give us a call for more information!
___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

The Case of NAIMA Canada & the benefit of legislative environmental scans

NAIMA Canada is a trade association for North American fibre glass, rock wool and slag wool manufacturers in Canada. Founded in July 2004, NAIMA Canada represents the industry in Canada to promote the energy efficiency and environmental benefits of fibre glass, rock wool and slag wool insulation.

Seeking to take its government relations efforts to each of Canada’s provinces, NAIMA Canada found itself short in terms of expertise and understanding of the process for effecting change in Quebec. It needed Action Strategies to counsel the association on identifying the appropriate contacts and channels to bring Quebec energy and construction policy in line with the organization’s needs.

On numerous occasions, NAIMA Canada engaged us to identify policy makers in the political and legislative spheres as well as in regulatory sphere of the Quebec government. Primary to our representation, we found that the Agence de l'Efficiacite Energetique (AEE) and the Regi du Batiment (Building Code Agency) were where there was a great need to constantly monitor how these two organizations intended to regulate energy efficiency requirements in the building code. Each organization produces countless numbers of reports and convenes a number of different task forces. Without the benefit of a dedicated resource to monitor and report all of this back, NAIMA Canada would have undoubtedly missed some critical opportunities to advance their cause.

In all, engaging Action Strategies meant the association had the counsel it needed on identifying the appropriate contacts and channels to bring Quebec energy and construction policy in line with the organization’s needs. Conducting an audit of the possibilities, Action Strategies delivered a full report on the where NAIMA Canada would have the most success.

I would have to say that the experience was a positive one for both of us. What experiences or thoughts o you have on legislative monitoring?
___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

Bill C-4, Non-Profit Reform Shows the Reason Associations Need Legislative Monitoring

In June, Parliament enacted a major reform that will affect thousands of non-profits from across Canada. Those organizations who are federally incorporated will need to re-register their incorporation and follow new transparency guidelines. After reviewing the documentation over the course of the summer, I must admit that directly speaking, C-4 is not overly political. However, it will have very broad-based impact on numerous associations and charities across Canada. Using this bill, here's how in just one example, not having monitored the on-goings of Ottawa could potentially place an NPO in hot water:

• The Bill requires all federally incorporated non-profits, associations, and charities to re-register their incorporation


• It also imposes important new requirements to demonstrate transparency to members and donors: C-4 establishes new rights for members and donors to have more access to the proceedings of their organization. Equally interesting, NPOs will have to give consideration of new forms and classes of members/ supporters. Moreover, the new law will mean as well that NPOs will have to account for their members' new rights to be able to participate in decisions via electronic means....again emphasizing the need for more transparency.

Not being aware of these factors could put an NPO board and executive in hot water! With such broad-based impact, Bill C-4 shows the value of legislative monitoring from a professional consultant. C-4 demonstrates this case from a wide-sweeping perspective. However, each organization I encounter has a number of its own issues and challenges. More often than not, NPOs don't always have the on-staff bandwidth to be aware of every possible piece of legislation or government regulation.

However, engaging a consultant to assist in the process of monitoring, allows for identifying and prioritizing challenges and opportunities for the NPO. By doing so, organizations are given a hospitable environment to grow. Excellent information and perspective are at the heart of any successful state and local government affairs program. Anything less is a handicap.

As part of a legislative monitoring system, consultants read each regulation, bill and amendment to identify relevant client issues, avoiding the critical errors that can plague services limited to keyword searches. These professionals perform bill tracking until final disposition, providing political perspective, or “outlook,” for each piece of proposed legislation.

Generally, legislative monitoring involves identifying the:

• Bill Sponsor (name and party affiliation)


• Summary of Major Provisions (emphasizing provisions of interest to the client)


• Status (report of past and upcoming actions)


• Outlook (a political assessment)


• Hyperlink to the full text of Bills/Amendments (when available)

Other aspects can be identified as well depending on an organization's needs
___________________________________
Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how Bill C-4 impacts on your organization, please contact him. Equally, drop him a line if you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca