What Are Policy Influencer Groups and Why Should You Engage With Them?

 

A common pillar of an effective advocacy framework is an engagement plan for working with policy influencer organizations (sometimes referred to as third-party groups). These groups are united by a common interest or constituency in the policy space. Third-party groups impact public policymaking but are not made up of state lawmakers (those groups are considered policymaker groups or intergovernmental organizations).

Rather, here’s what we consider “policy influencer” organizations:

• Chambers of commerce that speak on behalf of businesses that span multiple industries. 

• Trade associations that provide the perspective of one particular industry or related businesses. 

• Think tanks and policy research organizations that produce original research or data on one or multiple public policy issues. 

• Grassroots advocacy groups that engage lawmakers and voters on particular policy actions.

Some organizations may fall into a few of these categories, and many may belong to a network that works together. Additionally, these organizations can be local, state, or national in scope. 

Like businesses, policy influencer organizations seek to influence policy discussions through lawmaker education or direct lobbying. For example, a taxpayer advocacy group will likely try to exert its influence on legislation seeking to increase or decrease taxes, while a statewide trade association representing manufacturers may weigh in on discussions about wage mandates or workplace safety restrictions.

Policy influencer groups can help you push your advocacy priorities across the finish line, but only if you have the right plan in place. Your specific plans, and the groups you decide to engage with, will depend on what policy goal you are trying to accomplish. But, if your organization is facing a policy debate that is trending nationally and you need external groups on your side to drive your point home, the following steps should be taken to build your policy influencer group engagement plan. 

(1) Audit the Policy Landscape Based on Your Focus Issue

As we’ve noted before, any plan is going to be very dependent on your policy or advocacy goals. It’s best to focus your audit on a single goal or single issue (you can always create multiple engagement plans for your various issues). Before you do anything, you’ll want to know who the policy actors are in your particular area of focus. 

For businesses, a good first place to investigate is your industry’s trade association or state chamber of commerce. If you are in a nascent industry, identifying burgeoning state or national coalitions may be the first best step. State chambers of commerce can have the loudest voice in the room when it comes to advocating pro-business policies. Next, you may want to look into any influential local or metro-area chambers to see if they’re heavily engaged in your policy agenda. 

Similarly, statewide trade associations will represent a specific industry. Trade and business groups will generally organize efforts to address policies that directly impact their industries in the state. Like chambers of commerce, there are groups at all levels in this category that might be influential. For example, most industries have national trade associations that may partner with state or local counterparts. 

Beyond the industry groups that have direct links to your organization, the next area to focus on is think tanks or policy research organizations. Nearly every state has a free market think tank producing research and briefings on health care, energy, fiscal policy, and K-12 education issues. There are also a number of progressive organizations engaged in state policymaking through the likes of the Center on Policy and Budget Priorities, Brennan Center for Justice, and Urban Institute. Some think tanks have the capacity to lobby lawmakers, while others focus on producing original research, briefings, and op-eds on public policies. The key thing to note for these organizations is to know their strengths and who is the best advocate to speak to your issue. You may want to engage with a particular organization because they’re trusted by lawmakers important to your cause, or because they’re a trusted thought leader on a particular issue. 

The last group to focus on are 501(c)(4) advocacy groups, otherwise known as grassroots advocacy groups. These are organizations that are often issue-driven on lobbying lawmakers and very politically active in the campaign space. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or Americans for Prosperity can activate grassroots support for legislation in states. Most advocacy groups with a national presence may have state chapters set up to target issues specific to that particular state. 

Don’t make the mistake of only auditing the organizations that are on your same side of the issue. It’s also important to do a landscape analysis of thought leaders that are in opposition to your issue. This will help you anticipate pushback and prepare for it in advance.

(2) Establish Communication 

Once you’ve identified potential partner groups, make it a priority to introduce yourself and establish a regular cadence of communication with them. Like any working relationship, your job is to listen and understand how the organization approaches policy. Beyond your interaction with your point of contact, sign up for their newsletter and follow them on social media to stay updated on their activity. Take the time to build relationships with individual staff members, as well. A good way to start is to reach out to any membership or external affairs staff to introduce yourself and your organization if you have not yet met. It’s always a good practice to establish communication before a policy crisis. 

(3) Show Support 

There will also be ways to show your financial support to partner organizations — and this may be a requirement if you want them to prioritize what’s important to your organization. If the group is a membership organization, you may need to join the organization (this will likely be the case for a chamber of commerce, state trade associations, or state taxpayer associations). If the organization is a nonprofit, you may want to consider becoming a supporter of the organization by becoming an annual donor or a sponsor of a particular event. In some cases, you may be asked to provide a contribution towards a foundation or campaign that is central to the stakeholder organization. 

Showing public support for partner organizations you work with is another great way to build towards a long-term, product relationship. Whether it’s posting on Linkedin about the work they’re doing, or discussing the organization’s policy wins on a conference panel, public displays of support can help further working relationships and also open up new opportunities with other stakeholder groups. 

(4) Create a Plan When It’s Time to Activate 

When it comes time to call upon organizations for help in educating or advocating on a policy, come prepared with a plan of action and an idea of how to best leverage that particular group's strength. For example, if you are working with a coalition of organizations on briefing lawmakers or providing testimony on a particular piece of legislation, make sure that all relevant talking points are coordinated beforehand and that everyone knows their role. It isn’t always productive for every organization to target every lawmaker — be strategic.

Most importantly, don’t make the mistake of calling on a policy influencer organization to help you if you haven’t taken the time to build a long-term working relationship. Play the long game! 

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This article appeared in our Stakeholder Engagement News on March 1, 2024. For more advice like this, click here to sign up (and don't forget to check the Stakeholder Engagement box) and explore our past editions here.