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Educating Newly Elected Officials

Did you know that…

• local, state and federal governments support nonprofits through tax incentives for charitable giving, grants and contracts, in-kind support, tax exemptions, special zoning provisions and more, and
• policymakers pass legislation that directly impacts the individuals you serve and the resources you protect.

With new officials in office it is important for groups to introduce or re-introduce themselves to policymakers. Building relationships with officials is key to fulfilling an organization’s mission since local, state and federal elected-officials are directly tied to the success of your organization.

Everyone’s budgets are tight and staff time is limited, however, there are a few simple activities that all organizations can do to improve relations with policymakers. The following are low-cost and require minimal staff time to implement:

• Add elected-officials to your mailing list (those that represent your district and/or are active in the issues you care about will be most receptive to these mailings). Be sure to send a constant-flow of information, including newsletters, annual reports, donation requests, etc.
• Send a letter introducing your organization, who you serve and how your organization serves the official’s district. Be sure to talk about the group’s social and economic benefits to the community.
• Invite your elected-officials to visit your organization.
• Go to visit your officials.
• Email MNA at skeneeri@mnaonline.org or call MNA at 517/492-2400 to obtain a free-directory of government officials that can be placed directly into your organization’s database and mailing lists. Also after the New Year, MNA will again provide all MNA members with a hard-copy government directory.