TSAE Members Answer the Question: What Are Some Successful Strategies You Have Seen or Used for Association Advocacy Work?

One of the strategies that proved successful for American College of Emergency Physicians recently was a campaign to gather individual member stories about how one of our key issues (emergency department overcrowding) impacted the quality/outcomes of patient care. Our efforts to compile those accounts of the situation on the ground led to a national summit of key stakeholders to further explore how we can solve this crisis together. – Mollie Pillman, MS, MBA, CAE | American College of Emergency Physicians

We employ a lobbyist, so that in itself is very helpful. Beyond that, we offer training to our members on Legislature 101 and how to advocate for the industry. We developed a toolkit for our members with talking points, data points on our industry’s economic impact, how to find who represents you, and how to track bills, and we do a Capitol Day with our members visiting legislators and their staff to discuss our industry priorities. – Erika Boyd Texas Travel Alliance | Texas Commercial Airports Association

Association of Texas Professional Educators has just launched an online state-level advocacy microcredential program that is a prerequisite for joining the association on a series of in-person visits to the Capitol this session. More than 40 members have earned the microcredential, and more than 150 have enrolled. A combination of training, opportunities to pitch in as a grassroots advocate, and ample communication keeps our members motivated. We are in the process of developing additional microcredentials! – Kate Johanns, CAE | Association of Texas Professional Educators

At Texas Association of Life & Health Insurers, we’ve had a lot of success with our monthly “Capitol E-Blast” emails to all Texas legislators, their staffs, and staff in the Lieutenant Governor’s and Governor’s offices. With these emails, we will highlight a sector of the life and health insurance industry, provide stats on how our industry supports the Texas economy, or give some sort of advice on the importance of budgeting and financial planning. These monthly emails are a great addition to the in-person events we host, such as the “Securing Your Financial Future” lunch we held with a financial planner association, where we educated Capitol staff about life insurance and financial products and how they can be a part of their own financial plan. This event educated these staff about our industry and gave them advice they can personally use. – Jennifer Cawley, JD | Texas Association of Life & Health Insurers