Over the last 28 years, I’ve worked for both NGOs and industry as a political consultant (plus politicians and the Commission).
I’ve been fortunate to work for some of the most effective lobbyists and campaigners that industry and NGOs had to offer.
There were a number of qualities that mark out the most successful lobbyists and campaigners from the rest. Having large piles of money was not one of them.
There are many well funded campaigning and lobbying efforts that lead to little or nothing – they don’t move the policy or political needle one degree.
To be sure, you’ll need resources to engage. You’ll need credible data and evidence to support your case. You need a policy solution (surpsingly hard for many). You’ll need to turn up and speak to some people – but Teams calls and phones exist. With some thought, you could mount an excellent lobbying effort based from your beach hut in Spain.
I’ve know interests who have spent a small fortune to move the policy debate and had little to nothing to show for it. They tend to claim that their failure is usually down to some malevolent political forces who stepped in to the surprise of all to derail certain victory at the last moment.
I’ve met NGOs and industry lobbyists who have claimed a pivotal role in influencing a decision or vote. But, when your speak to the arvchiecehts of that decision or vote, they’ll admit that they have never heard of those masterminds of the decision.
11 Qualities to Look For
If I look at the characteristics of the few genuinely successfull lobbyists and campaigners, who have a track record of continued succees, I’d emphasise:
-
Trusted. They are trusted by decision makers. They keep their word. They don’t switch their position to please people on a whim.
-
Respected by decision makers and influencers.
-
They are a particpant to change /the decision, not a distant observer.
-
They know the decision making process in Brussels and in a few of the key national capitals [as to EU decisions].
-
They speak for a constituency/interest that decision-makers want to hear from.
-
They have a plan – that’s written down – on how they’ll the bring about policy/political change.
-
They can deal with political reality – how the world really is, rather than a fairy tale world.
-
They have the right temperament. They don’t make things personal. They can work across Party lines.
-
They can communicate in a language that decision-makers can understand.
-
They focus on delivery and execution. They are not the types to spend their time in internal meetings.
- They have a long term perspective. They understand that changing policy/political mindsets, takes a lot longer than most realize.
There are only a few campaigners and lobbyists I’ve met who have all 11 qualities. I think you need them all. These are the people who deliver political miracles.
If you combine that list of 11 with good resourcing, you can move political mountains.
Where to invest your resources
If you have a lot of €/$, and none or few of the 11, my guess is that you’ll fail to move the political / policy needle in the direction you want.
Don’t pile your resources into sunk costs – staff, offices etc. If I look at the actions that had the most significant political/policy ROI, they all came out of the blue, and a small investment in a report, video, speaker led to massive positive returns.
I hope one day a bright PhD student will critically examine the question of ROI in lobbying/campaigning. My gut sense is a lot of €/$ spent is splashed up against the wall with little or no positive impact.