Critical techniques to increase the effectiveness of your environmental lobbying organization

Environmental advocacy is a diverse field. It encompasses both protecting the public from environmental harms and shielding the resources of nature. As successes have been secured at the local, state and national level, there is a growing awareness in the field that further gains will be contingent on inculcating the same professional capacities as private and government organizations that encapsulate best managerial practices.

When it comes to successfully founding an environmental lobbying organization you might find some good advice in the literature. Yet the ongoing running of such advocacy groups is another topic. Thus many environmental lobbying groups struggle to effectively manage. This article shares several insights from the field.

Collaborate with other environmental lobbying groups

The State of New York alone has over 400 environmental advocacy groups listed by the Environmental Conservation Department of Environmental Conservation. And in the last few years, there has been increasing levels of collaboration between geographically diverse environmental lobbying groups.

One driver of this trend has been reduced air travel costs – a trend that may now be reversing with skyrocketing fuel prices. Another cause is the availability of free conference calling services like Rondee.com.

All of these companies work on the same basic principle: they give you a PIN and a toll number to dial. If all users dial the same number and enter the same code, they are put into the call together.

Involve academic professionals

A frequent erroneous conception is that campus curricula is too far removed from the realities of environmental politics to be significant. However, programs such as that offered by Antioch University provide graduate level training in environmental advocacy and organizing. Indeed, they train young campus leaders for careers as advocates and community organizers.

Students at these programs are great candidates to be recruited as volunteers or leaders for your organization. Also consider seeking the participation of a faculty or staff member who can offer guidance and advice to your group. While students arrive and depart as the years pass by; faculty generally remain.

Stay well focused

The most effective environmental groups are ones that stay clearly focused on their mission and do not allow members or leaders to get enmeshed in peripheral goals. Virtually all environmental lobbying groups operate under substantial time constraints. Committing to three goals with 100% effort will generally yield superior results compared to tackling nine goals at 33% effort.

Augment your network

The most successful lobbying groups create networks of supporters who share their philosophy and mission. While the term networking frequently gets a negative reputation, the fact is these networks can provide substantial support and members can keep connected more effectively through conference calling systems. Indeed, associations provide the emotional support which is so vital to sustaining energy among group officers and members.

Use web technology more strategically

Some environmental advocacy groups have distributed leadership teams, and it is impractical to have face-to-face meetings. One solution is to use a desktop sharing application

Whether it's sharing a PowerPoint presentation showing the group's fundraising plan or a spreadsheet showing the tracking of performance, desktop sharing can be very useful for not a few advocacy groups.

The silver lining is that these suggestions are not expensive. Environmental advocacy groups can improve their performance through these techniques

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