Building Blocks | Needs Assessment | Issue Identification and Policy Development | Issue Tracking | Issue Management | Lobbying | Research | Outreach | Political Contributions Strategy Development | Charitable Giving | Grassroots | Trade Association Participation | Compliance & Ethics Reporting | Measurement & Results

It takes time and resources to build a new business, product or service … building a government affairs program is no different.

Similarly, there are many tools – or tactics – that can be used, and the successful organization is able to draw on different resources and build different responses to address their problems.

In the ever-evolving world of public policy, flexibility is important. At the same time, resources need to be utilized in a manner that is consistent not just with immediate needs, but with the organization’s long term business philosophies and goals.

At Jefferson FifthCo, we structure our relationship with each client individually to achieve the needed balance of long term/short term perspective.

Decades of experience is brought to bear to help you identify your problems and opportunities … and to respond to them in ways that will benefit the organization. This includes helping you develop the strategies needed to address your long term objectives, as well as helping you create, develop and implement programs to respond to more immediate challenges and opportunities.

We approach the development of any solution or program review on a “building block” basis. This allows us to implement specific tactics as your situation dictates. Depending on your needs, these programs could include:

• Needs Assessment
• Issue Identification and Policy Development
• Issue Tracking
• Issue Management
• Lobbying
• Research
• Outreach
• Political Contributions Strategy Development
• Charitable Giving
• Grassroots
• Trade Association Participation
• Compliance & Ethics Reporting
• Measurement & Results

Needs Assessment

What are the problems and/or opportunities your organization faces within the public sector? How does government help or hurt your business? Are there better ways for government to solve problems, without negatively impacting your business?  

Our principals will meet with key management to assess the current situation and then develop preliminary strategies that are necessary to help your organization minimize its risks and/or maximize its opportunities.

In some cases, the needed information is readily available; in others additional intelligence is needed … on policy issues, trends, key stakeholders or decision makers, political structure or history, etc. We will work with you to gather the information needed to fully understand the current situation, and to create a plan that works

Once that framework is established, we’ll work with you to determine available strategic responses and to develop a cost-effective program to pro-actively implement that solution.
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Issue Identification and Policy Development           

Once an organization has identified its most important issues, developing the most appropriate response or position on these issues is critical. This is an integral step that requires thoughtful consideration and vision.

Typically these issue policies are developed by a team with input from Senior Management, and ultimately reviewed by the Board of Directors.
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Issue Tracking and Early Alert System

Collectively, the federal, state and local governments introduce tens of thousands of new laws each year. 

There are a number of ways to gather the information you need about these activities. Broadly speaking, these include both quantitative and qualitative systems.

Quantitative systems can help you identify and track legislative and regulatory proposals in real time, enabling your organization to maintain a current and accurate perspective on the policy landscape. If executed effectively, these systems can identify problems as legislation or proposed regulations are introduced.

Qualitative systems go even further, helping you identify activities while there is much more time to influence outcomes. It is far better to know you have a problem before the words are printed, than to wait until proposals have been introduced. 

Our staff will work in concert with your organization to manage and maintain these systems. Reports on items of interest can be generated daily, weekly, or monthly. Jefferson FifthCo staff will meet with your organization routinely throughout the year to ensure your needs are being met, and we are always available by phone.

At Jefferson FifthCo, Issue Tracking is far more than simply providing you with a monitoring system and information. By drawing on the resources available to us – resources that include more than 50 years of experience in policy advocacy at all levels of government – we can help you turn that information into strategic intelligence … a critically important perspective you can use to determine your organization’s future.
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Issue Management

For critically important issues, an organization needs a highly focused effort to address problems on a regional and/or limited time basis.

This often involves coordinating a number of the “building blocks” that make up a government affairs program, but in a very targeted manner.

Jefferson FifthCo, by design, is structured to be able to quickly mobilize a campaign as extensive, or exacting, as needed. And, because our principals have such a broad base of experience and contacts, they are effective in building and managing a wide range of project teams.

Real success in this arena is achieved by investing the time, expertise and energy before you have a crisis that can be damaging to your enterprise.
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Lobbying

Lobbying has always played an important role in a highly sophisticated industry and government affairs program. But in today’s world of term limits and change, lobbying is the single best way to respond to or prevent problems and to take advantage of opportunities. 

Whether your organization needs to change or create policy, or wants to sell services or goods to government, there is no substitute for high caliber, high integrity and well-respected professionals who can communicate your message.

So, how do you ensure you hire the lobbyist who is right for you … and that this resource delivers a premium return on your investment?

This is an area in which the Jefferson FifthCo approach truly stands apart!

When it comes to lobbying, there is simply no substitute for relationships. Lobbyists' stock and trade is built on relationships … not just the contacts the individual has, but the level of credibility with those contacts. This is why we work with well-established lobbyists who have an intimate understanding of the political environment in which they operate ... local, state, federal and international. We align ourselves with the best!

At the same time, it’s absolutely essential that these individuals – selected precisely because they are well-grounded locally – also have a firm understanding of your goals and expectations. We provide that perspective, throughout the life of the task at hand.

By staying involved – by managing – this critical resource on an ongoing basis, we help make lobbying more effective and efficient for all involved.
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Research

Information is power.

An organization new to government affairs – or facing new or emerging issues – often needs additional information to fully understand the current policy environment … and to solve or prevent problems in cost-effective ways.

Jefferson FifthCo can help you develop that perspective by building in-depth intelligence about your issue, which will lead to successful solutions to your problems. Some of the basic assessment tools include:

• Analysis of important trends and their policy implications
• Understanding the motivation of key decision makers and political structures
• Leveraging the interests of key stakeholders
• Understanding the history of a given law or regulation
• Understanding public opinion through focus groups, opinion polls or survey research
• Engaging experts from the academic or private sectors to conduct research

Whether you need to build an understanding within your organization, or more broadly, among key stakeholders, Jefferson FifthCo will help you find the supporting data you need.
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Outreach

By its very nature, a pro-active government affairs program requires an organization to reach out to the various audiences it hopes to influence. To understand. To educate. To motivate.

Stakeholders, such as employees, customers, stockholders, and product or service providers are political assets. Leveraging the importance of your organization to the communities in which you and your stakeholders live, work and pay taxes will broaden your voice to a broader circle of constituents within your community.

Industry coalitions and allied groups are also critical to success. Unfortunately, living in a democracy is not free. Building consensus among effected parties requires work and resources … but it is through the strength of numbers that success is achieved. Some coalitions among interested parties already exist; others need to be established, strengthened or refocused.

Jefferson FifthCo will help you identify core constituencies … and to develop and implement an outreach plan as needed.
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Political Contribution Strategy Development

Political Action Committees and corporate political contributions are an important part of any government affairs program. Yet, so often, these efforts are isolated, individual acts, directed almost at random by the personal preferences of managers throughout the organization. At best, they are piecemeal, uncoordinated efforts at good will. At worst, however well-intentioned, they may be working at cross purposes with the organization’s strategic goals. It is important to ensure that your organization does not violate the laws governing political contributions and that a centralized, coordinated effort exists.

Developing a strategic plan for political contributions is an important part of the services offered by Jefferson FifthCo.
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Charitable Giving

Most successful organizations recognize the need to give back to their communities, and do so generously. What is often neglected as part of this process however, is the failure to leverage charitable giving.

Jefferson FifthCo believes that government affairs is not an isolated activity to done in a vacuum.  Rather, interacting in the public policy debate is as much a part of being involved and developing your organization's personality as giving to the local little league baseball team. Charitable actions can net added value with those who must form opinions about the caliber and character of your organization. Capturing political benefits that accrue from charitable giving is smart business.
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Grassroots

How does a “groundswell of public opinion” begin? How is it sustained?

Grassroots communications is an integral component of a comprehensive and successful government affairs program. While not every issue warrants such response, when the situation is critical and the stakes are high, an organization must be prepared to tap into the strength that comes from numbers.

To mobilize grassroots support, you must be able to educate and motivate key constituencies – so that they in turn will communicate with legislative representatives and other policy makers. Waiting until this support is needed may well be too late to begin the process of communicating with your stakeholders.

One of the building blocks available to you at Jefferson FifthCo is the expertise to swiftly build this system so that when you need it, it is ready.
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Trade Associations

Trade associations can serve as a cost-sharing approach to managing government affairs activities. Some industries have strong and well developed trade associations; others are in their infancy. 

Trade associations exist primarily to manage the government affairs environment … to be that third party that engages the external world. The most effective trade associations offer experience and relationships that individual members do not have on their own. How a given organization participates in a trade group depends on a variety of criteria. Do you want to lead?  Do you want to let other companies or members determine the industry goals, priorities and directions? Or, do you just want to go to the trade show once a year?

As economists say, “There ain’t no free lunch!” So, how do organizations maximize the return on their trade association dollars? By being involved.

At Jefferson FifthCo we bring a seasoned perspective to participating … and managing … your organization’s involvement with your trade associations. 
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Compliance & Ethics Reporting

Doing the right thing … and doing things right have never been more important. Whether at the local, state or federal level, there is a complicated web of laws to obey. Ensuring that no laws are violated gives a CEO and General Counsel reason to stay awake at night!  Publically traded organizations have had a serious dose of new rules, and regardless of your corporate status, each state and the federal government has rules for political contributions, entertainment and registration for lobbying activity.

Jefferson FifthCo takes this arena very seriously and offers services to administer and ensure organizational compliance at every level of government, for activities in which your organization is engaged.

This is too important of an area of the law to get wrong.
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Measurement & Results

For most organizations the bottom line is the bottom line. At Jefferson FifthCo, we recognize the importance of accountability.  Our goal is to contribute to your organization’s profitability regardless of how you measure that success. 

We are committed to developing metrics whereby you can judge our results.  This is part of what you get when you hire us … because in the end, that’s what matters most.
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