Government Engagement Plans

A good government relations strategy doesn’t start with a stakeholder list. It starts with knowing exactly what you want government to do, and why. Here’s how to build a plan that gets you there in three steps.

Step 1: Identify your burning issues

What specific initiatives, projects or policies do you want government to fund or support, and how do they connect to your organisation’s broader goals? Get time with your senior leadership team to align on what’s genuinely important, and link your campaign objectives directly to that. It makes your ask easier to articulate to external stakeholders, and easier to show internal stakeholders the impact of your work later.

Keep in mind that what feels critical to you may not register the same way with your stakeholders. Choose your priorities carefully.

Step 2: Articulate your goals and KPIs

Get clear on the objective first, then set incremental targets that move you toward it. If the goal is more favourable coverage of an issue, track positive media mentions. If it’s raising awareness, a target might be a set number of quality meetings with priority stakeholders — engaging both sides of politics, since today’s opposition is tomorrow’s government.

Step 3: Map your stakeholders

Be ruthless about identifying your priority stakeholders. All politics is local, so scan Hansard, social media and media releases to see what’s front of mind for the people you’re targeting — or use Pulse to monitor all of it from one place. You can also map stakeholders by geography, based on where your organisation has a presence in their electorate.

Don’t overlook candidates either. They’re often actively looking for allies and opportunities to connect, and even if they don’t win, they have a habit of reappearing later as advisers, MPs and Ministers.

Want help mapping your stakeholders and monitoring what they care about? [See how Advoc8 can support your engagement plan.]