Government Engagement:
A summary and our approach
What is Government Engagement?
At Tanck, we view government engagement as the building of enduring and meaningful relationships with politicians and other government stakeholders. When done well, government engagement creates real connections between people and strong foundations between organisations. This is all about moving away from transactional relationships to ones that are deeper and more impactful. For not-for-profits, great government engagement results in mutual and wide-ranging benefits for the charities themselves, their government partners and community members.
We talk a lot at Tanck about structural and systemic approaches to government engagement. What do we mean by this? Well, for us, this is about having a government engagement strategy and approach that breaks down siloes and stereotypes to maximise all of the people and resources in your organisation. Of course your board and executive have an important role to play in government engagement but so do your frontline staff, administrative team members and subject matter experts. Every time we develop a government engagement strategy, we look to tap into the collective capacity, talent and connections of your whole organisation, rather than just one or two high profile leaders.
What is Government Relations?
In essence, government relations is about how your organisation communicates and interacts with government stakeholders. This could be with elected representatives, regulatory bodies, the policy-making arms of government, public inquiries and more.
At Tanck, we tend to use the terms government relations and government engagement interchangeably. We do have a slight preference for government engagement as we view this as a more contemporary way of building deep and meaningful relationships that involves a two-way exchange of information and mutual benefit. Government relations is also often associated with engaging a lobbyist, even though that is only one option when it comes to engaging with government.
Why bother? Why is government engagement important?
How you engage and partner with government is absolutely critical - its importance cannot be understated. Effective government engagement, advocacy and campaigning can secure funding, increase funding, enact policy change and legislative change, support grant and tender applications, mitigate risk, and raise the profile of an organisation or issue.
Many for-purpose organisations aspire for their chosen innovation or initiative to secure core government funding, become a government program or be a game-changer in shaping new policies and better laws. This begs the questions – what is likely to be backed by government in the first place and for the long term? Who in government do you need to engage and connect with? And what systems and processes can you draw upon to support you along the way?
Whether at an election, during a budget, or in everyday government decision-making, politics is all about people. Each vote represents one person who supports an idea, person, policy, or funding opportunity. It goes without saying, then, that to successfully work with government you need to build meaningful and enduring relationships with people in government, opposition, and the public sector. These people can become your ‘champions’ - the people who will lobby and advocate for your organisation within government and the corridors of power. This philosophy is at the heart of our government relations services at Tanck.
What are my government engagement options?
There are many ways to approach government engagement, be it outsourcing to a lobbying firm, leveraging your existing networks, employing an in-house expert and more. See below for a high-level summary of the most common government engagement approaches we’ve encountered over the last decade.
Network
The networking mode of government engagement is all about tapping into and relying on your existing political and government relationships. These could be friends, family members, colleagues or acquaintances. Ask yourself how strong these connections really are?
Bootstrap
A common approach in the not-for-profit sector, bootstrapping is characterised by minimal investment, strategy and resourcing. If this sounds like you, it’s worth considering whether you’re being proactive or reactive, and what could be realised with a more intentional government engagement strategy and approach.
Lobbyist
The name sums it up here – this option sees organisations engaging a lobbyist to open doors and have conversations on their behalf. We suggest reflecting on whether someone outside your organisation is best placed to speak about why you exist and what you do, and if the return on investment is worthwhile.
In-house
Rather than outsourcing to an external agency, this approach is centred on recruiting a team member to lead your government engagement efforts. Ask yourself whether they are operating in a silo, can engage across all political parties and are a good cultural fit?
Capabilities-based
Last but by no means least is the capability building approach, which is how we work at Tanck. This option focusses on building knowledge, skills and confidence across your team and board to tap into your collective passion, resources, and networks. Key here is considering how you can structurally embed government engagement across your organisation, including if bringing in a consultant or contractor would be useful.
If you’d like to learn more, check out this blog which digs a bit deeper into the pros and cons of each of the government engagement options above.
What are the pros and cons of government relations?
Government relations is an essential part of working strategically and effectively for most organisations, including for not-for-profits, charities, NGOs and social purpose organisations. It can be important to weigh up the pros and cons of government relations before preparing your government relations strategy.
Pros of government relations
Access to resources and networks within government and the media.
Secure government grants and funding.
Change policies and laws for the better.
Amplify your organisation’s voice within government.
Invitations to closed tender opportunities.
Mitigation of organisational risk.
Boost the status and reputation of your organisation within your sector.
Scalable based on resources, organisation size, and projects.
Low-cost with potential for high return on investment (though this does depend on the government relations approach and resourcing you decide on).
Cons of government relations
Difficult to know where to start.
Opaque government processes hard to understand.
Requires some time and effort.
What is charity advocacy or not-for-profit advocacy?
Charity advocacy is when one or multiple not-for-profits speak up about a social or environmental challenge. Not-for-profit advocacy is generally focussed on raising awareness and understanding, changing policies and laws, and increasing funding for an issue or sector. These aims often overlap with the outcomes sought from government relations.
Some people prefer to use other terms instead of charity advocacy or not-for-profit advocacy. For example, the phase systemic advocacy has become popular, which can be defined as advocating for a systemic issue a group of people are facing.
In addition, many use the term advocacy when speaking about charity or not-for-profit advocacy. This works well in some places but may be confusing in others given there are many other types of advocacy, such as:
Self-advocacy is when an individual advocates for their own rights and needs, recognising that they are the experts when it comes to their lives and experiences. A note that individual doesn’t mean isolated or on their own; other people and organisations can and do support individuals to self-advocate.
Family advocacy involves a family member of a person with lived experience advocating on their behalf.
Peer advocacy sees somebody with similar experiences (e.g. being discriminated against) or demographics (e.g. shares the same disability) advocating for another person.
Citizen advocacy is when a member of the community advocates for somebody else. As with family advocates, this ideally happens in consultation and collaboration with the person with lived experience.
Legal advocacy involves a legal professional or a legal organisation advocating for an individual’s rights or a broader social challenge in society. Legal advocacy can be focussed on changing the law or setting new legal precedents.
All types of advocacy, including charity advocacy, ideally happen collaboratively and in consultation with the person or people with lived experience of the challenge at hand.
THE FIVE BIGGEST MISTAKES SEEN IN ADVOCACY
ON THE TANCK BLOG | Take a few moments to check the most common mistakes social purpose organisations make when it comes to advocacy and campaigning.
What is political lobbying and should I hire a lobbyist?
Lobbying is the act of advocating on behalf of an organisation, campaign, or movement to influence government decision-making. Lobbying on behalf of your own organisation is perfectly legal and is how many charities, not-for-profits, and for-purpose organisations retain the government funding required to perform their services. At Tanck, we strongly believe that embedding lobbying and advocacy capabilities within your existing team is an important part of a successful government relations strategy.
Paid political lobbyists are individuals or enterprises who generally charge exorbitant costs to advocate on an organisation’s behalf. Lobbyists typically rely on their existing networks to pressure decision-makers to varying degrees of success. Lobbyists regularly come under intense scrutiny for integrity concerns, which has led to Australian lobbyists having to follow strict legislative requirements - including publicly disclosing their clients as well as who they have met with. Given the negative connotations of utilising paid political lobbyists, many in the for-purpose sector avoid using them so as to not be included in the media spotlight of public disclosure lists.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the best lobbyist for your organisation and your cause is you. There is nobody who will be a better advocate or campaigner because there is nobody who better understands your organisation, its political history and impact. That’s why, at Tanck, our government relations services are focussed on building your organisation’s capacity and capability to lobby on your own behalf.
ON THE TANCK BLOG | Many not-for-profits and social purpose organisations unwittingly find themselves on lobbyist registers. It is critical you check to see whether you are also in this situation.
Government Engagement Principles
We’ve outlined five government engagement principles that underpin and drive effective government engagement.
Engagement principle 1: Build in-house capability
This is about developing enduring relationships within your organisation, which are owned by your board, executive and team.
Engagement principle 2: Be a tortoise, not a hare
To see meaningful results, government engagement is a medium to long term game. Being patient is key.
Engagement principle 3: Ensure relevance and provide evidence
Focus your government engagement strategy and approach on mutual benefit, and only share news and updates that pitches to your audience’s interests.
Engagement principle 4: Have a heart
Remember that individual politicians and bureaucrats have their own aspirations and agendas… but that they also have feelings and families. A human gesture of sending congratulations or commiserations can go a long way.
Engagement principle 5: Don’t be a one man band
Ensure your government engagement activity brings in your board, executive, team and other supporters. This mitigates risks of turnover and better shares the load.
In our experience, embedding these five engagement principles into your government engagement strategy and activities goes a long way in building relationships and achieving outcomes.
ON THE TANCK BLOG | In this article, we identify the three attributes that help organisations achieve funding, policy or legislative goals.
Who’s who in the zoo when it comes to government engagement?
Best-practice government engagement requires direct contact with a broad base of government stakeholders. Once initial contact has been made, it’s important to nurture these relationships over time. This includes contacting people from each of the five key government stakeholder groups:
The executive: These are the Premiers, Treasurers, Ministers and Shadow Ministers who make decisions regarding government or opposition policy. Some may also sit in the Cabinet or Expenditure Review Committee (also known as the Cabinet Budget Review Committee). They are often time-poor and require special consideration to engage effectively with them.
The politicians: These are the Members, Senators, and Candidates who make up the broader base of Parliament, often referred to as ‘backbenchers’. They are typically focused on re-election, and are easier to approach than the Executive. Tailoring communications that speak to their interests (or self-interest) is often the best way to gain and hold their attention.
The policy departments and agencies: The public sector makes up the operational arm of government - consisting of apolitical bureaucrats, department officials, and public servants who generate and implement policy and program detail. Government services are typically administered by the public sector or paid for by these departments but delivered by third parties.
The central agencies: The Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet (PMC), Premier and Cabinet (DPC), and Treasury (or Treasury and Finance) make up the Central Agencies. They deliver whole-of-government policy advice, budget advice, and public sector workforce leadership.
The political parties: Political parties are made up of the roots and branches of the particular values and ideologies present within each party. This is often where policy begins, from simple ideas to grand ambitions, and the party of government will almost always draw from their political party to inform their choices in government decision making. Particularly in an election cycle, party offices play a greater role in pursuing particular funding or policy agendas.
Our theory of change at Tanck
Context: What is a “theory of change”?
A theory of change articulates the impact you create and how. It does this by tracking how your operational activities contribute to your greater impact. Nailing your theory of change is a case of working backwards, filtering down from your high-level impact to your outcomes, to your outputs, to your day-to-day activities. A clearly articulated theory of change is a powerful tool to support your government engagement, stakeholder management and advocacy work.
Work backwards to identify which activities will best support your impact
More on our government engagement services at Tanck
All of our government engagement services and activities can be delivered through a mix of in-person and virtual solutions, including regular meetings, workshops, seminars, conference presentations and more.
Every day, we work with impactful organisations who have brilliant ideas, solutions and services with the potential to address the wicked social problems of today and tomorrow. Many of these ideas and solutions align to government priorities, but few secure government funding.
At Tanck, we strongly believe in the power of cross-sector collaboration, be that not-for-profits partnering with the private or public sector. Helping for-purpose organisations navigate and more effectively engage with government is at the core of what we do.
Our government engagement services have a number of components, which range from strategic to tactical engagement, and ensure that framing speaks clearly to problems and solutions. This includes collaborating with our clients to paint a really clear picture of the positive outcomes their services and solutions will drive, which is generally an inspiring and effective way to engage government.
So what do we actually offer when it comes to government engagement?
Government engagement strategy
We start every government engagement project with a government engagement strategy. After all, you need to be crystal clear on your value proposition, direction and priorities right from the get go. When crafted well and implemented effectively, a strong government engagement strategy ensures everyone in your organisation is on the same page in terms of why you are engaging with government as well as the how, what, where and when.
Government engagement resources and tools
With a government engagement strategy in place, it’s time to map the key inputs and outputs across your whole organisation. This provide the clearest possible picture of your resources, presence and impact.
From here, we collaborate with our clients to translate their presence and impact into a compelling political narrative, tailored to the unique stakeholders most relevant to your organisation. There are a number of activities that come into play here. There’s a mapping component whereby we identify the government stakeholders with the power and influence to either advance or hinder your cause. We also often work with our clients to map their stakeholders and activities on an electorate-by-electorate basis, which is vital to effective engagement with elected representatives. There’s so much more we can and do offer when it comes to government engagement resources and tools, including drafting one-pagers, letter templates, event calendars and more.
Government engagement capability building
Capability building is at the heart of how we work at Tanck. That’s why we look to build government engagement capability from the onset and ongoing in all of our projects. We do this through regular coaching and strategy sessions, providing feedback, and being available to answer questions and address concerns.
For us, this capability building approach means the skills, knowledge and confidence are embedded across your organisation. This means the capacity and capability is in place when we walk out the door and key person risk is reduced because multiple people in your organisations have been upskilled in government engagement.
This ensure your engagement at all levels of government is most effective, including:
How to navigate complex stakeholder relationships across government and the parliament, federally and in every jurisdiction;
Co-design and support for the creation and implementation of a dynamic communications, stakeholder management and government engagement strategy, utilising relevant tools from traditional to digital platforms; and
Game planning and role-playing scenarios of engagement with high value stakeholders, to ensure your interactions deliver the best outcomes possible.
Our step-by-step government engagement guide
As a leader looking to drive positive social change, what does all this mean for you and your organisation? We’ve outlined the five key steps that we consider to be critical in securing major government support to scale up your idea or initiative.
Step 1: Commit to a combined approach and the required resources to get your program ‘government-ready’ in conjunction with structured government engagement activities.
Step 2: Develop a government engagement strategy with consideration to the engagement principles we mentioned earlier.
Step 3: Determine whether your program is ‘government-ready’ (see questions below) and work towards your idea or solution meeting all of them.
Step 4: Review whether you are ready to take your idea to government. Do you have the right skills to engage, advocate and transition? Are you able to exit gradually (and gracefully)? Have you identified and mitigated the risks? Is there appropriate funding and resourcing in place to drive success?
Step 5: Communicate. Collaborate. Review. Repeat.
Getting your initiative ‘government-ready’: An engagement framework
As we mentioned in the step-by-step guide above, you need to make your idea or initiative ‘government-ready’. This is no easy task. Governments are looking to service diverse and even disparate communities, to balance competing priorities, and to allocate limited resources effectively. They are required to align to a portfolio of policies, and they know to expect criticism regardless of whether they change or don’t change. In addition, governments often have particular bureaucracy and compliance requirements that may make them risk-averse and can prohibit innovation.
Having a government engagement framework that provides strategic and operational guidance in securing major government support is vital. This is something we often collaborate on with our clients, especially those seeking to assess a program’s readiness to be scaled into government.
We recently came across a Stanford Social Innovation Review article that outlines a great framework to support you in getting your initiative ‘government-ready’. We’ve pulled out some of the key insights and overlaid them with our own experience:
Solution design – what actually is the solution you are suggesting? Are you able to articulate it in a clear and compelling way? What is your evidence that your solution is effective and preferable to other alternatives? What is needed to manage and operate this solution, and how might these things change if the solution is run by you or by a government department? In our experience, we often find co-design to be a valuable activity in developing, reviewing and articulating a solution.
Resourcing and structure – what human, financial, technological and other resources are required to deliver the program or initiative? Do you have some or all of these in abundance? And what about the government agency you are seeking to partner more closely with? Looking at the resources in government, could some assets be substituted for others that are readily available? How might your current organisational or program structure be integrated into government? The key here is trying your darndest to understand the government perspective and resource status.
Financial management – how do government budgets and finance differ from yours? How might current program costs grow and evolve with (economies of) scale?
Policy and regulation – what are the specific laws, regulations, policies and other government mechanisms that are required to achieve the outcome you are working towards? Are these in place or do they need to change? Might they differ during a transition to government as opposed to ongoing implementation? If you’re not across how to change government instruments, it’s well worth looking into. For instance, alterations to regulations tends to only require Ministerial approval whilst legislative change needs Parliamentary approval.