Be Anything But Boring: Making Your Lobby Day Stand Out

At DCS, we believe that organizing an effective lobby day is one part art, one part science.

After all, whether you’re in the PA capitol or your local city hall, you want your advocacy efforts to stand out — and that means getting creative. 

At the same time, having helped clients organize advocacy days (in-person, virtual, and hybrid) for more than a decade, there are some best practices we can share…after a lot of trial-and-error.

Number one with a bullet? Don’t be boring. Especially in the PA Capitol, your advocates may be one of dozens of groups making their case on any given session day. Want lawmakers to pay attention? Don’t look, sound, or act like everyone else there. 

Here’s how:

• Pick a theme: And no, “Lobby Day” doesn’t count as a theme (believe us, we’ve seen it). It should be catchy, it should be memorable, and above all, it should reinforce your group’s objective(s) for the day. Speaking of which…

• Identify your objectives for the day — and make them clear: Are you pushing for legislation? Regulatory change? Expanding organizational awareness? Your advocates are more effective when they know exactly why they’re there (and that you’re making the best use of their valuable time).

• Put some thought into your swag: Help your advocates stand out, from eye-catching t-shirts to stickers to signage. Even better, take it a step further — we’ve had advocates deliver everything from jigsaw puzzle maps to highlight the importance of fair redistricting, to sugar cookies printed with QR codes linking to info on full practice authority for nurse practitioners.

• Guide your advocates, but let their lived experience take center stage: Whether it’s assembling a speaker lineup or laying out the strategy for a legislator meeting, it helps to tell your advocates the key messages you want them to hit. But after that? Get out of their way. Many advocates have a powerful story to tell — and they’re more effective when they tell it in their own voice.

• Organize, organize, organize: It seems straightforward, but having someone play “air traffic controller” for your advocates can make or break a lobby day, especially in the famously labyrinthine PA Capitol. Make sure your attendees have an agenda for the day, know when to meet and where, and have designated point people to answer questions. 

Got any tips from your own lobby days? Let us know on Facebook or LinkedIn!