A neighborhood group was struggling to have sufficient visibility and impact with City Hall. It had a positive relationship with the City Councilmember representing that community, but even with that support, it was difficult to get timely and helpful responses from the administration.
We created a messaging refocusing strategy to eliminate negative-based statements (e.g., “You never responded to our email/request 2 weeks ago”) to requests with opportunities for praise (e.g., “We know your department is inundated, but if you could possibly review our request, it would have a major, positive impact on our neighborhood, and we’d love to feature the project and your assistance in our newsletter.”)
Second, we began forming a coalition of neighborhood groups so that the impact of supported projects—and the number of voters it positively affected—grew larger. Also, the administration benefitted from dealing with the coalition, since a combined voice on fewer projects reduced the number of separate inquiries. Whenever possible, the coalition leaders stepped in front of negative and aggressive messaging coming from frustrated neighbors which helped the administration achieve successes while minimizing criticism.
Examples of services:
Strategic initiatives and political planning
Good Neighbor Agreements
Community Benefit Agreements
Petitions to Intervene
Building membership value
Financial controls
Officer transitions
Bylaws assessment
- Board and officer indemnification
- Elections
- Voting
- Whistleblower protections
- Mission and purpose
- Conduct of meetings
Risk assessments
Policy and procedure review
Administrative support services
