SVP Capacity Building in Action: Outcomes of SVP’s Government Relations and Strategic Communications Session

We heard from our Investees & Alumni organizations that Government Relations and Strategic Communications are high priorities for them. At SVP, we strive to build capacity and tailor programming to where it is needed, with support from internal and external Partners. 

Last month, we invited two top-notch consultants, Parm from Core Firm and Megana from Emdash Agency, to offer a government relations and strategic communications workshop to our Investees and Alumni organizations. The session covered topics such as engagement planning for local government officials, strategic communications planning, relevant tactics and media for government audiences, immediate next steps given the conclusion of our Federal election, and more.

Key Takeaways from the Event

• Establish an engagement plan that includes relationships with key contact and staff, multiple follow-ups, and in-meeting plans such as staying on message, and assigning a notetaker. 
• Effective communication plans start with strategy (who, what), and then tactics (where, how) and maintain flexibility in core messaging 
• If Federal MPs and staff are part of your target list, now is the perfect time to connect with a “Congratulations” message and establish a plan for future contact cadence.
• For fast, tailored emails, SVP’s Director of Development and Engagement, Janelle, highly recommends Gmass extension for Gmail.

Practical Tools and Knowledge Gained for Future Use

This was a very well-attended event! Thirty-seven participants from twenty-five different organizations attended the workshop, indicating how important this topic is to our Investee & Alumni community. In a follow-up survey about the workshop, respondents were quite positive, with 100% of respondents indicating that they learned something new from this workshop. One participant noted the content was “directly relevant and the presenters had a very high level of expertise and were very accessible.” Another participant stated how practical the takeaways were and how it provided a great starting point as they were struggling with where to start. For those who had not yet delved into the Non-Profit Power Up Toolkit, having support to navigate it live was very helpful.

The Non-Profit Power Up Toolkit is run by Emdash Agency and Core Firm. It is designed to empower organizations and help them build crucial relationships across the political spectrum. From effective government relations to engaging advocacy, these tools will help them reach more people, set the narrative, and move the political needle. This video goes through the full training session provided by speakers from Core Firm and Emdash.

Important sessions like this one illustrate SVP’s Capacity-Building program in action. The support we provide can enhance the core skills, management practices, strategies, and systems of our non-profit partners, to ultimately enable an organization’s effectiveness, sustainability, and ability to fulfill its mission. The high turnout for this event is an indicator that this was a well-received topic and we’re grateful to have been able to help fill this need, with support from our SVP Partners and Consultant Partners Emdash Agency and Core Firm. 

More about Emdash:

Emdash is a strategy-focused communications and design agency that builds campaigns

and brands for social change. Since 2009, we have partnered exclusively with the for-good sector, addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time, including decolonization, climate change, gender justice, and equity.

More about Core Firm:

The Core Firm is committed to driving transformative change and empowering organizations to thrive in today’s complex world. We offer a comprehensive suite of strategic advisory services designed to address the diverse needs of our clients, including executive support, project management, public affairs and strategic communications. Core Firm’s experience & expertise includes training and supporting organizations to navigate all levels of government relations.