Building a grassroots advocacy force

What is grassroots advocacy? It can be defined as an organization's membership directly reaching out to its respective elected officials in support of or in opposition to a policy. NRCA's grassroots team is made up of roofing professionals from throughout the U.S. who come together in support of common industry interests. Unlike traditional lobbying, grassroots advocacy comes directly from the constituents represented by elected officials. By combining traditional lobbying with grassroots advocacy, NRCA's political presence becomes stronger, and the roofing industry's influence becomes more significant in Washington, D.C.

In January 2017, NRCA launched a robust grassroots advocacy plan, and during the past year and a half, roofing professionals have responded. The grassroots advocacy plan was built around two key elements: online advocacy and face-to-face member engagement with elected officials. It is crucial roofing professionals continue to make their voices heard, amplifying the issues affecting their companies and their industry.

NRCA Grassroots Advocacy Network

The NRCA Grassroots Advocacy Network, roofingadvocacy.nrca.net, is an online portal designed to encourage members' engagement with their elected officials. The platform complements other tools NRCA's government advocacy team uses, including ROOFPAC and traditional advocacy on Capitol Hill.

The NRCA Grassroots Advocacy Network helps members better engage with elected officials and communicate with NRCA's government affairs team. Through the web portal, you can:

• Take action: This tool makes it easy to email members of Congress. When you receive an Action Alert from NRCA, please take a minute to send an email to your members of Congress to express support or opposition for legislation affecting the industry.
• Become a key contact: Using this tool, you can help NRCA leverage any relationships you already might have established with members of Congress. The information provided is used by NRCA's government affairs team to better use resources.
• Share your story: This tool helps you share anecdotes about how federal policies either help or hurt your company. Stories help members of Congress understand how federal policies affect constituents and can help a representative or senator fully understand an issue.

Some of the current issues NRCA is asking its members to get involved with via the NRCA Grassroots Advocacy Network include workforce shortages, career and technical education programs, the H-2B visa program and the Regulatory Accountability Act. All these issues directly affect roofing professionals and their businesses.

Face-to-face meetings

In addition to encouraging members to use the tools provided by the NRCA Grassroots Advocacy Network, NRCA's Washington, D.C., staff works with members to build stronger relationships with their elected officials in person.

This year, NRCA organized Roofing Day in D.C. 2018, the first grassroots event of its kind for the roofing industry. On March 6-7, more than 400 roofing professionals came together with one voice to communicate the roofing industry's position on issues of industry importance. NRCA is proud of the roofing professionals who participated and hopes to grow the event next year.

However, it is essential advocacy doesn't stop after members visit congressional offices in Washington, D.C. To continue sharing the industry's message conveyed during Roofing Day in D.C. 2018, NRCA encourages members to engage their elected officials at home.

Following are a few ways you can interact with your elected officials:

• Congressional meetings: A great time to meet with your members of Congress is when they are in their home states or districts. NRCA will work with you to set up these meetings and provide talking points regarding priority issues.
• NRCA's site-visit program: Inviting a member of Congress to visit your office or job site can add extra context to your discussion of policy issues. Elected officials always appreciate an opportunity to throw on a hard hat, talk to constituents and learn about how everyday policies affect businesses. They don't mind if you take a few photos, too.

The future is now

Now is the time for NRCA members to engage with their elected officials and help make the voice of the industry heard by legislators. NRCA looks forward to the industry's influence continuing to grow as roofing contractors, distributors, manufacturers, service providers, affiliates and other roofing professionals choose to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill. To learn more about grassroots advocacy, contact me at (202) 546-7584 or npick@nrca.net.

Nathan Pick is NRCA's director of advocacy and political affairs in Washington, D.C.

This column is part of Rules + Regs. Click here to read additional stories from this section.