Advocacy and Policy

Government Relations: Cornerstone of Effective Advocacy

Judy Pfeifer

Published on October 16, 2008

Governments have the ability to profoundly impact the work of non-profits. Changes to funding, policies or regulations, or changes that can have a significant impact on your organization or your constituency, are often made with little consultation or in isolation by governments. With so much influence resting with governments, Judy Pfeifer says, it is critical that non-profits articulate their positions and interests to politicians and civil servants as early and often in the process as possible. This presentation will provide you with hands-on tips and tactics that you can use to create your own government relations program and speak on behalf of your organization. Topics include: how to increase your organization’s profile with government; how to establish and build relationships with government; how to establish your “thought leadership” credentials and how to engage key stakeholders and media as well as political and bureaucratic influencers.

Five Good Ideas

Match your organization’s priorities with the government’s priorities
Be solutions driven – highlight the issue and propose a “practical” solution
Establish and keep cultivating your relationship with the government
Identify and work with other organizations in order to strengthen your efforts to influence public policy
Build your relationships with the opposition parties and different media

Five Good Resources

“The Prince” by Machiavelli
“Why Women Should Rule the World” by Dee Dee Myers
“Hardball: How Politics is Played” by Chris Matthews
“Harper’s Team” by Tom Flanagan
Bloggers: the top 25 political bloggers

Judy Pfeifer

Chief Public Affairs Officer, Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA)

Judy Pfeifer is a recognized leader in corporate reputation, communications strategy, advocacy and stakeholder relations. She has held senior leadership positions across multiple sectors, including private, not-for-profit, financial services regulatory and public sectors.

She has played a leadership role in a number of projects you may know such as the re-design of the Museum Subway Station, a new City of Toronto Act, the creation of the Greenbelt, and creation of community benefits to name a few.

Judy has been recognized for her ability to build teams from the ground up and inspire high-performing teams resulting in multiple communications awards. She was also nominated as an outstanding leader, Women’s Infrastructure Network. As a Chartered Director, she brings governance expertise to boards and has served on multiple boards, including her current role on the Community Food Centres Canada Boards. Finally, she is a sought-after speaker on public engagement, stakeholder relations, and communications and has been a Professor at Seneca College.