Reactive Lobbying Doesn’t Get You Fed—Proactive Strategy Does

Most organizations don’t lose in government because their goals are bad.They lose because they’re waiting.At Banks & Company, we think about lobbying the way I learned to think about pancakes as a kid.My grandmother Foster made the best pancakes I’ve ever had—better than any diner, anywhere. And like a lot of kids, when I wanted pancakes, I used to wander into the kitchen and just… stand there. I figured if I waited long enough, she’d come in and make them.She looked at me one day and made it plain: standing there wasn’t going to produce pancakes.So she did something that changed the way I think about outcomes to this day: she taught me the recipe. No waiting. No hoping. No guessing. If I wanted pancakes, I needed to know how to make them—then make them.That lesson maps perfectly to the difference between reactive and proactive lobbying.Reactive lobbying is “waiting at the stove.”A lot of organizations hire lobbyists who operate in a reactive mode:* They wait for a bill to be introduced* They wait for an agency to propose rules* They wait for an executive order* They wait for budget decisions and appropriationsThen they scramble—late, behind the curve, and usually responding to someone else’s agenda.That approach can keep you busy. But it rarely gets you the outcome you want.Proactive lobbying is “making the pancakes.”Proactive government affairs starts with a different mindset:If you want change, you don’t wait for government to invent it for you.You define what you want—then you translate it into the actual vehicles government uses to act:* Statutory change (laws): pass it, amend it, or defeat it* Appropriations (funding): not just authorization language, but real dollars* Administrative rules: shaping what agencies can and will do* Executive action: orders, directives, and policy implementationThen you do the hard part: you build the pathway and the coalition to make it real.What Banks & Company does differentlyAt Banks & Company, our work is built around a straightforward promise:We don’t just “monitor government.” We move it.That means we sit down with you and get precise about:* Your desired outcome (what does “winning” actually mean?)* Which lane of government controls it (legislature, executive, agency, budget, local authority)* Who the real decision-makers are (and who influences them)* What the “recipe” needs to be (bill language, budget language, rule concepts, executive package)* How we sell it (stakeholder strategy, messaging, meetings, coalition activation)In other words: we help you stop waiting on government to “make your pancakes,” and instead we help you put a plate in front of decision-makers that’s ready to approve.The outcome: you get fed—and you get resultsToo many organizations with good missions and serious objectives get stuck reacting:* reacting to bad bills* reacting to negative funding decisions* reacting to rules that should have been shaped earlier* reacting after the window to win has already closedProactive lobbying changes the timeline. It puts you earlier in the process—where the leverage is.If you’re ready to stop standing at the stove, Banks & Company is ready to help you make the pancakes—and serve them to the people who have the power to act.Connect with Banks & Company* Website: www.bankscompany.us* Email: [email protected]* CEO: [email protected]’s go make these pancakes.Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe