NAR: Association Executives: Shared Government Affairs Director Guide

Program Spotlight: Shared Government Affairs Director

" Imagine an association where members are involved in state and local legislative issues, where issues that could be harmful to the real estate industry are stopped before gaining momentum, and where RPAC contributions are tripled. That environment is a reality for the Realtor® Associations in eastern Iowa who have joined forces to support a shared Government Affairs Director." -- Cathy Whatley, NAR President

Listen to NAR president Cathy Whatley speak about Shared Services. Click here: http://www.realtor.org/nar/pubs/gad.ram  Note: If you do not have the required RealPlayer browser plugin, you can download a free version of RealPlayer Basic from www.real.com.

Shared Services Partnering Associations: Iowa Association of Realtors®; Greater Davenport Board of Realtors®, the Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors®, and the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors®


GAD Sharing Program Increases Ease of Association Political Involvement

Realtor® associations in eastern Iowa have enjoyed several major legislative successes since they joined together to hire a government affairs director two years ago, according to Iowa Association of Realtors® EVP Marty Lee. Three local associations and the state association share the time and expertise of Zach Carstensen, a young lawyer and former candidate for state legislature, whose job is to lobby legislators on behalf of Realtors® and stimulate political activity among members on the local level. And his work is paying off, says Lee.

Since few local associations have the resources or the need to maintain full-time government affairs staff, the Shared Gad program was the ideal solution. Through sharing a GAD, three local associations have access to a professional lobbyist during those times when having such staff available is critical to achieving legislative success.

Boost member involvement in legislative issues
Another reason government affairs representation is critical on the local level is because that’s where most issues start, says Lee. “With Zach’s help, we’ve been able to stop initiatives that would be harmful to real estate early on, when they’re still at the local level and before they gain momentum”

Under the Iowa partnership, Carstensen, a full-time government affairs specialist, shares his time equally between the local associations under the direction of the state association, which helps pay his salary. The specialist spends most days with the local associations except when the state legislature is in session, in which case he’s at the state capitol meeting with law makers or at the state association working on a lobbying game plan with Iowa’s government affairs department.

Carstensen’s time at the local boards is spent touching base with local lawmakers and politicians and meeting with staff and members. He delivers regular updates on local and state legislative activity to local members and leadership, which according to Lee, has elevated the level of political interest and involvement among local realtors. “Another big benefit is that RPAC contributions have nearly tripled at these local boards,” says Lee.

Defeating bills that are bad for Realtors®
One of the biggest issues on Carstensen’s plate this year in Iowa is rallying support to defeat a Farm Bureau-backed bill that calls for Realtors® to disclose if there are farm operations in the area. Lee says, with his state government affairs department and his shared GAD, he’s pretty confident that it can be defeated.

GAD Sharing program goals
The Iowa association's partnership with the Greater Davenport Board of Realtors®, the Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors®, and the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors® was one of the first to come out of NAR’s GAD Sharing initiative. The GAD-Sharing program kicked off in 2000 as NAR's mechanism for distributing expert assistance and other resources to state and local associations as they move to the forefront on local growth issues.

Under the guidance of former NAR EVP Bud Smith, Realtor® association across the country are forming partnerships to boost political involvement among members and build a stronger voice for real estate in their state legislatures on a number of issues beyond smart growth.

NAR has partnered with state and local associations to develop 12 GAD-sharing programs across the country -- many more in the works -- and no two are alike. Through the GAD sharing program, associations build partnerships that are unique to their association’s needs. There are urban GAD sharing programs and rural ones and even partnerships between local associations and commercial associations.

“When we were first planning our program,” says Lee, “Bud Smith helped us focus our expectations and even helped us interview candidates for the position. We planned a budget of $47,000 for the program, which meant a salary for the government affairs specialists in the mid-thirties.” Since the shared GAD has the expertise and experience of the state association’s government affairs staff to rely on, Lee felt comfortable hiring a young professional with just a few years of political experience.

The Eastern Iowa program is such a success, Lee is planning a similar program in the western part of the state, possibly a partnership program across state lines with associations in Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Start Sharing Today! See the GAD Sharing Manual for details
To get involved in a GAD-sharing program, start with your state association. Whether or not the state association plays a role in the partnership, it knows what the needs are among local boards throughout the state and can help bring potential partners together. The GAD Sharing Manual online at Realtor.org provides and outline of the many of the current sharing programs including job descriptions and strategic plans. NAR's chief role in the GAD Sharing program is supportive: It will help the state and local associations identify the best partnership structure for them and lend its expertise in finding the right GAD. The goal is to bring professional government affairs representation to every one of the 1,400 Realtor® associations in the country. And while that's a long way off, the high interest among local associations suggests the program is tapping into a big area of need.

GAD Sharing is only one type of Shared Service associations can engage in. Every month, we’ll profile a shared service between associations and provide more details on how you can follow their lead.