Dana Baker, COO
2013 NREDA President

As Rural goes, so goes the Nation.

Renew your Communication efforts. NREDA's alliance partner NADO (The National Association of Development Organizations) held a regulatory and legislative meeting in Washington, DC on March 11th -13th. This was my first time to meet and see the new Executive Director, Joe McKinney (jmckinney@nado.org), I really enjoyed the focus and vitality of the NADO meeting and staff. What is becoming a common thread with us and our alliance partners is the awareness that rural development will and is taking a back seat to urban development. Some of it is our fault for not fully using the federal and state programs that are available. As NREDA members, we need to evaluate rural initiatives from all stakeholders. There are many public and private stakeholders that we need to support as well as ask for similar treatment from them. For example, during the NADO meeting the USDA and other government agencies expressed the need for our support for their many programs and initiatives. The USDA's investments in the advancement of rural development in recent years has led to the improvement of many rural communities. The Rural Development Progress Report released by the USDA provides a look back at 2012 Rural Development, and can serve as inspiration for the future.

During the meeting in Washington, one of the NADO initiatives on the agenda while visiting with our representatives was to declare support for the Farm Bill, an important piece of legislation before congress with directly effects rural communities and development. Recently, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, addressed the 2013 National Farmers Union 111th. In her remarks she also stated the importance of agriculture and farming development, which shares common threads of rural community support. While NREDA leaves policy issues to our alliance partners such as NADO, we need to share in the communication and relationship efforts.

The NREDA website offers many resources to help you communicate with government officials and other development organizations. Here are a few things to remember as you review your current policy on communication or relations with public policy makers and rural stakeholders.

1. When was the last time you told them "Thank You"? All politics are local, and it would be very beneficial to develop relations with your State and Federal representatives and staff. Become the go to person BACK HOME for an array of communication projects promoting yourself and your representative. Examples of this would be conducting project tours for your representative and the media, invite them for ribbon cuttings, openings, or sponsor events for them to speak.

2. Consider creating a video to share, a five minute video within a fifteen minute interactive discussion painting the picture of what your community is about and needs. This works much better than papers left behind.

3. THE ISSUES OF "AGING" IS ONE OF THIER TOP CONCERNS. Build your message with links to the aging of your community and the issues it creates. Are there programs for youth retention or recruiting in your community? If not how can you along with your representative begin to address the issue?

4. In order to build better communication with your government officials or stakeholders you must make a MINIMUM of 5 contacts per year per with you representative or their staff. Go early and stay late to all meetings, make simple contact (Handshake & Thank you) Representatives staff have two jobs, helping their congressman and helping their district members), Thank them and be the one they go to.

It is very important to stay out of politics but stay in a continual "Thank You / Appreciation" mode, you will become recognized in your field by each representative and their staff because you are creating special events around them which benefits everyone.

Please consider reviewing your communication and relations programs and help us strengthen our rural communities, the aging members, and your current initiatives with the increased use of two words "Thank You", they can go a long way.

Dana Baker
2013 NREDA President
719.594.5818 Corporate office
830.895.7230 Southwest Office