Communicating To Congress And Beyond Telling Our Story And
Building Our Base
Slide 2
Our Industry Is At A Tipping Point 1
Slide 3
Where Is The Tipping Point? On The Negative Side Congressional
gridlock Lots of competition 7(a) & conventional Subsidy costs
& legislative needs On The Plus Side +There is a huge need for
small business loans +The 504 program offers a low fixed interest
rate and has some great success stories In the midst of this
tension, how do we keep the 504 relevant? 2
Slide 4
We make 504 more significant by: Telling the 504 Story Building
Our Base Doing Our Political Homework
Slide 5
NADCO Is Playing A Much Larger, And More Aggressive Role And
CDCs Should Too! 4 CDCs need to have a larger role too and get
involved! Strategic Partnerships International Franchise
Association National Association of Woman Business Owners National
Association of Realtors, SIOR New Loan Initiatives VetLoan
Advantage Franchise Lending Expanded Public Relations Building
NADCOs profile, cultivating reporter relationships, holding media
events Op-eds and press releases on news of the day in DC and
nationwide Enhanced DC/Hill Outreach Grassroots events at regional
level, tying back to contact on the Hill Renewed relationships with
regulators (SBA), Congressional staff Such as
Slide 6
Stakeholders are looking for the impacts of small business
financing and jobs But they cant find it Unless you tell them about
it!!
Slide 7
Who Are Your Stakeholders? 6 Your Board, membership and your
network Your bankers and brokers Your political and Econ. Dev.
community Local, Regional, State and Federal Other financing
professionalsCPAs, etc. The local & business mediaRegional and
Local! The SBAat all levels Your Congressional Representatives
Slide 8
The Congressional Project Letter On NADCO website A simple 1
page letter Local and DC offices Send by email Local and DC staff
It has to be a part of your lending process!
Slide 9
Project Press Releases We do them on every project You can use
it for all of your stakeholders including the media All of the Info
you need is in the CM It is so simple to do- an intern can do it.
It has to be a part of your loan process!
Slide 10
What you get for it: Advertising and Advocacy
Slide 11
The Annual Congressional Letter The power of the big picture
Each Congressional District where you work The election--new
Members of Congress Redistricting--new Districts and the power of
information Total preparation for GR Conference Options for your
annual letterSelling 504 Just your CDCs project info since
inception, or Multi-year data on all CDC 504 projects
Slide 12
The Annual Letter: A two page letter More fully explains total
impacts of 504 Briefs Members and staff on pressing issues Includes
a call to action or an ask An incredible basis to begin a
relationship Two important attachmentsthe Project List and the
Map
Slide 13
The Project List: Youre selling 504, not just your CDC
Alternative sources of project data List all 504 projects and group
by City Members of Congress love thisit connects them to their
constituents!
Slide 14
Slide 15
DC Example Of Mapping Out 504 Projects 14 Partnering with two
local CDCs, HPS collected 504 success stories in well- known area:
14 th and U Street NW corridors Created an infographic Not only
good for internal use But used it to pitch media The Washington
Post Collecting Stories
Slide 16
Do an Annual Economic Development Report
Slide 17
Fine to Show: Numbers of Companies Assisted Dollars of Loan
Funded
Slide 18
But Right Now, Its All About Jobs
Slide 19
Other Community Impacts/Programs
Slide 20
High Impact Project Summaries
Slide 21
Pictures of people working on every page A call to action about
small business needs
Slide 22
NADCO Launched The Small Business Lending Roadshow To Raise
Awareness Of Local CDCs 21 ObjectiveTactical Plans To raise the
profile of CDCs, 504 debt-refi and NADCO by integrating
communications and advocacy nationwide Regional roundtable events
that will achieve PR and grassroots goals simultaneously Strategy
Media advisory to local, targeted press list Post-event release
with pictures/quotes to same list Local elected officials invited
to an event with constituent & businesses Local businesses who
have benefited from CDCs or 504 debt-refi invited CDCs and the SBAs
504 debt-refi have saved businesses and created good jobs in every
Congressional district in the nation Message Connect Members of
Congress with SBA and business borrowers Comms. Grassroots Advocacy
1)Elected officials 2)Media Targets To Date Cincinnati, OH Salt
Lake City, UT Stillwater, MN
Slide 23
By Capitalizing On News Cycle, Stillwater Event Was The Most
Successful Regional Event To Date 22 In addition to highlighting
SBA 504 and debt-refi, event was billed as small businesses
reacting to government shutdown Reached out to press in Minneapolis
media market Re-framed Event 1 Co-hosted by two CDCs Hosted at a
machine plant that benefited from debt-refi Multiple borrowers,
lenders were present Representatives from local Members of Congress
offices as well as SBA Strong Showing 2 Media Success 3 Minnesota
small businesses say the two sides in Washington need to stop
bickering and focus on creating new jobs Officials tout SBA loan
program Manufacturer Haberman Machine is example of success Backers
try to resurrect SBA debt- refi program By tying together the
underlying pitch (local job creators and smart public-private
governance) with breaking news of the day (government shutdown), we
were able to bring unprecedented visibility to NADCO and the 504,
even getting Representative Betty McCollum to sign onto CREED Act
as a result
Slide 24
Other Things To Do: Join all of the Nadco initiatives that
could work for your CDC Nominate small businesses of the year in
every SBA District Join and help the PAC Come to the GR Conference
Youll be more ready than ever!
Slide 25
We make 504 more significant by: Telling the 504 Story Building
Our Base Doing Our Political Homework
