Congratulations to the 29 state and territorial associations that met the five RPAC goals to win the 2016 Triple Crown Awards. Winners include: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Guam, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands and West Virginia. In 2017, there will be state and local Triple Crown goals and awards.
Author Archives: James Tucholski
New AE/GAD Orientation
New AE/GAD Orientation March 2017
Make a Difference: 35 association community outreach programs that build, beautify, and inspire
From voter registration drives to educating members on REALTOR® Champions, the VOTE week is an excellent opportunity to educate members on how to support pro-real estate candidates and issues.
2017 AE Institute
2017 AE Institute
2017 RPAC President’s Circle Conference
The 2017 RPAC President’s Circle Conference will be held March 5-8, 2017 at the premier Grand Wailea Resort on Maui.
The program for the RPAC President’s Circle Conference is intended to provide President’s Circle investors with the opportunity to learn & discuss policy concerns affecting the REALTOR® community. Additionally, this conference translates into valuable networking opportunities and enables strategic partnerships for our members.
All 2016 RPAC President’s Circle Investors & Platinum R Investors are invited to attend.
Arizona REALTORS® Reach More Members through Broker Involvement Program
With a goal of 100% participation in the REALTOR® Party’s Broker Involvement Program (BIP), the Arizona Association of REALTORS® (Arizona REALTORS®) is not messing around. The numbers are ambitious, but with energetic volunteer leadership, a dedicated staff member, and the support of a new grant program from the National Association of REALTORS®, Arizona REALTORS® is approaching that goal, one broker-member at a time.
The Broker Involvement Program is a turnkey operation allowing broker-owners and managers to take a leadership role in rallying their agents to advocate for REALTOR® Party issues. Brokers enrolled in the program can automatically send their agents company-branded calls for action from NAR and state associations, communications whose directness and brand-familiarity increase participation rates. Ashley Slechta, the association’s REALTOR® Party Director, says the BIP is an increasingly important facet of the culture of advocacy that the association has been building in recent years. She credits Liz Harris, her volunteer counterpart who represents Arizona REALTORS® on NAR’s Broker Involvement Council, with the steady growth of the state BIP: “We rely heavily on Liz’s direction,” says Slechta, “her drive and determination and leadership have enabled us to succeed.”
Initially, the association focused on attracting the state’s very largest brokerages to the program. Last summer, it took its efforts to the next level with one of the REALTOR® Party’s new Broker Involvement Grants, created to promote activities that recruit, retain and educate brokers and their agents in the BIP. The $5,000 grant funded “Like A Boss,” an engaging interactive event targeting brokers from around Arizona with more than 30 REALTORS®. Held at a Phoenix hotel in early September, the 90-minute program fell conveniently within a two-day span of association activities and featured two dynamic speakers: Arizona Department of Real Estate Commissioner Judy Lowe and 2012 Arizona REALTORS® President Holly Mabery.
Participants ate, drank, won gift cards and networked at the reception that opened the event. Then they settled in to learn about becoming involved in NAR’s advocacy efforts at the grassroots level by providing legislative and regulatory information to their agents. “The key to the program was educating brokers about what the state and national associations are doing on our behalf, so that we can run our businesses,” says Harris, adding, “it came as a shock to a number of the participants who hadn't been focused on how these issues had been playing out beyond the local level. They were excited to take the information back to their offices.” She notes that there is an important correlation between the goals of the Broker Involvement Program and the goals of RPAC and the various local REALTOR® PACs. “Separating out the initiatives and calls for action provides real clarification of what the PAC funds are doing to help the industry and property owners.”
One-hundred percent of those who attended the “Like A Boss” event joined the BIP. In fact, ten broker-members who were unable to come, joined as well, thanks to Harris’ thorough follow-up. “Liz was amazing,” says Slechta. “She tracked the responses and took the initiative to call her fellow brokers who’d declined the event invitation to say, ‘Hey, let us do this for you!’ She made it easy for them to send in their company logos, and start sending their agents branded advocacy messages from NAR and our state association.”
To date, about 20,000 REALTORS® are in the BIP by virtue of their brokers’ involvement, which is nearly half of the association’s membership. Looking ahead, Slechta says the recruitment events will continue, with the next level of focus being offices with ten or more agents. In the meantime, advocacy in Arizona is going strong: early in January, on the second day of the new legislative session, more than 65 state senators and representatives and their staff met with almost 400 REALTORS® at the annual “Arizona REALTORS® at the Capitol” event. When legislators need information or assistance with a property rights issue, they’ll know where to turn!
To learn more about how Arizona REALTORS® is mobilizing members by engaging brokers, contact the association’s REALTOR® Party Director, Ashley Slechta, at 602-248-7787; or Liz Harris, the association’s representative to NAR’s Broker Involvement Council.
Oklahoma City REALTORS® Improve Public Schools & Prevent Urban Flight
Public schools in Oklahoma were struggling. Nationally, the state ranked 49th in per capita spending for education, and in Oklahoma City, the public school district received a grade of “F” from the state. As any Oklahoma City REALTOR® could tell you, the resulting flight from the public schools was already having a detrimental impact on local communities, and would eventually threaten the economic viability of the city itself. But things are looking up: in the November election, citizens voted in favor of a $180 million bond to pay for school building maintenance, technology, and transportation. Aided by an Issues Mobilization Grant from the REALTOR® Party, the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® (OKCMAR) led the coalition that supported passage of the bond.
Gary Jones, OKCMAR’s Government Affairs Director, explains that cuts to the school budget were a result of Oklahoma's economic downturn caused by the decline in oil prices. “Our school year begins August 1, and our schools were struggling without functioning air conditioning, let alone a dependable fleet of buses or any new technology in the classrooms,” he says. “The need was huge, but so was the challenge of tacking a bond measure on to a presidential election ballot, when voters tend to dismiss such expenditures with a ‘no’ at the polls.”
Raising awareness among the voting public was going to be key. Although the proposed school bond would not affect property taxes or millage, and initial polling was encouraging, the coalition formed by the Chamber of Commerce to improve the state of the school system didn’t have much time to get the word out. Maintain OKC Schools, as the group is called, planned an energetic campaign to approve the bond, and OKCMAR took the lead by tapping in to the REALTOR® Party’s Issues Mobilization Grant program.
The grant process, says Jones, was not only user-friendly, but helpful: “The level of detail required by the application caused the coalition to re-think its campaign strategy as it determined the best way forward,” he says. NAR’s Campaign Services team provided valuable feedback on the proposal created by the local firm retained by OKCMAR to design the campaign. “We were very grateful for the funding and for that expertise!” says Jones.
The grant from the REALTOR® Party was used for a highly targeted direct mail program, focusing on voters who had supported school bonds in the past, and reminding them about the current measure on the ballot. “We got lucky in that the measure was placed on a separate ballot, which happened to be printed on yellow paper,” notes Jones, explaining that the ‘YES the Yellow Ballot’ slogan with an image of a school bus made for powerful campaign branding. OKCMAR engaged its members in a compelling get-out-the-vote campaign, and many brokers posted bright yellow signs outside their offices.
The bond measure was issued as three separate ballot initiatives: school building maintenance, technological enhancements and transportation equipment. Although all three passed, the votes were close enough to show Maintain OKC Schools that its efforts were essential to the victory. “We're now working to create change on the School Board,” says Jones. “With the bond resolution in place, we’re optimistic that the right leadership can bring about the transformation we need for Oklahoma City’s schools.”
To learn more about how Oklahoma City REALTORS® are helping to improve their region’s school system with the help of the REALTOR® Party, contact Gary Jones, OKCMAR’s Government Affairs Director, at 405-641-1921.
FPCs Represent REALTOR® Interests at Local, State and National Level
The South Dakota Association of REALTORS® (SDAR) recently held its 50th Annual Legislative Chili Feast, a celebration attended every year by about 90% of South Dakota’s state and national legislators, as well as the Lieutenant Governor. Longtime REALTOR® Tom Murphy was there, too, serving chili and oyster stew to the honored guests. “It’s a great opportunity for us to say ‘thanks’ and keep connected to our representatives,” says the past President of SDAR.
He should know: Murphy is also a veteran Federal Political Coordinator (FPC), one of the dedicated 535 REALTORS® assigned by their state association to work with a member of Congress, providing information and analysis on issues that are important to the industry and to property owners. “An important part of NAR’s strong lobbying efforts is the role of our FPCs as individual activists. FPCs are chosen because of the organic existing relationships they have with their legislators. Like Murphy, many of our FPCs know their legislator personally, sometimes as their REALTOR or as in Murphy’s case, from childhood. While REALTORS® are naturally real estate experts, FPCs are also active parts of the member of Congress’ constituent base and deeply rooted in the communities in which they live. This gives them a unique point of view and opportunity to become a trusted advisor, if they don’t already have that preexisting relationship,” said Victoria Givens, who oversees the FPC Program as NAR’s REALTOR® Mobilization Programs manager.
Murphy has worked with Democrats and Republicans; he’s testified before Congress; and in the past year, he’s been working closely with his current ‘assignment,’ Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, “cleaning up” a list of federal regulations that could be addressed by the new Congress. The list was submitted to the senator by the National Association of REALTORS®, but here’s the twist: NAR had not initiated the process; the senator had asked Tom Murphy, a childhood friend, how he could help improve the landscape for REALTORS® and property owners at the senate level.
Karl Eckhart, a Senior Political Representative at NAR, says that while having a close personal tie to the senator is clearly beneficial for NAR’s goals, he sees Murphy as a natural advocate for REALTOR® issues, regardless of the connection. “Tom has been president of his state association, served on committees at the national level, and is a great believer in RPAC. He’s someone who gives a lot back to NAR and the REALTOR® Party.” Eckhart also notes that other FPCs who don’t have existing relationships with their members of Congress have succeeded in strengthening bonds by virtue of their unique attributes as REALTORS®. “In terms of constituent services, who better than a REALTOR® to find the best locations for a town hall meeting in any given town?” he asks, by way of example. “Being a helpful resource is a first step toward becoming a trusted ally.”
Daniel Blair, one of NAR’s Senior Legislative Representatives, notes that there’s a certain efficiency when a member of Congress can reach out directly to his or her FPC for information, rather than going through staff. “In this case, through our FPC, we’ve provided the senator with a comprehensive list of regulations affecting REALTORS®, the implementation of which gives us some cause for concern. They range from website compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and clean air emissions to banking issues and the protection of the sage grouse. Tom and Senator Rounds have been working on this list for months now. We’re seeing real legislative effort as a result of the FPC program.”
Murphy is the first to admit that his close relationship with the senator is an unusual advantage. “We played kickball together on the same piece of asphalt back in Catholic grade school. When Mike became governor, then went on to become senator, that sense of connectedness remained and gives us a real comfort level. We can trust each other.” That said, Murphy has served as an FPC for about 20 years now, and hasn’t played kickball with any of his previous legislators. “For both Mike and me, it’s a nice situation we’ve got right now,” he concedes, “but I’ve found that it’s perfectly possible—and a whole lot more usual—to build a productive working relationship with a member of Congress from scratch.”
As a seasoned veteran of Capitol Hill, Murphy is happy to share key tips with new FPCs who are looking to forge this kind of bond. First and foremost, he says, take the time to get to know the legislator’s staff in DC. “These are bright kids living four-deep in two-bedroom apartments because they can’t afford otherwise, but the reality is, you have to deal with them, and if they don’t like you, you’ll never get access.” Next, pay attention to what Murphy calls ‘the grocery list.’ “NAR does a great job of regulating its calls to action and prioritizing what it wants us to talk about on The Hill. But there's still no way a senator is going to sign on to everything, so having a strategy and knowing your issues is essential.” Murphy adds that it’s easy for him to approach a legislator when he frames his position as protecting the rights of those who own real estate, and widening the opportunity to enjoy it. “When I tell them that an issue affects ALL property owners, they’re smart enough to see that I'm talking about their constituents. That makes them pay attention.”
Murphy reports that the last thing he does when he’s leaving a meeting on the Hill is ask, “Is there anything I can do for you?” He might be asked if the REALTORS® can get behind a certain piece of legislation. “I can’t necessarily go promising the support of NAR,” says Murphy, “but I might feel comfortable committing my state association, and that counts for something.”
Giving back to one’s industry as a volunteer lobbyist runs in Murphy’s family: his wife, a physician, serves in a similar role for the American Medical Association. They’ve found that, no matter the issue, building a successful relationship with a legislator requires the same approach. Murphy reiterates, “You’ve got to get to know the staff. You’ve got to understand the priorities on your organization’s ‘grocery list.’ Remember to offer your help. And if you present an issue as it affects a broad range of constituents, it’s going to be pretty hard for your representative to say ‘no.’”
To learn more about how Federal Political Coordinators help to get important REALTOR® issues in front of their legislators or to be part of the FPC’s contact team, contact Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org or 202-383-1021.
And the President’s Cup Winners Are…
Congratulations to the 16 state REALTOR® Associations who met four advocacy and four RPAC goals to win the 2016 President's Cup. The President's Cup recognizes the hard work of state REALTOR® leaders and association staff who advance the REALTOR® Party. The President's Cup will be presented in May at the 2017 REALTORS® Legislative Meeting & Trade Expo. Also, check out the new 2017 President's Cup advocacy and RPAC goals.
Ask the Experts: Land Use Initiative Webinar
Join NAR and Robinson & Cole on Jan. 31 at 2 PM EST as we provide updates and advice about how best to use the Land Use Initiative program, which provides REALTOR® Associations with analyses of state and local government proposed land use and real estate development regulations. Learn about the new and improved way we will be using to deliver the Land Use Initiative memos to GADs. Hear some of the success stories of the program, and how to use the memos to advocate your position with government decision makers. We will also provide updated overviews of some of the hottest topics reviewed by the Land Use Initiative in 2016. REGISTER TODAY!