Good Planning Is, in Essence, Sound Marketing

By: TSHA Advocacy Team of Lori Colletti, Vice President for Advocacy; Mark Hanna, Legal and Legislative Counsel; and Larry Higdon, Director of Legislation

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Discover what needs exist and do something about it. Sound marketing—getting our goals and objectives packaged—is the basis for getting others to buy in. TSHA must know what it has to sell and convince the market that it is a product worth buying. For example:

• What does TSHA have that I need/want?
• Why should I pay dues to TSHA?
• Why should I volunteer time to TSHA?
• The professions must know what they have to sell and if our services are worth buying.

Planning, resources, visibility, and leadership are interdependent. 

• Plan. Start with a plan. If we don't have time to plan, we don't have time to succeed. Planning allows us to determine where we want to go and what steps are necessary to get there.
• Resources. Even with a sound plan, we will find it difficult for success without resources. Resources include funding but also, equally importantly, personnel. We need your support to mount and maintain a successful effort.
• Visibility. We also will find it difficult to garner resources without visibility. Visibility is achieved by developing ways of letting others know what business we are in.

The TSHA Advocacy Team is working on the planning. Here's how you can help:

• The TSHA Advocacy Team needs resources, including money for the TSHA PAC, volunteers to provide testimony at legislative hearings, legislator contacts, etc. Donate to the TSHA PAC
• Now is a wonderful time to meet your legislators. They are usually at home in their district working their day job in between sessions. Become known to your legislators in their offices, at church, and in the grocery store. Find your legislators and their contact information

If you need help being an advocate for TSHA or the professions, you also may contact the TSHA Advocacy Team!