Love thy neighbor!

In chapter nine of Measure What Matters, Katie Paine shares a chart of community influencers and how positive relationships with these will impact or benefit your organization. Target audiences are crucial to campaigns, and having positive relationships with these audiences in your community is incredibly valuable. Here's who you should get to know:

• Elected officials. These guys have the power to help you gain permission to expand or grow. A negative relationship here could withhold that permission.
• Official wannabes and candidates. Can take your issue and make a campaign with it.
• Customers. They provide revenue!
• Noncustomers. They can be potential customers or employees.
• NGOs. These influence the elected officials and local media.
• Town staff. These people will be able to help with paperwork and approvals through the city.
• Local radio and TV reporters. Primary news source--so your message can become news.
• Local print reporters. This is read by influentials and getting your message into this medium can help influence opinions.
• Senior citizens. These citizens can provide votes or volunteers for your cause.
• Students. These citizens are also votes and volunteers, but can be future employees and customers as well.
• Academics. Professors will be opinion leaders and a source of students for interns. Academia can also provide research.
• Merchants. Could also be potential customers!
• Opinion leaders. These leaders provide influential opinions and votes.
• Other influentials. These are recommenders for your organization to your publics.

All of these community influencers are great sources for your organization. Network, network, network!