Technology has helped NRCA mobilize allies in the roofing industry

RCS Influencer Nathan Pick says that NRCA embraced technology to create an online advocacy network that allows members to easily communicate with elected officials.

On March 7, over 400 roofing professionals descended upon our nation’s capital for Roofing Day in D.C. 2018 for the sole purpose of sharing the industry’s needs with lawmakers.  This was a successful event, but we cannot stop with one day in Washington, D.C.  It is important that the roofing industry continually build relationships with their members of Congress.  While NRCA has a strong government affairs presence in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the roofing industry, we need our members to be active in reaching out to members of Congress and their staff on a regular basis.

Communicating NRCA’s positions to members of Congress at the grassroots level is an important piece of NRCA’s advocacy plan and we are using technology to get there.  In early 2017, NRCA took action to make communication with members of Congress easier for you.  Using technology, we worked to build an online platform, the NRCA Grassroots Advocacy Network, that would allow you to quickly and easily communicate with your elected officials.  The efficiency of this technology has made it much easier to mobilize our allies in the roofing industry on issues such as workforce development, immigration reform, regulatory reform and during the debate over tax reform this past December.  In addition to providing an easy solution for sending letters to members of Congress on the issues impacting the roofing industry, the NRCA Grassroots Advocacy Network allows users to share anecdotal stories and relationships that they may already have in D.C. with our government affairs team.

Only with a multi-pronged approach of our members’ increased personal engagement with elected officials in addition to traditional advocacy on Capitol Hill through the work of our government affairs team will we see the needle move on issues impacting the roofing industry.  To send a letter to your member of Congress or to learn more about how you can engage on the issues, visit https://roofingadvocacy.nrca.net/ and register.

Whether you attended Roofing Day in D.C. 2018 or not, now is the time to engage your elected officials.  The decisions they make and the legislation that is considered impacts your businesses, your participation is essential.  To learn more about how you can advocate NRCA’s positions to your members of Congress, you can reach out to NRCA’s Washington, D.C. office at 1.800.338.5765.

Nathan Pick is Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs for the National Roofing Contractors Association. See his full bio here.