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The job of an advocate is to help make our democracy more responsive to the people by providing information to Members of Congress, Administration officials, and their staff to help them make informed decisions about – and hopefully improve - public policy. Lobbyists have gotten a bad rap lately, and some deserve it. But legal, ethical lobbying is, at its essence, the work of giving voice to constituent interests in a democracy. At Linchpin, it is particularly the work of giving voice to causes and people who might not otherwise be heard.
When I founded Linchpin Strategies, I did so with the objective of working with good people on behalf of clients and issues that I care about and take to heart.
Linchpin represents clients on issues to which its team of substantive experts is passionately committed.
The halls of Congress are teeming with lobbyists for every conceivable issue. They compete fiercely for Members’ and staffs’ limited time and attention. In this environment, it is more important than ever for advocates to have existing relationships with those Members’ offices that are critical to the outcome of policy issues of interest. Moreover, the days of being able to learn an issue “on the fly” are gone.
Members and staff want to meet with advocates who not only know the issues, but have a depth of experience and knowledge that comes from having served in the trenches on similar matters.
In founding Linchpin, I also wanted to ensure senior-level consultation and effort on each issue to which we committed ourselves. Whether we are developing a strategy for lobbying and advocacy, or spearheading non-lobbying education and outreach, every client knows I play a significant role in developing and executing the approach to achieve their goals. As a result, Linchpin accepts only a small number of carefully selected clients at any one time.
All of Linchpin’s current clients are long-term engagements. We integrate well into our clients’ organizations, and earn their trust, because we only represent organizations and causes in which we believe. We do not advertise, nor do we seek to draw attention to our work. We believe that in our role as advocates and advisors, our clients should be the focus. We build our business solely through referrals from existing clients who are pleased with our results-oriented approach, and from colleagues in the field who respect our work.
At the end of the day, Linchpin is about producing results that make a difference in peoples’ lives. We are passionate about, and proud of, the work we do, the clients we represent, and the people they serve.
Catriona Macdonald