There is only one method for measuring success: results. We have navigated a myriad of global, national and local issues to innovative solutions – ranging from President George W. Bush’s historic global HIV/AIDS initiative to managing corporate brand at national political conventions to helping clients gain access to state and local resources to expand.
Whatever your challenge in Washington, we can design a thoughtful, strategic solution and deliver tangible results.
Challenge
With the announcement of the President's historic HIV/AIDS initiative, our challenge was to assure the passage of The U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 in the House and Senate, as well as annual funding for the new program.
Strategy
Using our issue advocacy expertise, CMI worked with the client, advocacy groups, key Members in the Congressional leadership and on relevant committees to shepherd the legislation through Congress. Efforts ranged from encouraging the White House to propose this bold initiative in the State of the Union Address to working for the passage of key amendments in the Congress to ensure support from a broad-based, bipartisan coalition of supporters.
Result
Through our efforts, both the House and Senate passed legislation to authorize the 5-year, $15 billion program, the largest international health initiative ever initiated by one nation to address a single disease. Over the course of the 5-year program, our advocacy efforts helped leverage total funding of $18.8 billion, well above the original $15 billion envisioned in the President's plan.
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Strategy DevelopmentChallenge
CMI was tasked to lead the 2008 Republican dimension of a large scale presidential outreach initiative designed to secure the public support of each of the leading presidential candidates for specific programming to enhance and improve U.S. foreign assistance programs.
Strategy
CMI developed and led in the execution of a campaign strategy designed to build trusted relationships with the senior political, policy, communications, and grassroots staff for each of the leading presidential campaigns. CMI arranged meetings with the candidates, and helped manage all outreach efforts to campaign staff. CMI led efforts to educate campaign staff on foreign assistance issues in an effort to secure concrete commitments from the candidates.
Result
CMI's efforts played a key role in generating public commitments from the leading presidential candidates on foreign assistance issues. Both on the campaign trail and in their formal campaign platforms, Republican and Democrat candidates adopted new policies to strengthen and broaden U.S. foreign assistance programs to the developing world.
Watch the candidates discuss the concrete positions they took in response to our outreach campaign, in this video facilitated by the CMI team and our client's media operation.
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Challenge
In an effort to elevate and improve a leading telecommunications company's corporate brand and political profile, CMI was retained to plan, manage and execute the company's participation as the official telecommunications sponsor and provider at the 2004 Republican and Democratic National Conventions in New York and Boston.
Strategy
CMI played a central role in negotiating the client's role as a primary corporate sponsor for both party conventions and in securing credentials for all of the official and unofficial events our client was interested in attending. CMI advised the client company on how to apportion its staff and resources at each of the national conventions in order to achieve the company's branding and political goals. During both conventions, CMI briefed and staffed the corporation's CEO and other senior executives for their interactions with senior policymakers.
Result
From the logistical planning of hosting a select group of senior elected officials at a NASCAR race, to managing large-scale convention parties at the Boston Aquarium & Chelsea Piers, to organizing intimate gatherings and political fundraisers with policymakers, CMI was successful in connecting its client's senior officials with targeted political figures and audiences to positively promote the company's image and to facilitate effective relationship building.
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Challenge
In its representation of a defense technology company, CMI was called upon to navigate and resolve a complex, time-sensitive government contracting issue that threatened to derail the client company's U.S. operations and future business expansion.
Strategy
CMI developed and implemented a political strategy to leverage key Members of Congress on relevant House and Senate committees to intercede with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf of the client company. CMI educated the lawmakers and their staff on the relevant contract issues in an effort to broker a compromise whereby the client company and the DHS agency involved could move forward on their business venture without further delay.
Result
As a result of an intensive education and advocacy campaign, CMI was successful in producing a congressionally-supported agreement between the DHS agency and CMI's client so that the contract could move forward with the support of all parties.
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Challenge
CMI worked with the preeminent Catholic university in America to plan a birthday celebration for the institution's President Emeritus. Our team was called upon to coordinate and execute a seamless event to not only highlight and celebrate the achievements of the past president, but also to strengthen the University's presence in Washington.
Strategy
From logistics, to guest list planning, to day of event management and execution, our team worked closely with the University through every stage of the project. CMI sought to establish the event as a representation of the University, through the selection of the venue, assurance of prominent guest attendance, and post event relationship management.
Result
Careful planning, networking and public outreach made the event a great success. With the Secretary of State, Speaker of the House, and many other notable Washington personalities in attendance at the celebration.
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Challenge
In an environment of stringent budget constraints, our challenge was to secure unprecedented funding increases for critical foreign assistance programs through the congressional budget and appropriations processes.
Strategy
CMI worked in conjunction with the client, Democratic allies and the Administration on the development of the President’s FY2008 budget request, which called for an 11 percent increase in funding levels for foreign assistance programs. The team then led a robust education and advocacy campaign with House and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee leaders to build bipartisan support for foreign assistance funding increases in the congressional budget resolution and in the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
Result
Our advocacy efforts led to the successful passage of a budget amendment on the Senate floor that increased the funding level for foreign assistance programs by $2.2 billion. This victory in the budget process paved the way for an even larger final increase of $2.4 billion for foreign assistance programs, which was secured during the negotiations of the final FY2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill.
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