Comparisons

Defined, side by side.

The disciplines of changing outcomes are often confused for one another. Here is how they actually differ — and where Lincoln works across them.

• Public Affairs vs Lobbying

  Public affairs is the discipline of shaping the whole environment around a decision. Lobbying is one tactic within it: direct contact with officials. How the two differ.

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• Public Affairs vs Public Relations

  The difference between public affairs and public relations: one changes the policy or regulatory decision, the other changes how an organization is perceived.

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• Lobbying vs Grassroots

  The difference between lobbying and grassroots: the inside game of direct contact with decision-makers and the outside game of organizing the constituents a decision affects.

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• Grassroots vs Grasstops

  Grassroots vs grasstops advocacy: grassroots mobilizes the broad base of affected constituents; grasstops engages the few whose voice carries outsized weight.

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• Issue Advocacy vs Political Campaigns

  The difference between issue advocacy and political campaigns: one advances a policy position, the other elects or defeats a candidate by election day.

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• Blended Finance vs Traditional Financing

  Blended finance vs traditional financing: how each prices risk, who supplies the capital, and why some worthwhile projects need a blended structure to get funded.

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