Ballast Research is now Penta. We are the world’s first comprehensive stakeholder solutions firm.

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Our Approach

We go directly to the source to find out what advocates can do to build more effective relationships in government. Through our research, policymakers can better inform, direct, and correct advocates' investment and effort.

The Process

We survey and interview over 3,500 policymakers across all levels of government each year. We then use this feedback to provide advocates with a comprehensive understanding of how policymakers define productive and mutually beneficial advocacy.

“Ballast’s data and analysis inform our understanding of what’s useful to our government colleagues and how to better facilitate productive conversation about national policy.”
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs
National Utility Company

The Survey

Policymakers provide input on advocate engagement across 10 key drivers of effectiveness, including credibility, influence, and level of engagement. We then rate an organization’s findings against its peers to contextualize its overall reputation and approach.

The Interviews

Qualitative interviews give policymakers the opportunity to provide confidential feedback to advocates about their engagement. Policymakers provide anecdotal and comparative data that inform our case studies, best practices, and targeted advocacy recommendations.

The Results

At the end of each research cycle, we share our analysis with the policymakers that participated in the study and those best positioned to leverage its insights — government relations leaders.

Interested in learning more?

Whether you are a policymaker or a potential client, let's chat about how we can help make your policy conversations more productive.