Empowering Public-Private Partnerships: How LexBlog Helped Jeff Nydegger Launch P3 for Texas to Support Legislation
Jeff Nydegger is a project finance attorney at Winstead with a strong focus on public-private partnerships (P3s). Back in November 2022, in response to proposed P3 legislation in Texas, Jeff sought LexBlog’s assistance in creating an advocacy website. The purpose of the site was to educate the public about the Public-Private Partnership Act in Texas (the P3 Act), as well as provide opportunities for individuals to support the bill by sponsoring it and staying informed on the latest news related to its progress.
Additionally, he required the website to showcase his advocacy group, P3 for Texas, and wanted a platform to present to potential donors as quickly as possible. With a deadline of December 9th, our LexBlog team embarked on the mission to bring Jeff’s vision to life.
Creating an Advocacy Website for P3 Legislation in Texas
We decided that our Microsite layout would be the best solution for this project. After a series of design calls with Jeff, we determined a color scheme, masthead imagery ideas, and locations for various sections on the site, including areas to list sponsors and various calls to action. With the design assets in hand, our Director of Design Brian Biddle created a sleek, modern layout to present to Jeff and his team on December 8th.
Although we essentially had a working site ready to go, there was still a ways to go before the site was officially launched from a technical standpoint. As part of our site launch process, we typically go through rounds of design revisions and small edits to meet our clients’ needs. Our team worked diligently with Jeff’s team to smooth out and update his new Microsite throughout January. By January 27th, Jeff published an update directly onto the new website informing readers that they had already reached 30% of their sponsor goal. And by January 31st, the site P3 for Texas officially launched.
The P3 for Texas site contains various top navigation menu links that direct visitors to specific sections of the homepage (“Sponsors,” “Who We Are,” “About The Bill,” “Get Involved,” “Latest News”). In addition, we’ve added a subscription form for visitors to subscribe to a Mailchimp-powered newsletter, as is standard for all of the blogs we launch. Overall, visitors are presented with an easy-to-navigate landing page with sponsor logos, details & resources about the P3 Act, information about the project leaders, and a news feed.
As of an April 3rd, 2023 update, the P3 for Texas team states that, “The P3 Act has been referred to the Senate Business & Commerce Committee and awaiting scheduling!”
The Takeaways
The journey of creating the advocacy website for P3 for Texas taught us some valuable lessons. One key takeaway was the importance of open and collaborative communication between our team at LexBlog and the P3 for Texas team. It was crucial to align our visions and ensure everyone was on the same page.
Another important lesson we learned was the importance of sticking to deadlines and managing the project effectively. We had a firm deadline of December 9th, and we worked hard to get everything done on time, making sure to incorporate any design revisions and updates along the way.
And let’s not forget the exciting part – seeing the update on sponsor progress and witnessing the power of effective advocacy in action! This whole experience reinforced the importance of working together, staying on schedule, designing for users, and leveraging digital platforms for impactful advocacy initiatives.