Twenty years ago, 2019 Capitol Club Chairman Jules Guidry joined NAHB because he was inspired by his friend and 2018 NAHB Chairman Randy Noel. The Louisiana native “wanted to join the fight for our industry.” He took another step to fight for housing when he started investing in BUILD-PAC seven years ago and again when he stepped up to the Capitol Club level in 2017.
Guidry was appointed Capitol Club chair in 2019 by then BUILD-PAC Chairman Carl Harris. He happily accepted his new role and wasted no time thinking of new ways to help recruit Capitol Club members while also working hard to retain loyal, longtime members. While Guidry was chair, the Capitol Club grew 15%.
Earlier this year, Guidry hosted a dinner to recognize Capitol Club members in his home state of Louisiana. He invited special guests Carl Harris, 2019 BUILD-PAC chairman, and Jim Tobin, NAHB’s chief lobbyist, to attend and give a special update on NAHB’s advocacy efforts at the federal level. Once his guest speakers were confirmed, he felt it would be a “fabulous recruiting opportunity” as well. He ended up recruiting nine new Capitol Club members, bringing Louisiana’s total to 16; the state is now tied with Texas as the state with the most members.
He attributed his success to “carefully planning a list of potential new donors who were less active, would be surprised to hear the level of impact that federation advocacy had directly on their bottom line and were able to contribute at the highest donor level.” Guidry believes that this type of preparation would increase the chance of success for other fundraising events throughout the country.
During his time as Capitol Club chairman, Guidry enjoyed meeting his fellow club members at dinners and at the hospitality suite at NAHB board meetings. His advice for the next Capitol Club chairman is to “introduce yourself to as many Cap Club members as you can and learn what motivates them to contribute at the Cap Club level. Promote, promote, promote Cap Club!”
If you are interested in more information regarding the Capitol Club or other high donor clubs, please click here or visit the BUILD-PAC Facebook page to connect with members.
