Letter from the Executive Director for July 2025: Marketing and Public Relations

This month we celebrate our ability to expand a team member’s role to full-time marketing and public relations. I’ll also give some updates on policy.

The big news is we’ve found budget for an additional 30 hours a week. This allows us to bring Kim, our part-time writer, journalist and editor of six years, full time. Her new expanded role will be primarily marketing and public relations.

Kim’s rehire brings the MassLandlords team to six full-time equivalent positions, spread across 19 paid contributors. We are covering all bases, as our “About” page shows. We have team members working in bookkeeping and financial controls, web development, data acquisition and administration, graphics, print layout, helpline, information systems and management.

Our marketing priorities the next six months will be two-fold. First, we want to sustain an environment where medium- and large-size landlords feel able to pay full dues. This means checking the units reported at signup to verify everyone is supporting us according to their ability. This gives us the resources to be relevant in today’s policy landscape.

Second, we would like more members to try the Home Depot program, whether or not we ultimately choose to shop there. At time of writing, approximately 900 of our 2,500 members have opted in. Many of those members have found their dues paid for through savings. But most have never tried. Kim will be working to help these members see how easy and worthwhile the Pro Xtra program can be.

Beyond this, there is a lot of public relations work to do. We have done so much to be proud of. We designed, built and operate RentControlHistory.com, fairly showing the benefits and consequences of rent control. We created the Massachusetts Urban Conservancy (MUC) to set aside land for biodiversity awareness. We doubled the deleading tax credit. We’re shaping the $4 billion Mass Save plan. Good landlords make a difference, especially MassLandlords members.

Besides this, a lot is going on. The statewide diaspora of the Board of Directors shelved Zoom and met in-person for the first time since the pandemic. We pointed the Mass Save language access team to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, to help us identify and describe prerequisites and goals for distributing Mass Save benefits fairly. And we’ve moved closer to helping MUC acquire its first land.

Please join as a member, encourage others to join, become a property rights supporter or increase your level of support.

Sincerely,

Doug

Executive Director

MassLandlords, Inc.