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Advocacy Tipsheet Archives |
Effective Meetings & Written Communication
Effective Written Communications -- July 23rd, 2003
Leave the Kitchen Sink At Home -- April 22nd, 2003 (Includes a special report on the recent AdVanced Consulting Survey of Congressional Staff called "What Makes an Effective Advocate"!)
What to Expect from a Congressional Visit -- April 8th, 2003
Advocacy Techniques You Can Learn from Your Mother -- May 13, 2002
EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TIP: EFFECTIVE WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE
Effective Written Correspondence (taken straight from the Advocacy Classroom.com effective advocacy course): Congressional offices receive stacks and stacks (and stacks) of communications in the form of postal mail, faxes and e-mail, much of which is thrown away or deleted. But wait! Before you get all upset at the thought of Congressional offices throwing away mail, stop and think about how much mail you throw away. And why do you do that? Because it’s junk mail. Well, that happens in Congressional offices as well. Following are four quick tips to make sure your communications are read, no matter what form they take (fax, e-mail or letter).
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Make it Relevant: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Your communications must be relevant to the recipient. And why are you relevant to your elected officials? Because you live, work or serve people in their district.
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Ask for a Response: Given the limited time and budgets in congressional offices, priority will always be given to written communications that require an answer. Asking for a response means someone on the staff has to think about what you’ve said and, in some way, address your concerns or comments. If you make it impossible for the office to respond (by not including your address, for example) you virtually assure that no one will think about what you had to say.
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Postcard, Petition, E-Mail, and Blast-Fax Campaigns: Volume does not necessarily equal effectiveness, especially when it comes to coordinated postcard, petition, blast fax, and e-mail campaigns. The theory behind these campaigns is that a high volume of mail on a particular topic will get noticed and sway opinion. In reality, one thoughtful well-argued letter can have more impact than 100 postcards or petition signatures. Why? Because members of Congress and their staff recognize the time and energy spent writing the thoughtful letter. It sends a signal that the constituent really cares about the issue.
- Confine Letters to One Subject: If you have strong views on a number of topics you want to bring up with your elected representatives, it may be more effective to write individual letters for each topic. This is especially true if the subject areas are wide reaching. By confining your written communications to discrete subjects, you will likely receive a response much more quickly because your letter won’t need to be reviewed by as many staff people before a response can be drafted.
Did you like this information? Learn even more fabulous tips at www.advocacyclassroom.com!
EFFECTIVE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONAL TIP
One great way to boost your grassroots membership is by approaching others who are interested in your issues. The grand tradition of coalition building goes back to, well, I’m not sure when it goes back to, but I’m sure it’s a long way. At any rate, here are some quick ideas for finding other groups that might be interested in your work.
Brainstorming: Pick five of your craziest friends and ask them to come up with the absolute craziest group they can think of the might be interested in your issues. When structured right, this really works – one group I worked with recently figured out how to connect Game Boy users to efforts to defeat terrorism.
Search on ASAENet.org: The American Society of Association Executives has a searchable database of thousands of associations. Log on to www.asaenet.org, click on “find associations” and then “gateway to associations.”
Try a Google Search: A truly amazing number of relevant organizations can come up through a properly worded google search. I always suggest starting out with very narrow wording on your particular issue and then expanding to a broader search.
Go Old-Fashioned with the Yellow Pages: Still a great way to see who is working on what issues in your community.
Partnering with other groups is a great way to build your own membership and advance your cause – think creatively about how you can reach out to others!
INTERESTING WEBSITES
The Pew Center on the States has a really awesome website on state issues at www.stateline.org. Its intent is “. . .to help journalists, policy makers and engaged citizens become better informed about innovative public policies.”
Another great resource for state issues is the Council on State Governments at www.csg.org.
Yeah, ok, I’m going to put it here too – The Advocacy Classroom at www.advocacyclassroom.com is a new resource offering online training in effective advocacy.
Finally for all the latest scandals, gossip and, of course, national news, check out CNN’s Politics page at http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/.
INTERESTING EVENTS
July 28 – Labor Day: The August District Work Period! Make time NOW to visit with your elected officials or their staff.
November 14 and 21: Advocacy Classroom hosted Legislative Process 101 and Advanced Legislative Process. It's not too late to buy the courses on CD-Rom!
And speaking of the offline Advocacy Classroom workshops, I’m thinking about the possibility of taking some workshops on the road. If you’re outside of DC and would be interested in attending a session on Effective Advocacy; Federal Grants and Loans; the Budget and Appropriations process or General Legislative Process, let me know!
EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TIP - LEAVE THE KITCHEN SINK AT HOME
In an effort to provide citizen advocates with up-to-date information on the best ways to approach Capitol Hill, AdVanced Consulting conducted a survey of Congressional staff with some surprising (and not so surprising) results! The report, which can be downloaded at www.advocacyguru.com/staffsurvey.htm, is packed with quotes, anecdotes, and general statistics reflecting the thoughts of those who responded to the survey on everything from how to prepare for any interaction with a legislator to how to make your messages stand out. Following are some of the key findings:
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Respondents overwhelmingly recommend the “less is more” approach to advocacy. With their busy schedules, they appreciate short, focused presentations and correspondence. One staffer commented “Use the KISS method, keep it simple stupid.”
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No one form of communication stands out as the most preferred; each staffer has his/her own preference for fax, emails, phone calls, etc.
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E-mail received mixed results from respondents, with comments ranging from “Don’t do it” to “E-mail is very good.” However, most seemed to agree that e-mail can be effective if used properly, i.e., to send out relevant, timely information.
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A significant number of respondents are turned off when advocates come by just to chat. More often, they encourage advocates to “have an action plan” and be clear about what they want the staff to do.
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Not surprisingly, respondents want to see advocates who are from that member’s district and recommend that one to three people attend a meeting in their office.
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Respondents are offended by advocates who are disappointed to meet with “just me,” and many remark that it is highly unlikely that the advocates will get to meet with the member anyway.
- In considering the steps that advocates should take before coming to meet with an elected official, respondents strongly supported the ideas of looking up a legislator’s record (60%), knowing something about the district (80%), and organizing information so it can be presented in five minutes (98%).
Respondents agreed most on the following issues:
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Advocates should organize their information so it can be presented in five minutes (98%),
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Feb. thru April is a busy particularly busy time for constituent contact in DC (96% strongly agree or agree),
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Advocates should know something about the district (80%),
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Advocates should leave limited, highly relevant and focused information (80%),
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One to three people is the ideal number to come to a meeting in the office (78%),
- It is better for advocates to come in for a meeting to request something specific versus coming just to chat (76%).
It won’t surprise tipsheet readers to know that, in my opinion, the survey results show real opportunities for advocacy groups to better prepare their members for interactions with elected officials. A large percentage of respondents assert that advocates do not take the basic steps to prepare for a meeting, such as looking up a legislator’s record, knowing something about the district and organizing their information so it can be presented in five minutes.
Please take a minute to download the overall report, and let me know what you think! I should make it clear that AdVanced Consulting is not a survey research firm (nor do we play one on TV). We are not trying to suggest that our survey is reflective of the entire universe of Congressional staff. Rather, this report hopefully provides some anecdotal evidence of what many Congressional staff consider important in their interactions with advocates.
I look forward to your comments and questions.
INTERESTING WEBSITES
Ask the White House: A new service on the White House web site is "Ask the White House" http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/, which will feature periodic live exchanges with White House officials. EPA Administrator Whitman will be on the site today in honor of Earth Day!
Golden Dot Awards: The hottest sites in citizen advocacy, political campaigning, and general politics were awarded “Golden Dot” awards at GWU’s recent Politics Online Conference. Check them out at http://www.ipdi.org/politicsonline/winners.html
INTERESTING EVENTS
April 22nd, 2003: It’s Earth Day. Celebrate by holding class outside today.
May 23, 2003: Advocacy Classroom workshop held by AdVanced Consulting and GalleryWatch.com titled “Show Me the Money: Researching, Tracking and Getting Federal Grants and Loans”. It's not too late to buy the course on CD-Rom!
May 26-30, 2003: Congressional district work period – start thinking now about how to connect with your elected officials when they’re out in the district!
EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TIP: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A CONGRESSIONAL VISIT
Every spring, from March through May, literally hundreds of associations and thousands of individuals belonging to those associations converge on Washington, DC to make their views known to their elected officials. Sometimes, on Capitol Hill, it feels like all 147,000 Associations in the United States are having their lobby days at the same time. Combine that with the fact that members of Congress have to know a little bit about everything on the planet (and hence don’t have a lot of time to learn in-depth about your issues) and you wind up with a frustrating situation for advocates where it feels like no one is listening to what they have to say!
So, what can you realistically expect from your elected officials and their staff during a visit to Washington, DC? The answer is: quite a bit, but only if you’re willing to look at these visits as the start of a long term relationship, not the end-all, be-all of your advocacy efforts. Here are some key facts to keep in mind:
- Limited Time: With only 24 hours in a day and hundreds of people requesting meetings in any given week, elected officials and their staff find themselves pressed for time. As an advocate, you should expect to spend no more than 10 to 15 minutes in any meeting – and be prepared to run through your points in as little as five minutes. As one staff person puts it “Keep meetings short and to the point.”
- Limited Space: Capitol Hill staff recommend sending no more than three representatives and, in general, would like all three to be from the elected official’s district. At a minimum, one person in the group must be from the district or must be able to specifically identify why they are directly relevant to the district (hey, that’s who they are there to represent, right?). And why the limits on numbers? Because the offices are absolutely tiny! If you have more than three people you may be asked to take the meeting standing up in the hallway.
- Remember what they expect from you: Effective advocates will take off their “what-do-I-want-to-get-out-of-this-meeting” blinders, and consider what the staff person might want to accomplish. As one staff person succinctly put it “Always keep in mind what staff is thinking when you're visiting: ‘Why are you here, what do you need from us and how is it relevant to the Congressman and the District? Is your request credible? If we do what you ask is this an easy win-win?’”
- Limited Attention: Consider that this year, Congress has voted on hundreds of different issues, from Social Security to Federal Deposit Insurance to Mosquito Abatement to property in Nicaragua. Members of Congress and their staff must know a little something about everything. If they are unable to pay as much attention to your issue as you would like, consider that your opportunity to act as an ongoing resource for them. In other words, they may not hang on your every word while you’re here, especially if your issue is not going to be voted on in the near future. But if you present yourself well, they will remember who you are and the fact that you can be helpful to them in the future.
- This is Just the Start of a Beautiful Friendship: The most important thing to remember is that any visits to your elected officials should be viewed as the start (or continuation) of a beautiful friendship. In order to keep them interested and engaged in your issues, you must follow-up on an ongoing basis (let me know if you’re interested in my top ten list for building long term relationships). In our recent survey, one staff person said “FOLLOW-UP! If we haven’t cosponsored, or signed on to the letter yet, it may very well NOT be because the Member said no, but because your materials were lost in the chaos.” Don’t get lost in the chaos!
INTERESTING WEBSITES
Pew Trust: The Pew Internet & American Life Project has a couple interesting reports they’ve just released: First, in coordination with the GWU's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet is their report "Untuned Keyboards: Online campaigners, citizens, and portals in the 2002 elections." Find it online at: http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=85. In addition, Pew has reported that some 77% of online Americans have used the Internet in connection with the war in Iraq. For the press release: http://www.pewinternet.org/releases/release.asp?id=61.
For the full report: http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=87.
PBS: PBS’ “By the People” website (http://www.by-the-people.org/) hosts the world's first Online Deliberative Opinion Poll® and, according to the site “reveals the potential for a new form of democracy on the Internet.” It’s pretty cool stuff, so check it out!
INTERESTING EVENTS
April 8th, 2003: My Mom’s Birthday! Happy Birthday Mom…
April 14 – 25, 2003: Congressional Spring Break – think now about how you can connect with your elected officials during this time!
April 15th, 2003: Yes, it’s tax day – and if you’re concerned about taxes, this is a great time to suggest to elected officials some ideas for how they can help ease the burden (or better ways to spend the money).
May 23, 2003: AdVanced Consulting and GalleryWatch.com held “Show Me the Money: Researching, Tracking and Getting Federal Grants and Loans”. It's not too late to buy the course on CD-Rom!
May 26 – May 30th, 2003: Congressional District Work Period in Washington, DC.
EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TIP - ADVOCACY TIPS YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR MOTHER
In honor of Mother's Day, this week's effective advocacy tip is dedicated to the most effective advocates any of us will ever know – our mothers.
Think about it -- mothers use a range of very effective techniques, from gentle persuasion to, well, guilt (sorry Mom!) to achieve their goals. Let's take a look at some of their most effective techniques and how they apply in the advocacy world.
Reverse Psychology: Raise your hand if you ever did the opposite of what your mother told you to do. Did you really think your mother didn't realize what was going on? If she was anything like my Mom, she used reverse psychology. In the advocacy world, this is akin to asking for something you don't necessarily want in order to ultimately settle on something you really do. From the beginning of any legislative discussion, think about your ultimate fallback position. Then, start a little more “expansively”, so you can compromise back to what you ultimately need. In other words, if you absolutely need $2.5 million to complete a project, but you could complete if faster and better for $3 million, start at the $3 million level.
A corollary -- when her idea becomes your idea: As I was growing up, my mother was very adept at convincing me that something that started out as her idea was actually my idea. It wasn't until I was in the midst of studying for the S.A.T.'s, or breaking up with an unsuitable boyfriend that I realized “hey, this is just what my Mom wanted me to do!” For advocates, this means getting “buy-in” to your idea from the elected official you're working with. If you take steps to give them credit for both the idea and its implementation, they will be far more likely to work with you. Be sure to compliment their efforts in any public forum, in your newsletter, with the media, and with your advocates, and pretty soon they'll be 100% on board.
Gentle Persuasion: Moms are great at walking their kids slowly but surely through all the steps to a desired outcome. I remember a particular discussion about a pair of extremely high-heeled shoes I wanted (they were all the rage when I was in seventh grade). Through a series of conversations about general usefulness, cost and, of course, the potential horror of being taller then the boys, my Mom helped me see the wisdom of more practical shoes. You can do the same in dealing with your elected officials. This approach to advocacy takes patience combined with a step-by-step approach. Start by providing one or two small reasons why your idea is good (or another's idea is bad), and build from there with more reasons and more involvement. For example, for that $3 million project, start by explaining its economic development benefits, and then its attractiveness as a transit oriented development project, and finally its benefits for kids in the community. To increase involvement, start by showing the elected official the project on paper, later getting their staff to visit and finally getting the elected official to do a site tour.
Guilt: When all else fails, some moms resort to guilt. I don't recommend this as a way to deal with elected officials, but sometimes subtle reminders of an elected official's obligations to his or her district can be useful. Just don't lay it on too thick. Most elected officials won't respond to "if you REALLY loved your constituents . . ."
You will notice I did not mention “Bribery”. While moms often use this technique with their younger children, this is both ineffective and illegal when dealing with Capitol Hill. That said, not only does money make the world go 'round, it makes campaigns go 'round as well. If you want elected officials who understand your views in Congress, it makes sense to support them financially when they are candidates.
INTERESTING WEBSITES
Yes, it's campaign season again. Anyone running or volunteering for a campaign can pick up some interesting tips in the archives at www.localvictory.com. While their focus is on helping Republican candidates, their ideas and advice are useful for anyone, whether Republican, Democrat, Green, Independent, or whatever!
The Webby Award is the Internet's version of the golden globes. You can read about nominees in a range of categories, from activism to weird and everything in between. Check them out (particularly the government and activism sites) at http://www.webbyawards.com/main/webby_awards/nominees.html
My friends at the National Priorities Project wanted to let Advocacy Tipsheet readers know about the NPP Database. The NPP Database offers state-level data on socio-economic needs and federal expenditures and allows you to create customized tables, graphs and reports. It is user-friendly and free of charge. You can find it at: http://database.nationalpriorities.org/.
The Clerk of the House and the Pew Charitable Trusts have launched a site called "Kids in the House," http://clerkkids.house.gov/, which teaches students, parents and educators about the House and everything they need to know about the Legislative Process. Hey, even effective advocates can learn something from this site. With lessons such as "How a Bill Becomes a Law" and "Build a Bill," kids can create and enact their own bills online, making themselves virtual politicians as well as increasing their understanding of how Congress REALLY works.
INTERESTING EVENTS
May 15, 2002 -- GalleryWatch.com seminar on "Exploring the Secrets of Taxation in the Budget". More information at http://www.gallerywatch.com/seminars.htm
May 27 - 31, 2002 -- This is the Memorial Day district work period. Think carefully about whether you want to set up a meeting with your elected officials in the district during this time period. If you have something important to talk about (and more importantly, ask for), this is an ideal time to reach out.
May 20, 2002: The Democracy Online Project, run out of the George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management, is holding the eighth annual Politics Online conference. The conference is designed as a forum to discuss new technologies in campaigning and e-government. Learn more at http://www.gspm.org/politicsonline/
June 24 - 25, 2002 -- the American Society of Association Executives in holding its annual Government Relations School. This is a great opportunity for Association GR professionals to brush up on their skills. More information at www.asaenet.org.
