A face-to-face meeting with your Member of Congress, or a key member of their staff, is the most effective way to lobby your views.  Taking the time to make a personal visit provides legislators with solid, real life evidence of the importance of a particular issue to their constituents.  Moreover, discussions about pending legislation can educate and, ideally, influence their position.

 

Fortunately, you need not travel all the way to Washington, DC to take advantage of this opportunity!  Every Member of Congress has a local office not far from you.  You can meet with staff there year-round or arrange a visit with the actual Member during one of the District Work Periods scheduled throughout the year.

 

Don't feel you are imposing: legislators meet with constituents daily.  If you feel intimidated at first, remember that legislators depend on people like you who have personal experience and understanding to share.  After all, who else will give them the perspective of the most vulnerable members of our society?

 

Arranging the Visit

 

• Find the Congressperson’ district office nearest you by visiting our action website (enter your zip code for a list of legislators, click the person's name, and scroll down to the bottom of the page for district office information).
• Contact the scheduler in the district office to ask for an appointment with the Member of Congress or the aide who handles your issue.
• Tell the scheduler the dates you are available, the issue you will discuss and who will be attending - ideally, a small group of constituents representing different experiences and backgrounds.  (They may ask you to send this information by fax or email.)

What to Expect

 

• 20 minutes is usually the most time you can expect for a meeting.  Plan to speak for just 10 minutes to allow time for questions and responses.
• Do not expect your audience to be experts on your issue—they will more likely know very little.  The Members themselves tend to be interested mainly in the basic story.  Staffers tend to be more knowledgeable and interested in more detail.
• Do not underestimate the importance of staffers.  They have the trust of the Member, so persuading them is just as effective as persuading the Member directly.

Prepare for the Visit

 

• Let the National Advocacy Center know about your planned visit and feel free to share any questions or concerns.
• Review background on the issue and current legislation relating to it.
• Know something about your audience.  For example: What votes or statements has the Member made on the issue in the past?  Is s/he a member of any committees related to the issue?  What is the significance of her/his place in the political spectrum, past work experience or education, or the nature of the district?  Some good places to start are the Member's webpage and Congress.org.
• Gather materials to leave with your Member of Congress, such as a brochure about your agency and a one-page summary of your position on the issue.
• Make a plan for the visit (you can use this helpful worksheet from NETWORK):
  • Choose a spokesperson to begin the visit and bring it to a close.
  • Decide who will say what.
  • Think of questions and counterpoints your Congressperson may bring up, and plan concise responses.
• Practice the visit.

Make the Visit

 

• First, it’s OK if not everything goes perfectly. The effort you put forth just to be there will be noticed and will make a difference, even if it only makes them advocate less strongly against your position!
• At the start of the meeting, identify yourself and the purpose of your visit.
• If possible, thank the Congressperson for a vote or issue position you appreciate to set a positive tone.
• Be clear and concise, polite but firm, and constructive rather than overly critical.
• Use examples from personal experience, along with supporting facts and statistics.
• Bring the conversation back to your message if it goes off track.
• If there are any questions you cannot answer, make a note of them and volunteer to find the information and get back to your Member of Congress.
• Record other key points of the conversation for future reference.
• Make your request for the Member as specific as possible (e.g. vote Yes on H.R. 1217)
• Get feedback: ask for the Member’s position on the issue.  If the staffer does not know yet, ask for a specific date by which they will get back to you.
• Remember to leave the printed materials you brought for your Member of Congress.

Follow Up on the Visit

 

• Write a thank you note to your Congressperson to thank them for their time and re-emphasize key points in your conversation.  (Sample letter: MSWord, PDF)  This is important for building a relationship.
• Send the answers to any questions you said you’d research.
• Please report back to the National Advocacy Center about how the meeting went and what was said.
• Keep the line of communication open through emails, phone calls, town hall meetings, etc. as there are further developments on your issue.  Now that you have established a relationship with a staff member, you may feel comfortable asking for them by name on the phone or contacting them via their personal email.

 

(Adapted from NETWORK’s guide to visiting your member of Congress.)