Tips and Techniques for Communicating with Elected Officials

The process of cultivating relationships with your elected representatives is a lot like gardening: it requires time, effort, and a good deal of fertilizer! It is important that you establish and maintain regular communications with your elected officials and their legislative staff.

Put key staff on your newsletter mailing lists and invitation lists for all your program events. Take every opportunity to invite your representatives to visit your program and when they do attend, follow up with photographs of the event and thank you letters. Include adult students in your visits whenever possible.

Meeting in your representative's office
Expect to meet for about 15-20 minutes. Introduce yourself and briefly identify your organization and its mission. State the purpose of your meeting. If you are asking your elected official to take action on a specific piece of legislation, be sure to have the bill number, name, and topic with you. It is not necessary to make a specific ask every time you visit, but it is important that you provide some new information. Bring with you updated data about adult literacy in your community, but don't review it in detail unless asked. Have with you a small package of "leave-behind" materials-for example, a data sheet about your program, a recent newsletter, a student profile, and your contact information. Take photographs during the visit and provide a pre-written paragraph about the purpose of the meeting that your official can include in his/her constituent newsletter. Always send follow up thank you notes, especially when your representative takes an action that you have asked him/her to take.

When you communicate in writing
We recommended that you send written letters by mail, fax, or as an e-mail attachment. If you chose to send e-mail, be sure that you write it in your own words rather than forwarding pre-formatted text. Fax or e-mail is the best way to communicate with members of Congress in their Washington, D.C. offices as inspection processes delay mail delivery considerably. Use the correct address and salutation and put your message into your own words:

The Honorable Governor/Senator/Representative/Mayor Jane Doe
Address

Dear Governor/Senator/Representative/Mayor Doe:

I am writing to express�

State the purpose of your communication clearly and concisely. Always send a copy of your letters to members of Congress to their staff in your regional or local office and to their Washington, D.C. staff.

Telephone communications
Occasionally you will make a phone call to your legislator's office. Ask for the specific staff person responsible for your issue by name whenever possible, or by area of responsibility (for example, appropriations, education, scheduling, etc.). If you are calling to invite your elected official to an event or to schedule a meeting, ask for the scheduler and be prepared to follow up your request in writing. If you want to express your point of view about a particular issue or piece of legislation, be clear and concise and include specific and relevant information about your program and your community in your message. An example of an effective phone message follows:

My name is Lynn Reed and I am the executive director of Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County [in Arizona].
I am calling to express my support for House bill number 1234.
My program helps XX,XXX adults to acquire literacy skills each year.
When adults learn to read, they are able to be self-sufficient, take better care of their families, and become active citizens.
Bill 1234 will allow more adults to become productive members of society and will improve the economic and social life of our community. Thank you.

Additional Resources
The following links will help you find information about how to contact your elected officials.

http://www.congress.gov
- a database of federal, state, and local elected officials; search by zip code and send e-mails via direct links. (We recommend against sending pre-formatted issue e-mails.)

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/congress.html#ny
- view the geographic map of every U.S. Congressional district.

http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/mapcd
- search for your Congressional District by zip code and view a map.

http://www.senate.org
- useful contact information for U.S. Senators, including regional and local offices and personnel. You also can search for information about the Senate calendar and Committee information.

http://www.house.gov
- useful contact information for U.S. House of Representative members, including regional and local offices and personnel. You also can search for information about the House calendar and Committee information.