Tell your elected leaders what you think! |
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| TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE MESSAGES |
TIP #1: PERSONALIZED MESSAGES ARE 10 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A LOT OF INFLUENCE
Don't just cut and paste the message points -- take an extra 30 seconds to let them know why youth issues are important to you in particular!
Senior congressional staff were asked:
If your Member/Senator has not already arrived at a firm decision on an issues, how much influence might the following advocacy strategies directed to the Washington office have on his/her decison?
Source: Congressional Management Foundation. Communicating with Congress: How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy.
EXAMPLE: "My name is [John Doe] and I'm a [student; parent; grandparent; teacher; youthworker; business owner; etc]. Child and youth issues are important to me because [I see my friends struggle; I am doing the best I can and wish more people would help; we need to invest in the future; etc.]"
TIP #2: GIVE THE BILL NUMBER AND HOW YOU WANT THEM TO VOTE
Don't force staff to read between the lines to know what you want them to do.
EXAMPLE: "I urge you to support [H.R.1234]."
TIP #3: KEEP MESSAGES SHORT
Congressional staff are very busy!
TIP #4: TELL THEM SOMETHING NEW
Let them know how this impacts you and their district in particular.
EXAMPLE: "It is important for you to understand how this affects your district. [I can't find anything fun and safe to do after school; Two schools have closed in your district this year; the crime rate has gone up; there is a great afterschool program but it needs more funding; etc.]" |
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