Knowing Who You’re Talking To (And Why You’re Relevant)

Effective advocacy isn’t usually the first topic on everyone’s minds this time of year.  But it can be a great time to do some research on your legislators and prepare to hit the ground running in 2014.  Learning a little about your legislators’ interests can help you frame your message in a way that’s bound to get their full attention.

Here are some questions to ask about your legislators (and where to find the answers).  A great way to web surf in between stuffing the Turkey and eating sweet potatoes, right?

You can use our legislator research form to keep track of this information.

1.   Whose District or State Am I In? 

One of the most common questions asked in congressional offices is "Are they from the district?"  Representatives and senators represent distinct groups of people and devote their energy to the requests and needs of those individuals.  Members of the House represent all the people (usually around 550,000) who reside in a separate and distinct geographic area called a congressional district.  Senators represent an entire state.  Hence, every American in the 50 states has one representative and two senators who are responsible for representing their views in Congress.

In general, you should stick to contacting your own representative and senators, unless you can demonstrate that you represent the concerns of people who live in another district.  If you contact other members of Congress, don't be surprised if your phone calls, letters and/or requests for meetings are referred to the representative or senator who serves the area or state where you live.

Your Association may have an online legislative action center that you can use to find your specific legislators based on your zip code.  Alternatively, you can the House of Representative’s “Write Your Rep” function at www.house.gov

2.   What is the Member’s legislative record?  What does she or he care about?

Most members have a record, reflected through votes, of formal support for legislation that has been introduced by other members (called cosponsoring a bill), and legislation they have introduced themselves on virtually every issue under the sun. It’s always good to know where your legislators stand on your issues, as well as any other issues in which they might be interested.  You can see bills legislators have introduced at www.congress.gov .  Note: The bills are designated either House of Representatives (H.R.) or Senate (S.) by where in Congress the bill originated.  You should also review the “Issues” tabs on their webpages.  You can access those at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov

3.   What Committee or Committees is my legislator on?

Members are assigned to committees based on their interests, their districts (or states, in the case of the Senate), and for the more competitive major committees, on how long they have served (seniority). Members usually serve on one to three committees. A member’s ability to influence legislation depends largely upon whether she or he is a member of the committee of jurisdiction.  Also, knowing committee assignments can give you insights into the issues that interest your member of Congress.  This information is also available at www.congress.org.

4.   What party does she or he belong to?

Members help all constituents, not just those who are members of their political party (as some people believe). After all, your representative has been elected to represent you and your interests, regardless of your party affiliation. But it is important to know the member’s party affiliation to determine if they are part of the majority or minority party in Congress. While many members are seeking to work collaboratively and across party lines, members of the majority party still have an advantage in efforts to get legislative proposals passed.

Other Resources

In addition to the resources noted above, you can learn a great deal about your legislators at the following sites:

House of Representatives: www.house.gov

U.S. Senate: www.senate.gov

VoteSmart: www.votesmart.org

Open Secrets: www.opensecrets.org

***This article was written by Stephanie Vance, The Advocacy Guru. Follow her on Twitter. 

Getting Your Legislator's Attention- in Writing!

Communicating with member of Congress is a useful advocacy tool that many citizens do not take advantage of. There are several ways to contact your members of congress including phone calls, letters, faxes, and emails. It is important to understand how to develop effective correspondence before you can deliver your message. Let’s begin by examining a sample letter that Marty Mcfly from the film Back to the Future might have written to his representative:

October 12, 2013

The Honorable Goldie Wilson

1630 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Wilson,

I am a constituent writing to respectfully request that your office submit a statement to the “Extension of the Remarks” section of the Congressional record regarding the 58^th anniversary of the lightning strike on Hill Valley’s clock tower.

Construction of the Clock Tower began in 1885, while Hill Valley was still a small boom town during the California gold rush. On November 5, 1955, there was a violent thunder storm in Hill Valley that resulted in a 1.21 gigawatt lightning strike on the clock tower that froze the clock at 10:04 p.m.  30 years later, development groups tried to push the city council to tear down the clock tower. Fortunately, these efforts were thwarted in large part to the efforts by the local Hill Valley Preservation Society. Today, the landmark clock tower stands as a testament of Hill Valley’s staying power through the years and continues to be a great source of pride for its citizens.

The clock tower has been a major part of my life and my family’s lives. In high school, I performed weather experiments on the clock tower with my mentor, Doctor Emmitt Smith. My wife and I had our marriage ceremony in the park directly in front of the clock tower. My son, Marty Jr., spent many summer afternoons with his best friend, Griff Tannen, playing in the same park. For us, this clock tower is a monument in our lives and we proudly contribute our time and money to the Hill Valley Preservation Society to ensure the tower’s continued existence.

As the current President of the Hill Valley Preservation Society, I am happy to serve as a resource for your staff regarding any aspect of the clock tower including its historic significance or economic impact. I would appreciate a response to my request and I look forward to communicating with your office in the future.

Sincerely,

Marty McFly

President, Hill Valley Preservation Society

1234 Chuck Barry Street

Hilldale Estates

Hill Valley, CA, 94952

Marty’s letter is a great example of how a constituent letter should be written. Let’s look at a four key components in Marty’s letter.

1.     Structure- Marty’s letter is written in business letter format. This is the appropriate format to use when writing to a legislator. Additionally, he referred to his Representative with the correct titles of “The Honorable Goldie Wilson” and “Congressman Wilson.”

2.      Ask- In any constituent correspondence, it is important to have a request, as known around the beltway as “an ask”, in order for the Congressional office to prioritize your correspondence. In this case, Marty asked Congressman Wilson to enter remarks into the Congressional record to commemorate a historical landmark in Hill Valley.

3.     Personal Story- After the ask and some background information, Marty included the most important component to the letter, his personal story. Adding your story to any correspondence will ensure that your message stands out by making it more personal and thoughtful. Your story will also provide the legislator with a picture of how an issue or a place is affecting his constituency.

4.     Relationship Building- Towards the end of his letter, Marty took a big step in building a relationship with Congressman Wilson’s office by offering to serve as a resource. Often times, legislators will be confronted with a controversial issue and will need to know how that issue impacts people in his or her district. This is when members’ offices will contact local resources to gain insight. This relationship would allow Marty to have an impact on his Congressman’s decisions as well as have his correspondence be prioritized in the office. 

5.     Ask for a Response- This is essential to include somewhere in your written correspondence. Generally, this will compel an office to send a response letter. The ask does not have to be long. In fact, Marty only included it as a single sentence at the end of the letter.

Please feel free to write any questions in the comment section and we will be glad to answer. Happy Advocating!

Congress – Coming Soon to a District Near You

For many of us, the word “recess” conjures up images of monkey bars, school yard fights and dodge ball.  In Washington, D.C., this term is used to describe the time period during which legislators return to their districts and states.  Sure, for some this still means school yard fights.  But for the most part the term “recess” is a misnomer.  In fact, legislators and their staff are often working harder in their communities than they might in Washington, D.C. (yes, I know.  Not hard to imagine).

Why is this important now?  The weeks of March 25^th and April 1^st mark the spring “constituent work week” or “district work period.”  You can be sure the D.C.-types are working hard (instead of hardly working) through one or more of the following three options:

• Go to a town hall meeting:  Check your legislators’ Facebook pages, Tweets or even take the old-fashioned approach and call their offices to find out where they’ll be in the districts during the next few weeks.  You can find local contact information through their web pages at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.  Not sure who represents you in the House?  Go to the House website for an address look-up tool.  As long as you know what state you live in, it should be relatively easy to find your Senators.
• Let them know about your events:  Are you involved in a community spring fair?  A fundraiser for your cause? A meeting?  A conference? Even just a regular old work day? Whatever you’ve got going on in the next few weeks, if you think creatively you might find something you can invite your legislator or staff person to see or do.  Don’t reinvent the advocacy wheel.  Use your existing events to your advantage.
• Utilize media effectively:  When policymakers are back home you can be sure they’re listening to the local TV and radio news shows as well as reading the smaller circulation community papers . Now’s the time to call in to drive time shows with your thoughtful (not insulting) comments on what’s happening in D.C., write letters to the editor (these generally have a short turnaround time), or find an opportunity to connect with local TV news reporters.  The more timely your story, the more likely you’ll be to capture attention, both of the community and your legislators.

The point is, you don’t have to come to Washington, D.C. to make a difference.  If you want to be sure your elected representatives are working, not brawling, take advantage of the “recess” to deliver your message.  They need to know how policy issues impact the people they represent – and this is the time to not just tell them, but show them as well.

***The following article was written by Stephanie Vance, The Advocacy Guru. Follow her on Twitter.

REM (and Policymakers) Say "It's the End of the World as we Know it."

Or is it?

At this point I will be very surprised if Congress comes up with some last minute deal to stop sequestration from happening.  I've been wrong before many times (and on many subjects).  But with members of Congress leaving this afternoon for their districts I don’t see much hope.  And when the Speaker of the House says "[w]e should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their a** and begins to do something," (as quoted in the Detroit Free Press) that’s never a good sign for either bipartisan or bicameral action.

No matter how frustrated we are with process, however, it’s important to remember that the question of whether these cuts stick – and for how long -- remains up to the American people.  Legislators will be back at home over the weekend, so now’s the time to tell them what you think.  Following are some tips on how to so to:

• Be clear about your position: At a minimum be clear whether you’re “OK with it” or “not OK with it.”  If you’re not OK with it, why?  Are flight delays really getting you down? (full disclosure, I’m flying on Sunday – hopefully).  Have the cuts impacted your job?  Your family?  Your health?  Your leisure time?  The weather (hopefully not).  Whatever it is that’s bugging you, tell that personal story.

• Recognize that reasonable people can disagree:  Because of the way district lines are drawn, many legislators represent citizens on just one end or the other of the political spectrum.  For example, there are some real differences between residents of the 12^th district of California (Rep. Pelosi) and the 8^th district of Ohio (Rep. Boehner) in terms of education level, occupation type, language spoken, commuting patterns – the list goes on and on.  I know this because I did a little research on www.census.gov.  In short, day-to-day life is very different for the citizens of these two areas.  Their political views, as well as the views of their representatives, reflect those differences.  So no matter how frustrated you are, remember that members of Congress are trying to reconcile the widely varying views of the American public. 

• Finally, please, please, please know what you’re talking about:  To paraphrase cartoonist Walt Kelly, “we have seen the enemy, and he (or she) is us.”  Why do I say that?  Well, according to Pew research polls (and as reported in this US News and World Report piece), “. . . two weeks ago, 72 percent of Americans cited reducing the deficit and cutting spending as items that should be the president and Congress's top priority. However, this week, when specifically asked what to cut, Americans polled didn't want to cut much at all! As a matter of fact, many programs they wanted to remain funded as is or to increase, with the exception of a small percentage that wanted less funding to go overseas for foreign aid.”  Sorry everyone, but “foreign aid” is less than .5% of the overall Federal budget.  It’s not going to make a dent.  We find more change in the couch cushions in Washington, D.C. than that.  Please don’t suggest this as a solution.  

Perhaps the best advice I can give is to be nice.  In politics, as in life, the person who disagrees with grace and respect gets the most attention.  They’re much more pleasant to deal with.

***The above article was written by Stephanie Vance, The Advocacy Guru. Follow her on Twitter. 

Three Messages that Work with the 113th Congress.

Did you know that of the 10,445 bills introduced in the 112^th Congress (2011-2012), only 284 became law?  If I did my math right, that’s less than 3%.  And a chunk of those were about renaming Post Offices and federal buildings.  Yeah, I know: that’s not very encouraging.  In defense of policymakers, however, those numbers do not include any bill-based amendments members of Congress may have attached to moving legislation.

Still, it’s pretty clear Congress is completely and totally inefficient. And to some degree it’s supposed to be.  Trying to get 271 people (1/2 the House plus ½ the Senate plus the President) to agree to the exact language of legislation before it becomes law is no easy feat – especially when those legislators represent widely varying constituencies.

That said, some might argue that the gridlock has gotten a bit out of hand.  The good news is that some messages still resonate with both sides of the aisle.  For example, it won’t shock you to hear that “saving money” and “cutting budgets” arguments carry a lot of weight these days.  But besides these somewhat obvious tactics, what other approaches have been working recently?  Here are three options to consider:

• Compromise / Bipartisanship:  Of the 284 bills that passed in the 112^th Congress, 105 were from Democrats, 176 were from Republicans and 3 were from Independents.  Frankly, these numbers surprised me. They reflect a higher degree of bipartisanship than I anticipated.  Perhaps more important, of those that passed the mass majority were cosponsored by both Democrats and Republicans.  Advocates who can argue that their perspective is shared by legislators on both sides of the aisle will likely have more success than others.

• Government Reform:  “Government Operations and Politics” and “Congress” are the top two categories of bills (as defined by the Library Congress) that have been introduced so far this year.  Policymakers really like being associated with legislative initiatives that allow them to appear to be “solving the problems in Washington.”  Does your proposal help achieve this goal?  If so how?

• “Must Pass”: Of the 1,476 bills introduced so far this year, three have passed.  They were bills to a) raise the debt ceiling before the U.S. government defaulted on its loans, b) provide relief for Hurricane Sandy victims and c) raise limits on the National Flood Insurance program (in the wake of Hurricane Sandy).  Most legislators and citizens saw these as must pass, emergency items.  Now, I’m not saying you should make your issue sound like a crisis.  But you should consider whether your issue connects to and/or can help address a current crisis.  By framing your message in that way, you may get the attention you deserve.

Above all, don’t despair.  You may be up against tough odds, especially if you want to move something through the process.  The way to overcome those odds is through persistence, vigilance and strategic messaging.  Hopefully these ideas will help you on your way!

***The above article was written by Stephanie Vance, The Advocacy Guru. Follow her on Twitter. 

The Lame Duck Session Begins

Official Page

A week has passed since the election, and five House races still remain uncalled. You can view full election results and 113th Congress member list here. As the votes continue to be counted in these races, Congress returned to work today in what could be the busiest lame duck session in recent memory.

The most pressing issue confronting the 112^th Congress continues to be the impeding fiscal cliff, a collection of automatic budget cuts and tax increases that will take effect in January and that could have a major negative impact on the economy. In a recent article, Politico outlined five scenarios in which this crisis can be resolved. In addition to the fiscal cliff, Congress still has to deal with payroll tax cuts, unemployment benefits, disaster assistance, and the farm bill.

Although this is a busy lame duck session, it is essential that your issues remain relevant to legislators and that you begin to prepare your organization’s advocacy strategy for the 113^th Congress. Advocacy Associates partners Jason Jordan and Stephanie Vance, The Advocacy Guru, will be featured in the second free webinar in the series “Winning, No Matter Who Wins” on November 15 at 3:00pm. The webinar will provide post-election analysis that will help you understand the new dynamics of the 113^th Congress and what you can do today to be better prepared to get results in the next Congress.

For more details, visit the official page or register here.  

***Follow Nick on Twitter

How to Trick Your Legislators into Doing What You Want - Even in an Election Year

The Guru as the Queen

If you think about it, isn’t Halloween really about using your influence to extract resources from people in authority? We can all learn a great deal from some of the 7-year olds in our communities, particularly in their approach to the time honored tradition of trick-or-treating. How?

Be Adorable: I’m not really the most “kid-friendly” person, but I must admit that when a small child of between 4 and 10, dressed as a fairy princess or spider man or even George Will (I live in DC, remember) comes to my door on Halloween, I can be suckered in — especially when they approach all breathless with anticipation at the very idea of coercing candy out of mean old Ms. Vance simply by lisping “trick or treat.” After dumping half the candy bowl in their sacks, I’ve heard these same sweet little cherubs run screaming down the stairs saying, with no discernable lisp whatsoever, “Yo, yo, yo — I got some awesome candy at that mean lady’s house.”

While I’m not suggesting that you dress in a fairy princess costume to meet with your legislators, I do suggest that you figure out how to be most appealing. Walking into a members’ office and demanding that since a) you pay their salary with your tax dollars and b) they work for you, they should c) do whatever you say without question or d) you’ll fire them is not so adorable. Try suckering them in with a positive approach – then hit them up for all the candy in the candy bowl.

Stand Out From the Crowd: How many Vampire outfits do you think you’ll see this year? Wouldn’t it be nice to see something different? I remember one year I went trick or treating as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. OK, not so unusual except that I took my Irish Wolfhound Megan as Toto. I cleaned up. I was eating free candy for months (or at least what I could extract from my mother). The point is that I stood out from the crowd.

How do you stand out from the crowd of people communicating with legislators? Simply by doing things other people rarely do, such as expressing an interest in the legislator’s issues, telling a personal, thoughtful story (instead of a mass-produced e-mail or postcard) and timing your communication so that it coincides with a decision point in the process. In so doing, you are tricking the system they have in place for dealing with the thousands of communications they get per week — and you will in turn gain more personal attention.

Don’t Be Greedy (Or, As a Corollary, Be Grateful): Everyone has had the experience of having a trick-or-treater at the door that wants more than his or her fair share — and actually has the gall to ask for it. While I’m a huge fan of “making the ask”, I’m not a huge fan of asking for too much. Frankly, it turns me off when, in reaction to my presentation of an appropriate amount of candy, a trick-or-treater says “geez, is that all? Mrs. Jones down the street gives everyone five pieces.” It doesn’t make me want to hand out more candy. It makes me want to reach into their snot-nosed little candy sack and take back what I already gave (see, I told you I was mean).

 Anyone “trick or treating” at their legislatures should practice making the ask and then saying “thank you” for what may be received. Effective advocates will wipe that disappointed frown off their face and maintain a positive relationship with elected officials — next year they may be able to be more generous.

Maintain a Reputation for Having the “Good Stuff”: The “good stuff”, in this case, is the really good candy. You know what I mean. Real Snickers’ instead of the Costco brand generic “Snuckers”. Popcorn balls dripping in honey. M&M’s, Starbursts, Hershey’s Chocolate bars — mmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. Just as candy is the currency for Halloween, information is the currency for the policy process.

As an advocate, it is important to have quality information on the issues you care about. This includes whatever national facts, figures and trends you can get from a national group, state-level information and, most important, stories and statistics about how your policies impact people on a district-by-district basis. Your legislators are eager to know people in their districts who can answer their questions on specific policy issues. Become one of those people by doing your research — and developing a great reputation as a repository of good information.

See? Who knew there was so much to learn from Halloween? Now get our there and engage in a little trick or treating of your own with your legislators — you may be surprised at what treats you’ll get if you ask!

***For more tips and strategies after the election, sign up for our FREE webinar, "Winning, No Matter Who Wins" on Thursday, November 15. More information here.

At Bat for Advocacy

The baseball postseason is in full swing, and for the first time in 79 years a Washington, D.C. team is in contention (and yes, I am an avid Nats fan). But as we all know, baseball isn’t the only important thing going on in our nation’s capital (elections anyone?). It occurred to me that there are a few takeaways from the game of baseball that can be applied to your advocacy efforts:

1)     Even the best ball players only succeed one-third of the time. Baseball and advocacy both entail a great deal of failure and success, so don’t get discouraged when you don’t see results every single time you ask a member of Congress for something. Just as the baseball season is long, so are congressional terms – you’ll always have another chance to move your agenda forward. Sometimes you are going to swing and miss, but if you stay persistent you will eventually hit a grand slam and get that co-sponsor, get a statement in the Congressional Record, or get that bill passed.

2)     There are many forces at play with every move you make. In every at bat, you have to consider how many outs there are, whether anyone is on base, what the pitch count is, where the outfield is positioned, and numerous other factors. On top of that, you have to try to anticipate what the pitcher will throw you next. Similarly, as an advocate you have to be aware of a number of components as you advance your agenda. When does the bill go to committee? When does the bill go to the floor? Who can be a champion for your cause? Who is on the fence and perceivably swayable, and do you have any advocates with a relationship or constituency connection to that member? If you can anticipate what is coming and develop a strategy around those factors, you will be in much better shape.

3)     A baseball team’s roster is constantly changing, and so is congress. While the makeup of a baseball team changes due to trades, free agency, injuries and dismissals, Congressional seats change due to elections and resignations. It’s important to follow the elections in key districts and do your research when new members of Congress get elected (one good place to start would be OpenSecrets.org, where you can view campaign contributions). Developing relationships with new legislators should be a major focus for any grassroots advocacy effort. Take the time to meet with these members and their staff, invite them to an on-site visit and attend their town hall meetings in the district. Forming relationships early will pay off down the line.

And if you don’t accomplish everything on your advocacy to-do list, just remember – like baseball – there’s always next year!

Congress Sets Spending Levels for First Six Months of FY13- Learn How to Prepare Your Advocates for FY13 and Beyond

Immediately prior to adjourning until after the election, Congress approved a six-month spending bill that will keep the government running when the current fiscal year ends on Sunday. Join Advocacy Associates on Thursday for the first of two free webinars on how to prepare your advocates for the election season, the new fiscal year, and beyond. Registration is now open.

The continuing resolution sets spending levels until March 27, 2013 at the $1.047 trillion level agreed upon in the Budget Control Act, the deal reached last summer to raise the debt ceiling. The spending cap for FY13 is slightly higher than FY12 levels, which will boost programs by .621% across the board and will allow $1.992 billion in additional funding to go to various projects and disaster relief.

The agreement marks a compromise between the House and the Senate, which based its individual spending bills on wildly differing topline levels. Conservative members of the House had been pushing the budget resolution introduced by Vice Presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), which would have lowered overall spending for FY13 by $19 billion. The Senate, on the other hand, supported the topline numbers agreed upon in the BCA.  In what seemed like a contradictory vote, the bill passed handily in the House, but passed by a narrower margin in the Senate. The President is expected to sign it into law this week.

After the election, fiscal issues such as sequestration, tax reform, and deficit control will dominate the lame duck session of Congress. Join Advocacy Associates for two free webinars to help you prepare your advocates and policy issues for the election season and beyond, regardless of the outcome of the election. Register here. 

Winning, No Matter Who Wins

It's frustrating to see constant poll results identifying our nation's "most important problem" when the word bank voters are given to choose from is really small. What about improved transportation choices? Library funding? Stroke prevention? Workforce development? What about your issue?

In addition to worrying about whether the right issues are being discussed, there is the problem of identifying and electing the best advocates for your cause to Congress or City Council. At this point in the election season we are inundated daily with messages proclaiming doom if "the other guy" wins. It can be tempting to spend time calculating the exact results necessary on Election Day to ensure your organization's cause has a chance.

Advocacy Associates believes that with the right preparation, you can have your issue and advocates winning, no matter who wins. With a combined total of over 50 years of experience in grassroots communications and government relations, Advocacy Associates wants to help government affairs and grassroots professionals prepare their advocates and issues for election season and beyond.

This fall, we are providing two free webinars to help your organization get started mobilizing advocates, increasing issue visibility, preparing for post-election turnover, understanding what's at play during the Lame Duck, and defining your legislative strategy while everyone else is focused on the political.

Thursday, September 27, 3:00pm ET
Pre-Election Preparations
Register Here


Thursday, November 15, 3:00pm ET
Post-Election Strategy
Register Here

We look forward to talking advocacy with you!

Lessons in Advocacy from Across the Sea

I just returned from a fantastic trip to Japan, and while I’m not a huge fan of my current jet lagged state, it was definitely worth it.  This was my first visit (hopefully not the last) to the Land of the Rising Sun – a very appropriate name by the way – and during my time there I noticed some very interesting cultural differences. The one that stood out to me the most was the tendency to do what is best for the group rather than for the individual (and it goes without saying that I’m generalizing a bit). It was a collection of small observations I made throughout my stay that led me to this conclusion. For example, if a group of three friends are riding on the subway but only two seats are available, all three will remain standing – even if there is no one else vying for those seats. If you go out to dinner with someone and there is sake at the table, you are not supposed to refill your own glass – instead you pour drinks for one another.  It can take you an hour to find an outdoor garbage receptacle in Tokyo, but you won’t find one piece of litter on the ground.

I was very impressed by this community-centric mentality, and it got me thinking about how these principles can and should be applied in the world of advocacy. While you do have power as an individual advocate, it’s those grassroots campaigns that consider the needs of the entire community they represent with their issue that are truly successful. As an organization or association representing a particular issue area, you should look for other groups with like-minded interests and work together to propel each other forward. As an individual advocate, if you are planning to meet with a Member of Congress it may be tempting to arrange a one-on-one meeting so you can spend as much time as possible telling your personal story to your Congressman. But think about how much more effective the meeting might be if you have two or three constituents with the same message but different stories and perspectives.

At the very least you can stand if there aren’t enough seats for everyone in the meeting. 

The August Recess- Why It Exists and How to Advocate During the "Vacation"

It's August, the time when Congress is out of session for a month and everyone in the country asks, "Why the @#*^! are they taking a break?!" I understand the frustration, especially since issues like sequestration, tax reform, the several other issues remain unfinished.

Historically, back in the years of horse and buggy, the buildings our legislators worked in had no air conditioning. In August, the humidity in D.C. is OUTRAGEOUS. As a result, the House and Senate would adjourn for the month of August to run home just as the awful humidity began. During the 1960s, the August recess became law because many legislators wished to spend some time with their families. As you can probably imagine (or remember for some of you), the 1960s was a busy time for Congress. For members today, the recess is not a big vacation in the Bahamas or Cancun. The overwhelming majority of our legislators use the recess as an opportunity to return to their districts and reconnect with their constituents. Especially during an election year.

Regardless of how you feel about the recess, this can be a great opportunity for you to advocate for your issue. I would highly advise against having a lobby day, congressional briefing, or a meeting with congressional staffers in DC during August. Now is the time for your organization to turn its focus to creating a better relationship with the legislator IN THE DISTRICT. Connecting with your legislator in his or her home district will have a significant impact on the relationship as it solidifies your organization’s status as a vocal constituent group. Attending town hall meetings, arranging to have the legislator visit your workplace, or a simple meeting with the legislator will be enormously powerful in building a relationship with your Congressperson or Senator. The relationship you build today will be crucial tomorrow when you make your ask during the very busy session that is anticipated to occur once Congress returns.

***Follow Nick on Twitter

Your Democracy at Work: Wisconsin

The great state of Wisconsin was the scene of a significant political battle last week over the proposed recall of Governor Scott Walker.  I know it was a great political battle because BOTH The Daily Show and The Colbert Report covered it on the same night.  Outraged citizens on one side argued that Governor Walker’s policies caused too much harm to the good people of Wisconsin.  Outraged citizens on the other side argued that the recall was nothing more than a very expensive and inappropriate “do-over” demanded by unions.

Regardless of where you stand on the substance of the issue, in my opinion the debate has served only to benefit our democracy.  Why?  Because like the infamous ‘hanging chad’ debate of 2000 (and the subsequent national discussion about the electoral college), it has inspired citizens to talk about our democratic process. I have actually heard people in the streets – and streets outside of Washington, D.C. no less – get in to heated arguments about whether “we don’t like this guy” is an adequate reason to initiate a recall.

While I really don’t have any feeling of outrage on either side of the debate, I am strongly of the opinion that recall elections based on “we don’t like this guy” are perfectly reasonable -- as long as they come with the support of the appropriate number of citizens (as reflected through petition signatures).  The rights to both express dissatisfaction as well as to demand a vote on that dissatisfaction are basic tenants of democracy.

In addition to the discussion over the role of recalls in a democracy, some people see this particular battle as a presentiment of what will happen during the upcoming Presidential and Congressional election war.  Personally, I think of all this as less connected to the overall political situation of the country and more about the politics of Wisconsin.  Neither side should feel encouraged or discouraged about Walker’s victory. But regardless of how we feel about the outcome, we all should feel just a little heartened about the renewed interest in democracy.

From Chic Retirement Community to Trailer Park In One Day

News flash: things continue to be “not-so-great” with the economy. Friday’s unemployment figures, described by “dismal” as many observers, caused the markets to fall precipitously. My investment advisor says, “this is a great time to buy: so many bargains!” That’s a very difficult perspective to take as you watch your retirement income go from “chic small condo in a retirement community” to “trailer park” in the course of a day.

Clearly those running the political campaigns see our economic situation as an opportunity to attack the other side. President Obama seeks to paint his opponent as one of the job-cutting “corporate raiders” whose actions led in part to the recession. Mr. Romney seeks to paint his opponent as an incompetent bureaucrat who is unable to solve the problem. The truth is, as former-President Bill Clinton recently pointed out, neither can be dismissed as completely unqualified and, given the neck and neck polls, this strategy isn’t working.

An interesting Washington Post article titled “Jobs numbers remind Obama that he must do more than attack” makes this point. Dan Balz, the author, reminds us that successful influencers do not rely on attacking their opponent for getting to yes.

A better strategy is to base your arguments on your opponents’ fundamental weaknesses. There’s an entire chapter in The Influence Game dedicated to knowing your competition, which you can achieve by conducting extensive opposition research, knowing exactly what it is you’re competing for (it’s not always what you think) and perhaps more important, researching yourself as if you WERE the opposition.

If you employ these tactics you’ll know enough about your opponents to contradict their substantive arguments instead of focusing on more personal surface attacks. And frankly, if you do it right, their flaws will be obvious and you won’t even have to point them out directly..

Back to Basics: Old-Fashioned, But Very Effective, Approaches to Advocacy

When faced with the daunting task of creating a strong grass roots campaign, I found that many people are unsure of where to start. The task seems more overwhelming when looking at large grassroots campaigns implemented by groups such as the AARP or the Tea Party activists.

Many of my fellow generation y-ers often start with a Facebook page and invite all their friends, who in turn invite all their friends to join the group. I am a strong believer that the social media tools that exist today are game changers in contemporary politics, i.e. Arab Spring Revolutions. Unfortunately, a large Facebook group, frequent tweets, and entertaining YouTube videos aren’t enough to mobilize the effort you need to be successful in your campaign to influence legislators. So in addition to the new technologies that are available, let’s turn to some classic advocacy strategies that we have refined based on our work with our clients.

1. Information Gathering- Perhaps the foundation of any campaign. It’s not enough to get a large quantity or the obvious, but you need to get the RIGHT information. This information should enlighten what the situation is across groups, organizations, and activists involved in the process. Questions may include: frequency of outreach to legislators or public, who has done outreach, what methods have been used in the outreach, and what research has been done (such as looking at FEC reports).

2. Organization- After deciding what information needs to be gathered, the organization of that data is the next step. Being one of the young guns at Advocacy Associates, I prefer to use online contact forms to complete this. Websites such as Wufoo.com will allow you to build a form that has the questions needed to capture the information that you will synthesize later either into charts, graphs, or statistics. Remember: “The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.” -Marcus Aurelius

3. Old-Fashioned Phone Calls – Even with all the tools at our disposal to communicate with others, sometimes a phone call is the best way to reach out. I found this to be true working on a political campaign as well as with our clients. First, it’s much more difficult to blow someone off on a phone call vs. an email, Facebook message, or general tweet. Also, believe it or not, people appreciate the gesture of making a personal phone call to reach out. Who doesn’t like to feel special enough for a phone call? A corollary to this, ALWAYS return a phone call and ALWAYS call when you schedule a call. Not doing either will convey a message that you are either lazy or unreliable.

Apply these three strategies in the beginning of your campaign and I promise that you will have the solid foundation needed to have a strong influence over legislation.

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Advocacy, Advocacy Everywhere

I had the pleasure of being in Oklahoma (Norman, to be exact) during the tornado "outbreak" that occured several weeks ago and had my first experience with tornado sirens, shelters and the like (shout out to the Oklahoma Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service to whom I was speaking: it wasn't your fault!). What was perhaps even more disturbing than spending an hour in a concrete bunker was the fact that our impending doom was discussed for hours ahead of time on the local news.


However, one positive thing I got from all this was an understanding of all the various ways to describe "twisters" (as we tornado afficianados call them). These include maxi, grinder, multi-vortex, wedge, barrel, rope, elephant, stovepipe, EF4 and EF5 (and presumambly lower EF's), meso cyclones, tornadic super cells and, my favorite, "very well organized." Thank goodness. I don't want my tornadoes to be a mess.


All this made me realize that there are dozens of different ways to describe advocacy: grassroots, grasstops, education, public relations, lobbying -- the list goes on and on. So I took a moment to think about some of the general approaches I think are important to know about and to provide some definitions, as follows:

1. Education: We often talk about the need to "educate" elected officials on the issues, but what does that mean? To me that means making sure they know who you are and what you do. It's a very important first step in effective advocacy, but it's only a first step. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking "hey, once they know what I do they'll be supportive." Not so much. You'll need to take a few extra steps to make that happen.


2. Public Relations: Once your legislators know what you do, you want them to feel positively about it, right? That's where public relations comes in. These activities might include media outreach, advertising, coalition building or even community organizing. It's a critical step to getting legislators on your side.


3. Advocacy: Advocacy is all about getting your legislators to take a specific action. It could be a policy action, like support a specific bill, or it could be a relationship building action, like come visit our facility. Either way, the most effective way to be sure your policymakers "get it" is to get them engaged.


4. Lobbying: A lot of people think lobbying is a dirty word, but really it's not. To me, lobbying is all about the nitty-gritty of the legislative process (e.g., following the thousands of bills introduced or tracking down what section 672 of code number 435 will do), figuring out the specific ask, pulling together facts and figures on the issue and then putting together all the pieces for building support (citizen advocacy, education, PR, PACs, etc., etc.). Most citizen advocates will likely not be engaged in "lobbying" but you'll want to double-check the laws in your state because I don't want anyone to go to jail.

While these are just a few terms, I hope they're useful for making your advocacy approach as powerful as (and please not as destructive as) a tornado. Happy advocating!

Budgets, Budgets Everywhere!

You've probably heard that the government was going to shut down. Then not. Then it would. Then it wouldn't. Well, Congress has finally APPEARED to reach a deal for the current Fiscal Year (FY2011)(emphasis on "appeared") and you can read the text at www.congress.gov. To access it, under the search button select "bill number" and then type in H.R. 1473. There's also a PDF version at http://tinyurl.com/3c33wuv, but it's a PDF which, frankly, I find a little hard to read.

In addition, the text of the proposed budget resolution for FY2012 (the fiscal year starting on October 1st), is available at http://tinyurl.com/3dwmhah. Yeah, I know: which one means what? Following is a brief summary of three things it's good to know about the budget process:

The difference between the Presidential budget process and the Congressional budget process

First of all, the Administration’s proposal, which comes out every February, is simply that – a proposal. What Congress, as the branch that has the true “power of the purse strings,” decides is a totally different matter. When the person occupying the White House and the leadership of the House and Senate are of the same political persuasion the budget numbers may be somewhat similar. However, when the President and the Congress don’t see eye-to-eye, the President’s proposal becomes less a signal of where there are agreements and more a sign of what items will be most in contention

The differences between “budget,” “appropriations,” and “authorization”

Frankly, advocates and professionals alike are often confused by the differences between a) a budget blueprint, b) language allowing a program to exist (authorization) and c) the actually funding for that program (appropriations). Just think of it as it applies to your personal life: your budget gives you a sense of what you might spend on various items throughout the year; your bills (utilites, car payment, etc.) are your "authorizations" for programs to exist and the checks you write (or the wire transfers you authorize -- for those who don't remember checks) are your "appropriations."

Discretionary vs. Non-discretionary Spending

As anyone working on Federal funding issues knows, the VAST majority of federal spending is on what are known as “non-discretionary” programs, such as Medicare, Social Security and interest on the national debt. In essence, these programs are not truly non-discretionary: Congress could pass policy language making changes that would reduce or increase spending in these areas. However, major changes to these programs are few and far between. Most yearly funding battles are oriented around the one-third of the budget that is considered “discretionary.”

Advocates need to understand these differences for two reasons. First, to help rationalize (if the word “rational” can be used as it relates to the budget process) the yearly battles over funding for favored programs and second, to emphasis the fact that the funds available for domestic discretionary programs are decreasing, while demand is increasing.

In addition, it's important to recognize that when we propose cutting funding for programs like public broadcasting or the arts, we're not making even a dent in the budget deficit. We're barely making a discernable scratch. To make real progress, we'll need to look at those "non-discretionary" items, which will be extremely difficult politically.

So it will be a fun few months in Washington, DC as they rangle all this out. Hopefully, these few points about the budget process are useful as you "go forth and advocate," even in this confusing (and frustrating) process.

Civic Discourse

Many will say the shooting spree at Rep. Giffords' "Congress on your Corner" session in Arizona was not the direct result of a specific political perspective and I'm not going to argue with that. That this was the act of one crazed person cannot be disputed. Nor should anyone suggest that one party or another condoned yesterday's tragedy.

That said, there are those, from both sides of the aisle and from all walks of life, who must take some responsibility for allowing and even establishing an environment where unstable and confused people think it's OK to walk into a building and start shooting because they are angry at government.

In the coming days there's going to be a lot of talk about the toxic political tone in Washington, DC and around the country. Some will wave the banner of "free speech" to suggest that there's really nothing we can do to tone down the vitriolic rhetoric.

I love free speech. I'm doing it right now. I agree that we should "defend to the death" (as Volatire would say) the rights of others to disagree with us. We should even defend the rights of others to really, really hate government or individuals in government or anyone for that matter. Passionate, vehement, biased, incorrect and even angry rhetoric can and must be tolerated.

At the same time encouragements toward violence and death threats need to stop. We may not be able to stop them through legislative or judicial action, especially merely implied suggestions of violence. So we'll have to stop them through the powerful instrument of public opinion. In short, we all have the responsibility to challenge those who take their disagreements to that next level of violence.

Clearly, whether it was the attempt on Republican Tom DeLay (or, really, anyone who happened to be in the Capitol) that resulted in the tragic death of a brave Capitol Hill security guard in 1998 or the attempt on Giffords that killed six people in Tucson yesterday, those who argue that the populace should be in a state of war with anyone in public office occasionally get what they want. And for these people to step back and say "oh, wait, that's not what we meant" is unconscionable.

The founding fathers set up our current system of government to avoid exactly this type of vigilantism. One of their many goals was to make these brutal actions unnecessary because people would be given the right to express their views in an open and fair environment.

I recognize there are those who feel this goal has not been met or that the system has become so corrupt that we must have another violent revolution to "take back our country." I disagree. I think we -- as in "we the people", not "we the pundits" or "we the political establishment" -- should take back our country from those who encourage not-so-random acts of violence.

It makes me sad that I am questioning whether it is good advice to suggest that constituents attend Congressional townhall meetings. Clearly this is a free speech issue. It's OUR free speech issue. I, you, the guy or gal down the street should be able to support or oppose a candidate or a policy position without fear of death or physical injury. It's incumbent upon us to protect that right. If we don't, we will all lose the ability to speak openly, freely and without fear.

Never Too Young to Start Advocating

I attended a climate change forum a couple of weeks ago hosted by Climate One to discuss how younger people are taking action to cut carbon emissions in their communities. The students that were participating had unique approaches to how they were taking on climate change in their community but they all understood the power of advocacy and raising awareness for their issue. Advocacy can take many forms from doing student projects that raise awareness for their issue to talking to the decision makers in their community about making changes that will help reduce their carbon footprint. Take a look at how these students are making a difference in their communities through their innovative advocacy efforts.

And Now for What Citizens Can Do...

I've been writing this week on the recent Pew Study about the fact that most citizens do not trust their government. And, like Sisyphus and his impossible task, I'm having the temerity to suggest improvements. Yesterday I made some suggestions for politicians. Today I have some ideas for citizens.

Know the institution: When I was on the hill we received numerous letters about foreign aid (yes, I know I'm dating myself: for those who don't remember letters they were communications sent on paper through an institution called the U.S. Post Office). The writers were almost uniformly outraged at the huge percentage of the federal budget spent on foreign aid. In reality, the percentage was ½ of 1%. Granted, these writers probably didn't want any money spent on foreign aid, but under no construction could this be viewed as a "huge percentage of the Federal budget."

Or what about the constituents that I talked to who owned a deli in our district? They were moving their business and wanted our office to arrange to move several federal agency offices so that they would have better foot traffic at lunch. Not really a reasonable ask of a Congressional office.

Clearly these are extreme examples, but what about something simple? The people who used to call our office after a vote to express their extreme frustration with us could have been far more effective if they'd called BEFORE the vote. We still might not have agreed with them, but it's always best to tell Congress what you think before they take action.

From knowing what Congress can actually do for you to knowing your issue, citizens can help enhance trust by knowing what they're talking about.

Know how to advocate effectively: Your communications must be relevant, personalized, thoughtful and specific if you want to have a prayer of being taken seriously. Sure. The Constitution and the general idea of a democracy give you every right to fire off an angry e-mail to every member of Congress you can think of, and if it makes you feel better go ahead. But in a representative system, it's the officials that specifically represent the area where you live or work who really care what you think.

If you want to advocate in support of an appropriation for a specific program, your best place to start is with the elected official who represents the area where you live, work or serve people. If that person happens to serve on the appropriations committee great, if not, it's still best to communicate with your own legislator and ask him or her to reach out to the appropriators. If you aren't sure who they are, go to www.congress.org to find out.

Once you've gotten passed the relevancy hurdle, you need to think about how your communication can rise to the top of the thousands that are received in a Congressional office everyday. You do that by being specific about what you want, being thoughtful in your arguments and, most important, by telling a personal story. Personalized communications have far more influence with a legislator than form communications. Period.

Understand the difference between "being heard" and "being agreed with": In many cases the problem is not that your opinion isn't heard. Rather, it's that either a) the legislator doesn't really agree with you or b) the legislator doesn't have an opinion on your issue. So yelling louder probably isn't going to be effective.

If they don't agree with you, you might be able to turn things around. See if there are some "baby steps" you can take to help them understand the issue better and, perhaps, change their mind. These might include srranging site visits or attending townhall meetings. If that doesn't work, it's time, on your end, to decide whether this is a deal breaker and vote accordingly in the next election.

If it's simply that they don't have an opinion yet, targeted follow-up that addresses the legislator's concerns and connects the issue to the people he or she represents will be more effective than more yelling.