Transcript RESULTS - Face-to-Face Lobby Visits (Activist Toolkit)

RESULTS
How to Set Up Face-to-Face Lobby Visits
Meredith Dodson
Director of U.S. Poverty Campaigns
RESULTS
Purpose
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This training is designed to:
Share tools necessary for effective advocacy
 Share tips on having a good advocacy meeting
 Demonstrate a useful
exercise on speaking
effectively you can use to train
others
 Answer your questions
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What We Do
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Working to create the political will to end hunger and
worst aspects of poverty
Empowering individuals to have breakthroughs in
exercising personal and political power
Over 30 years of advocacy experience
Time tested strategies and tactics
Active and engaged network that builds relationships
with legislators, media and local communities
RESULTS Activists
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800 active volunteers in about 100 communities around
the country
Everyday people who want to make a difference
In 2011, our activists had…
 Over 250 meetings with congressional offices, including
87 face-to-face meetings with U.S. House members and
23 face-to-face meetings with U.S. Senators
 215 strategic media placements, including editorials, Opeds, and letters to the editor
 Over 100 outreach and community events around the
country
Why Advocacy?
We stand by as children starve by the millions
because we lack the will to eliminate hunger. Yet
we have found the will to develop missiles
capable of flying over the polar cap and landing
within a few hundred feet of their target. This is
not innovation. It is a profound distortion of
humanity’s purpose on earth.
– former Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR)
Why Advocacy?
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Advocacy is creating political will
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Telling decision-makers what their priorities should be
If we want something, we have to ask for it
Every idea must have a voice
 Decision-makers are not all knowing
 Many times, they need to be educated just like
everyone else
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Ultimately…it’s about change
All major changes in social or economic policy, good or
bad, happened because advocates did not give up
until it happened — it’s a long-term project
 Status quo, i.e. inertia, is a powerful force
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Why Lobby Meetings Matter
97 percent of
Congressional staff
say that in-person
issues visits from
Constituents influence
policymakers, with 46
percent reporting it
has a lot of influence.
(Source: poll of more
than 250
congressional staff by
the Congressional
Management
Foundation)
RESULTS: Direct Grassroots Advocacy
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To have lasting influence, you must build relationships
Relationship → Trust → Influence
Relationship Building with Legislators:
 Consistency
 Regular contact: Be a presence, not a pest
 Show support when appropriate
 Persistence
 Cannot let one “bad” answer deter you
 Informed advocacy
 Research: audience needs to trust that you have done your
homework and that what you say is true
In the end, you want to create champions
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Champion scale: neutralize opponents, turn supporters -> leaders->
champions
Don’t be satisfied if your legislator agrees with you; ask him/her to do more
Best Practices: Developing
Relationships with Policymakers
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Understand what will “reach” decision makers
requires research of their interests, background, and
past actions
Change happens through relationships, not
anonymity
Stories put a face on the issues and reach people at
an emotional level
Persistence is key to getting decision makers to take
action
Timing is important, so one must understand the
legislative process
Scheduling a Meeting
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Call the scheduler for the legislator and request a
meeting
 May have to submit something in writing (fax or email)
 Include name, dates available, and topic area
 Tailor our template at: http://capwiz.com/results/
 If requesting a meeting with an aide, call that person
directly
 Can use http://capwiz.com/results/dbq/officials to
find aides and scheduler
Ask for the face-to-face meeting
Confirm your meeting within one week of the date
scheduled
Preparing for a Meeting
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Research Members of Congress (MoCs)
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Know the facts about your issue, legislation and position
Know the facts about your MoC’s position on the issue
Know some background about your MoC (committee
assignments, voting record, etc.)
Go to http://capwiz.com/results/dbq/officials/
Outline your agenda
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Plan to go in a group if possible
Assign roles, including a facilitator and note-taker
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http://www.results.org/uploads/files/results_u.s._poverty_2012_lobby
_meeting_planning_worksheet.doc (RESULTS Planning Worksheet)
Choose issues that will get priority
Who will handle follow-up
Preparing for a Meeting
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Assemble good leave-behind information
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Have a one or two page, easy-to-read sheet you can leave
behind that outlines the issues and your request or “ask”,
ex.
http://www.results.org/uploads/files/2013_results_tax_cr
edits_and_savings_request_sheet.doc
Bring local data and stories
Practice, practice, practice
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Write down your individual parts
 Take notes with you but use them only when you need
them
Role play the meeting with everyone who plans to attend
Conducting a Meeting
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Be punctual
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They may make you wait but don’t make them wait
They have packed schedules so if you are late, the less time
you will have
Call ahead if going to be late
Have a conversation (50-50 rule)
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Find ways to connect (common interest, background, etc.)
Conversation creates a more relaxed atmosphere
Use personal stories when you can but tie them to the
larger issue, i.e. use as illustration of the systemic problem
Remember your short-term goal (getting them to support
your issue) is dependent on your long-term goal
(developing relationships)
Conducting a Meeting
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Ask and Listen
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Don’t be afraid to ask them questions
 “What is
your position on this issue?” or “What motivated
you to get into public service?”
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Actively listen to what they are saying
 Don’t simply wait to
talk
 Actively listening will reveal key insights and facts you may
have not known; can help with follow-up
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Take good notes
Keep the conversation on track
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Stick to your agenda (key role for facilitator)
If the conversation strays, politely bring it back to the topic
at hand using A-B-C (Acknowledge, then Bridge back to
your Core Message)
Conducting a Meeting
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Make a firm, specific request
Be polite and respectful
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Decision-makers are people too and they do not like being
attacked any more than the rest of us
Can be passionate, bold and respectful at the same time
If person you are talking to becomes angry, DO NOT
respond in kind (likelihood of this is small)
 Only serves
to sour the meeting and undermine goal of
developing a relationship
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Go in with attitude that you are educating them
 May actually be true
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very least, you are educating them about your position
After the Meeting
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Follow-up
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Follow-up can be almost as important as the meeting itself
It further develops the relationship
Contact staffpersons who handle your issue to see what
progress has been made on your request
Be sure to send a thank you note to with whomever you
met (handwritten is more personal, e-mail is faster)
Send supplemental information, if appropriate
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sending information, follow up a week or two later to see if
they got it and to answer questions
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Offer to be a resource on your issue
Additional Tips: Make the Most of
Town Halls and Public Events
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Research: ask the RESULTS staff and coalition partners for
insights and check out past votes on our website.
As a group, prepare your key “laser talks”.
Get there early to scope it out: Sit in the front. If they are
taken written questions, many places go in order of when
questions were written.
Spread out, but sit strategically: go to the front and near
microphones
Make sure you get called upon: be “first, fast, high!” This
means raise your hand immediately when it is time to ask
questions, and keep it up there
Additional Tips: “Work It” at Town
Halls and Public Events
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Work the line: introduce yourselves and follow up, or ask your
question if you could not during the meeting.
Handshaking Trick: Don’t let go until you’ve said your piece
Work the staff: Swap contact information and any additional
material you brought with you.
Work the media: Find the media to share your laser talk to
shape the coverage.
Follow up!
Advocacy Resources and Contact Info
RESULTS: www.results.org
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Take Action Now:
http://www.results.org/take_action/us_poverty_actions_and_news/
Activist Toolkit: http://www.results.org/skills_center/activist_toolkit/
Elected Officials: http://capwiz.com/results/dbq/officials/
Issues: http://www.results.org/issues/us_poverty_campaigns/
Meredith Dodson
Director of U.S. Poverty Campaigns
[email protected] / @DodsonAdvocate
You Can Make a Difference!
Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only
thing that ever has.
— anthropologist Margaret Mead