How To Lobby - The Borgen Project



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HOW TO LOBBY

Who you will be lobbying:

All of your lobbying will target members of the United States Congress who represent your state and congressional district. You can meet with them and their staff locally without having to fly to D.C.

2 Senators: Each state has two U.S. Senators - lobby both of them. These Senators represent the state from which they are elected and serve in Washington D.C. in the Senate. Each Senator has an office in both their home state and in D.C.

1 Representative: Each district has a representative in the United States House of Representatives. In some regions, there are multiple representatives within the area. Feel free to lobby all of these representatives and not limit yourself to your particular representative alone.

*It is also beneficial to lobby candidates running for office during their campaign season.

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How to locate your leaders in the U.S. Senate and House:

1. Go to .

2. On the left-hand side there is a blue column. Click on “Congress.”

3. Type in your zip code in the space provided.

4. Your two state Senators and your district’s Representative in the House will pop up.

5. Click on any of their pictures to get redirected to their contact information.

6. The “Main District Office” will be your main point of contact (distinguished from the “Washington Office”.) Note the address, main phone number, and fax number of this office.

How to Set Up a Meeting with Members of Congress and/or their Staffers:

Call your local congressional offices to find out their preferred method. Let them know you’re with a grassroots poverty-reduction group and you’d like to setup a meeting with the political leader or his/her staff.

When faxing a meeting request

1. Obtain the fax number for the main district office by visiting .

2. Fax a cover sheet and meeting request form to the district office.

a. Label the cover sheet “Attn: Scheduling.”

b. Call immediately after sending the fax to verify its receipt. Try to schedule a meeting at this time.

3. Do not give up if you do not hear back from the office. They are inundated with work, and you may simply need to be more aggressive in your attempts to schedule a meeting. Continue to call the district office and email its staffers until you are successful in scheduling a meeting.

Meeting with Members of Congress and/or their Staffers:

Where to go: Most likely, you will be directed to the main district office of the representative. Again, you can find this address by visiting .

What to bring: Borgen Project packet (we will provide a copy for you) to distribute, your own personal notes, as well as copies of any bill(s) you are discussing.

What to wear: Look good… look darn good - business to business casual.

Outline of Typical Conversation:

- Introduce yourself and any supporters you may bring with you, the Borgen Project and its mission, and your role as a Borgen Project Regional Director.

- Speak directly about the bill(s) you are pushing, but don’t get crazy with details. Introduce the bill itself, state its current status (including how many people are currently cosponsoring it), and convey the importance of this particular bill to the constituents of the district and/or state.

- Ask if there are any questions or concerns you can address regarding the bill(s), or anything else.

- Make the “Ask.” Let them know you would like them to cosponsor the bill.

- Thank the member of Congress or staffer for their time and consideration, and tell them you will be in contact with them within the next couple of weeks.

Lobbying Tips

1. Lobbying is simply having a conversation with a person and communicating what you would like to see happen. Don’t spend too much time thinking about the do’s and don’ts. Go to the meeting, try to find common ground, and form a connection with the person.

2. Likeability is everything. If you walk out of the room with them liking you, then they will be more likely to give your issue more attention and have you back for more meetings.

3. Use trigger words and tailor your message to the member of Congress you are speaking with. When speaking with a Republican about the Global Poverty Act, for instance, focus on the connection between alleviating world poverty and improving United States national security as well as the wide-ranging economic benefits.

Think like them: When you’re in the meeting, keep in mind that…

- The staffer has to determine if they should ask their boss to cosponsor the bill. The staffer probably won’t read the bill, but they might write an overview and briefly discuss the bill. From you, the staffer needs to hear marketable talking points (it will help with national security, etc.).

- The political leader has to return to their congressional district and explain to voters why they’re sending money overseas. From you they need to hear talking points that they can relay to voters (improves the economy, etc.). This is where it’s really important that you generate lots of calls and emails to their office regarding the bill. Political leaders frequently justify their vote on unpopular bills by saying they had lots of people contact them in support of it.

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