Determine 2-3 ideal dates for the meeting

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1 Inviting a member of Congress to visit a service organization in person is one of the most effective forms of advocacy. It allows them to see and hear firsthand the impact of national service programs and gives them a deeper appreciation for why they should support national service. Below are tips for scheduling, preparing for, executing, and following up on a site visit. Determine the service site you want to invite the member of Congress to visit The number one priority is that you invite them to a service site that is in their District. Members of Congress want to learn and hear about activities that are going on in the communities they represent and will vary rarely participate in events outside of their District. Find out what issue(s) your member of Congress cares most about and see if there is a service organization that works on that issue. For example, if your member of Congress is passionate about Education, ask your local Teach for America or City Year site if they would be interested in hosting a site visit for your member of Congress. Also think about which service site will best showcase the power and impact of national service. Determine 2-3 ideal dates for the meeting Providing more than one date to a scheduler will maximize your chances of getting a meeting. However, be prepared for the scheduler to suggest a completely different day flexibility is the key to securing a visit. Call your member of Congress s D.C. office and speak with the Scheduler to set up a site visit Every member of Congress has a scheduler who is responsible for receiving incoming scheduling request. Some even have two schedulers, one who manages the D.C. schedule and one who manages the schedule for the District or State. When you first call the office ask to speak with the staff member responsible for scheduling request for events in the District or State. It is important to know that they receive hundreds of scheduling request so below are a few tips for working with the scheduler to get a site visit on your member of Congress s calendar. Introduce yourself It is important to introduce yourself as a constituent calling on behalf of the local service and non- profit community in the member s district to request a site visit and meeting in the district to update your Representative/Senator on critical work being done in their district.

2 Establishing yourself as a constituent calling with an opportunity for your member of Congress to speak directly to his/her voters will make it more likely your request will move to the top of the pile. Be polite, flexible, and follow their process The worst thing you can do for your chances of getting a site visit scheduled is upsetting the scheduler. Schedulers deal with hundreds of calls from people demanding time with the member of Congress and not respecting the processes put in place to keep scheduling request organized and manageable for the office. Get on their good side by recognizing the member of Congress has a very busy schedule and ask them what process they use to officially accept scheduling request. Most schedulers will ask for a request in writing over but some offices use online forms on the member of Congress s website. Either way it is best to confirm with the scheduler. Follow up. With hundreds of scheduling request to manage, following up with the scheduler to ensure they haven t forgotten about your request is critical. Remind them that you submitted the scheduling request on x date and are following up to make sure they received it and to check on the status. Make sure they know that you are a constituent and any other important identifiers. Meeting with staff is a good alternative Your Member of Congress is very busy. If you can t get them to visit, ask if a staff member or two would be able to come. Staff plays a critical role in influencing policy and decisions, so having them attend in another important form of advocacy. Confirm the meeting the week before the meeting and again the day before This also will allow you to go over the schedule of the visit with the scheduler and avoid any confusion. The work you do before the site visit is almost as important as the visit itself. Following these steps will help you execute a successful visit. Create a schedule for the site visit Decide what you want the Member of Congress to experience during the visit and be realist about time. Don t try to fit 10 things into 30 minutes focus on experiences that will have the highest impact. Some activities you might want to consider are: A tour. Take the Member of Congress on a tour of your facilities. The most effective tours highlight the many facets of your work and impact in your community. Direct Service. If the organization provides direct service to the community such as serving a hot meal, allow the member of Congress to participate and experience the joy of serving first hand.

3 Round Table. This is a great way to let the member of Congress hear from multiple people and get a sense for the organization s impact. This is an especially good option for organizations that provide indirect services. Formal Presentation. Put together a presentation about the organization. This is a great way to educate your member of Congress, but we recommend including personal testimonies and/or partnering it with a direct demonstration of the organization s work. The Ask. At some point during the visit someone (typically a board member, executive director, or state commissioner) should ask the Member of Congress or their staff to support funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Make sure to discuss how funding for CNCS impacts this organization and the community. Picture Time! Don t forget to schedule time at the end to take pictures. We recommend holding a banner or wearing attire that promotes the name of the organization(s) present so later it s obvious who is in the picture. Plan ahead who will be in the picture and where it will be taken. Invite others to attend Determine who else should participate in the site visit. Here are some recommendations: The organization s Executive Director and Executive Directors of other national service organizations in the member of Congress s District. This will help connect the dots between the federal investment in national service (CNCS) and all the local organizations and communities in the members District that benefit from it. For example, just because you secure a site visit at the local Habitat for Humanity doesn t mean you can t have representatives from Senior Corps, City Year, Teach for America, Red Cross, and other service organizations participate as well. Members of the Organization s Board of Directors. Invite members of the board, especially ones who have donated to the Member of Congress or been a supporter. This is both a great way to engage board members, and influence your Member of Congress since they are especially response to donors. Recipients of Service. Ask someone who has been helped by the organization to share their story. National service alums of the organization. Invite alums of your program to attend the site visit. They can share their story of service and talk about how their experience lead them to their current position. State Service Commissioners. They can provide information on national service in the state and help make broader connections. Do a little homework

4 What do you know about your Member of Congress already? What is their mindset and record on service issues? What reaction do you expect, and how will you respond? Look on your elected official s website to find out what committees (s)he is on and what (s)he has done in the past. ServiceNation staff can help you if you are unsure how to do this. Think about how you will frame your issue and solution It is very important to give thought to how you will explain a particular issue and solution in a way that the Member of Congress will support. For example, if you know your Member of Congress is passionate about education, explain how national service programs are WORKING IN THEIR DISTRICT (give examples such as Citizen Schools or Teach for America), providing cost effective solutions to addressing the drop- out crisis and providing instructional support to at- risk children. This is a more compelling story to share than simply asking for funding. Think through possible scenarios of their response, and how you will react. Always be respectful, even if you disagree with their position. Make sure all attendees understand how you will frame the issue and solution. Get their buy in so everyone is sharing the same message. Put together a packet of materials You will want to put together a folder of information for your Member of Congress. It s going to be tempting to give the member a large binder (we know you do enough good work to fill 10 binders), but you want to give them something they can easily glance at. We recommend including: A brochure of the organization A one page description or brochure that highlights the organization s community impact Business card of the proper person the Member s staff can follow up with if they have any questions A document outlining national service in your state (your State Service Commission should be able to provide this). Be patient and flexible. Elected officials run on very tight schedules. It s not uncommon for legislators to be late or have to leave early. Be prepared for the unexpected, and have a backup plan. Bring up any personal, professional, or political ties that you have to the elected official. Start the visit by introducing yourself and thanking the legislator for any votes he or she has made in support of national service. Also thank your legislator for taking the time to visit the organization.

5 Provide personal and local examples of the impact of the legislation. This is the most important thing that you can do in a site visit. Saying I don t know can be a smart move. You don t need to be an expert on the issue that you are discussing. Never make up an answer to a question; giving incorrect information can damage your credibility. Instead, offer to get the information to them. This allows you to continue with your strongest arguments and not get sidetracked. Set deadlines for a response. Often an elected official will not commit to taking action in the middle of a visit. If they say that they need time to consider, set a timeline for when they will get back to you with a decision. If you are meeting with a staff member, ask when they will get back to you with the member of Congress s response to your request. That way you aren t left hanging indefinitely. Ask what additional information would be helpful. This provides a natural vehicle for follow up. When you provide the additional information or materials you can also remind the staff member of any requests made on your part and deadlines for follow through on their end. Compare notes. Promptly after the visit with everyone in your group discuss what the elected official committed to do and what follow up information you committed to send. Let ServiceNation know how your meeting went. Please send us an or fill out a ServiceNation report back form to let us know how the meeting went. ServiceNation tracks the overall results of local advocacy efforts and reports them to Congressional leaders and the White House. Send a thank- you note. You should write a thank you note to the member of Congress for taking the time to visit the organization. Try to get everyone who participated in the meeting to sign (it s a good idea to have the card ready so everyone can sign right after the meeting). In the note mention any issues you discussed during the visits, commitments that were made, and attach any additional information that was requested. Follow up in a timely fashion. If the elected official or staff member does not meet a deadline for action that you agreed on during the meeting, follow up. Be flexible and respectful but persistent. If you have any questions about setting up a site visit don t hesitate to contact ServiceNation s Deputy Field Director Morgan St Jean at mstjean@servicenation.org or