1 / 14

Lobby Day 2014

Lobby Day 2014. The Lobby Visit: A How-To Guide. What is lobbying? A ttempting to influence decisions made government officials Different from advocating, publicly supporting or opposing on an issue, or education, informing on an issue How is it done? Face to face meetings Email

rocio
Download Presentation

Lobby Day 2014

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Lobby Day 2014

  2. The Lobby Visit: A How-To Guide • What is lobbying? • Attempting to influence decisions made government officials • Different from advocating, publicly supporting or opposing on an issue, or education, informing on an issue • How is it done? • Face to face meetings • Email • Phone • Constituent lobbying • Legislators are almost always very eager to win your support. • Legislators are sincerely interested in getting their constituents’ views on legislation. • Nonprofit lobbying • You are the expert on your issue – you have information that the legislator needs. • Legislators and their staff repeatedly say that the information nonprofits provide is important to their decisions

  3. Preparation • Know the facts • Know the history • Know the legislator • Prepare material

  4. Scheduling a Meeting • Email or call the office • Scheduler is the gate keeper! • Have several dates and times ready to offer • Provide them with: • Your name and contact info • Your organization • If you are a constituent • Specific bill or issue you want to discuss

  5. Day of the Meeting • Dress • Business casual • Men: Button down and nice pants • Women: Nice shirt or blouse with pants or skirt, or a nice dress • Timing • Demeanor • Greeting • Information presentation • Decide who will be the primary speaker • Know with whom you are meeting • Meetings with staffers are just as important!

  6. The Meeting The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to increase the visibility of and respect for nontheistic viewpoints in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all. • Open with a thank you • Introduce the Secular Coalition and its mission • Ask if they are familiar with terms like “humanist,” “atheist,” or “secular” • The reason why I wanted to meet with you today… • Share personal experiences • Ask if they have any questions • Thank them again • Be professional and courteous

  7. Follow Up • Thank you note • No more than two days later • Email is acceptable • Update if there is movement on your bill or issue • Keep up the relationship • Send any information you come across that they might find relevant their way • Become a resource they can rely on

  8. Capitol Hill Map

  9. Preparation for Today Religiously Unaffiliated Voter Fact Sheet

  10. Preparation for Today School Vouchers • Lobby Sheet • Politico Story

  11. Preparation for Today Tax Reform • Lobby Sheet • Issue Statement • Tax Reform Comments

  12. Preparation for Today Military • Issue Statement • Atlantic Story on Chaplains

  13. Preparation for Today Climate Change • Issue Statement • Lobby Sheet

  14. Practice • Sit with your group at lunch • Take turns being the staffer and yourself and practice the meeting • Relax and remember its just a conversation talking about what you care about

More Related