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Meeting with your member of Congress is a lot easier than you think. What is a lobby visit? A lobby visit is merely a meeting for you to tell your elected representative what you think about a certain issue or bill and try to get him or her to take action on that issue.

Where can you meet? It's not necessary to travel to Washington; every member of Congress has one or more offices in their congressional district. Even though the Member is not in the local office very often, there is a permanent staff member at each office with whom you can meet.

Tips for a successful meeting:

Requesting your meeting:

• Locate the contact information for your Member of Congress's office. You can find it online at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov or call 202-224-3121 for an operator to direct you to your Representative or Senator.

• Make your request in writing. Mail a meeting request letter to the Appointment Secretary or Scheduler at the location where you wish to hold the meeting. If the requested meeting is urgent, a fax or email will suffice. Attached is a draft written request.

• Follow up your letter with a phone call. Direct the call to the Appointment Secretary or Scheduler. Let them know that you wish to speak with them about the Faith-Based Initiative. Make sure they know that you are a constituent and any other important identifiers (religious leader, social service provider, etc.). Schedule a time and date for your meeting.

• Confirm the meeting on the day prior to the meeting. This also will allow you to inform the scheduler of those planning to be in attendance.

• Bring materials to the meeting that you can leave with your elected official. This may include your main talking points, recent editorials on the issue and letters of support from the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination or local organizations.
• Decide who will attend the meeting. Bringing more than four to five people can be hard to manage. Try to bring people who represent different groups who care about the legislation and who have personal stories to tell.
• Agree on talking points before the meeting. It's tough to make a strong case if your group is disagreeing during the meeting. Make a list of key arguments ahead of time and if you can't agree on a point, then leave it out.
• Plan out the meeting. People can get nervous during the meeting and time is limited. Be sure to discuss who will say what ahead of time, including who will start the conversation.
• Decide what you want to achieve. What is it that you want your member of Congress to do? Asking your member of Congress or their staff person to do something specific will help you know if your meeting was successful. Asking your member of Congress to vote our way on specific pieces of legislation is the ultimate goal. However, asking their staff person to report the meeting to the elected official and deliver your materials is also a big step in the right direction.

• Be prompt and patient. Elected officials run on very tight schedules. Be sure to show up on time for your appointment and be patient; it's not uncommon for legislators to be late or have the meeting interrupted by other business.
• Keep it short and focused. You will have 20 minutes or less with a staff person and as little as 10 minutes if you meet with your member of Congress. Make the most of your time by sticking to the topic and discussing your main points.
• Bring up any personal, professional, or political ties that you have to the elected official. Start the meeting by introducing yourself and thanking the legislator for any votes he or she has made in support of your issue or related issues. Also thank your legislator for taking the time to meet with you.
• Stick to your talking points! Stay on topic and back them up with a small packet of materials that you can leave with your elected official.
• Provide personal and local examples of the impact of the legislation. This is the most important thing that you can do in a lobby 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 meeting. 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 meeting with everyone in your group discuss what the elected official committed to do and what follow up information you committed to send.
• Send a thank-you note. Each person should write a thank you note to the member of Congress for taking the time to meet with you. Include points on the issues you discussed in the meeting, commitments that were made and attach any additional information.
• 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, ask him to set another deadline. Be flexible but persistent.