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Organizing a visit with your member of Congress is easier than you think, and a powerful way to share your views with an office. Here are five easy steps to follow for a successful visit.
1) Schedule your meeting.
Call the district office of your member of Congress and ask for the name and contact information for the local scheduler. Most offices will ask that you fax or email a written visit request. This request should include the date you’d like to meet, the issues you’d like to discuss, and your contact information. To increase your chances of getting a meeting, propose a range of available dates, and aim for a Congressional recess (Memorial Day week, 4th of July week, the month of August). Send your request at least 3 weeks in advance, and call to follow up about a week after you send it. Click here for a sample scheduling request.
2) Build your team.
Even before you send your visit request, you should have in mind 2-4 people you’d like to bring on the visit. To the best of your ability, try to gather folks that represent different interests in the community (parent, faith leader, union member, etc.). If you have your team assembled before sending the visit scheduling letter, include their names and affiliations in your letter. A good visit should include no more than 4-5 people. Make sure everyone on your visit team is willing to stay on topic and share the floor with your group. If you have more than 5 people interested in coming on the visit, get those who can’t attend involved by writing letters to the representative or senator and deliver them when you visit.
3) Prepare and practice.
A good congressional visit starts with good research. Know where your representative or senator stands on the issues you plan to discuss, and briefly research his or her background. Click here to see their foreign policy voting record and cosponsorship of key legislation, and visit his or her website and look for his or her most recent statement on the issue. You can also click here to get our full guide on developing an "ask" for your member of Congress, as well as a list of relevant legislation.
Make sure your team meets before the visit, even if it’s just an hour before the meeting. Decide who will cover what points, and who will take notes. Remember that you’re trying to persuade your representative or senator to take action, so use arguments targeted at him/her, based on his/her voting record and personal background. For example, if the representative comes from a health care background and you want to talk about Iraq, you could mention the poor service our veterans receive or list some health care organizations opposed to the war. It’s good to bring one to two articles supporting your points; they should be short and from well-respected sources.
4) Get the most out of your visit.
The day before your visit, call the office to confirm. Be sure to show up 5-10 minutes early, and dress professionally. It’s often a good idea to have your team meet somewhere near the office 45 minutes-1 hour before the meeting.
Start the visit on a positive note, even if the member of Congress has a bad voting record on foreign policy. Be polite, and thank them for taking the time to meet. Try to build a connection or common ground, even if it’s small talk—for example, the fact that you went to the same high school as the representative is enough to build a more positive meeting.
Your job in the visit is to get as much information as you give. Listen carefully, take good notes, and ask good questions. Usually the representative or his/her staff person won’t make a firm commitment in the meeting—that’s okay. Grassroots advocacy is an ongoing process and real action on their part will require follow-up on yours. Again, even if you strongly disagree with the representative or senator, remain polite—don’t interrupt and don’t be disrespectful. The goal of the meeting is to build a bridge with the office, not burn one.
5) Evaluate, follow-up and plan next steps.
After the meeting, take 5-10 minutes with your team to evaluate the visit. What went well? What points resonated the most? What follow up is needed? Be sure to send a thank you note to the office within a few days after the meeting. If you promised to send additional information, send it ASAP. Follow up with a phone call 2-3 weeks after the visit to check-in on actions you requested.
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