Today’s post was written by Julie A. Murphy, Senior Director of Government Affairs for Points of Light Institute.

Being an effective advocate on legislative issues means knowing where and when to exert your influence.  There are a lot of ways to get in touch with your legislators, and they want to hear from you about issues that are important to you.  You can call them, write them, even schedule time with them to make sure they know how you feel about legislative issues.  You can download our advocacy guide for a list of tips for contacting your legislator.  We’ve added a few below:

The Telephone Call

A phone call is a good way to let your legislator know how you feel about a particular issue. Congressional offices pay close attention to these calls as a measure of voters’ sentiment. An outpouring of calls can sometimes change the vote of a legislator, but even a small number of calls can make a difference.

Before you call your legislator, find out if they already have a position on the issue.  Make sure you know what you want to say, try making a checklist of specific points you want to hit so you don’t forget anything.  You can ask if the office has received other calls about the same issue so you can find out where other people stand.

The Letter

Your letters to Washington can make a difference. Legislators rely on letters to find out what the people back home are thinking.  For you, letter writing can be the first step in building an ongoing relationship with your legislators.  Limit your letters to one topic, and no more than two pages.  Shorter is better, so if you have two issues that you want to inform your legislator about, write two letters.  Be sure to include your name and address on the envelope and on the letter, this lets your legislator know that you are a constituent, and gives them a way to write back to you.  Even if you don’t hear back from your legislator, keep writing!

The Meeting

Most legislators travel to their home districts as often as they can–on weekends if possible, and whenever Congress is not in session. They go home, in part, to meet with their constituents.  You can set up a meeting with your Representative or Senator during one of these visits.  Try to get a group of people who have similar stands on your issue together for a group meeting rather than a 1-on-1 meeting.  Just like your letters, try to limit the scope of your meetings.  One or two topics is good.  It’s important to keep control of the meeting, too.  Don’t be put off by long answers, push for specific answers if you don’t feel like you’re getting them.  Don’t forget to follow up the meeting with a thank you note.

There are more tips for phone calls, letters, and meetings in the downloadable advocacy guide, including tips for communicating with the White House and tips for expanding your influence.

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Get HandsOn Tag Challenge Update!

Yesterday’s Get HandsOn Tag Master was Jake Loggins!  Jake has won a pair of round trip tickets on JetBlue, $25 for himself, and $100 for his favorite charity!

Today’s Celebrity Tag is !  Tag Arianna for swag!