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Know Your Member of Congress
 Click here to find your representative
Click here to find your senator
You do not need to be an expert to be a citizen advocate, but some basic information, in addition to the issues that concern you, is helpful. You should know a few important details about your senators and representatives, such as what committees they serve on, any voting record supporting or opposing foreign assistance, public statements, and so forth.
To learn more about where your elected officials stand on important issues, visit Project Vote Smart.
Working With Your Members of Congress
There are many ways to contact your members of Congress. Being able to express convictions and help enable your member to vote responsibility is the most powerful tool for influencing legislation that affects the global poor. The best way to do this depends on the issue and the timing. To pick the best approach, keep in mind how congressional offices are organized.
Your Congressperson’s Office
The following applies to your two senators and one representative. While each Capitol Hill office has been organized to accommodate the personal preferences of the office holder, there are some common practices. A representative’s Washington office typically has about 10 staff people. Senator’s have larger staffs, but size and office budget vary according to the size and population of the respective senator’s state.
Senators and representatives usually have an administrative assistant or chief of staff who directs the staff. This person usually oversees all operations, including coordinating legislative and committee actions, answering media calls or supervising a press secretary and controlling access to the member.
Sometimes in House offices and almost always in Senate offices, there will be someone who controls legislative activities. This person, known as the legislative director, supervises the staff who focus on specific issues. The legislative assistants (LAs) are usually young, smart, overworked and underpaid. They usually know more about the issues than anyone else in the office, including the member. The LA tracks legislative initiatives, advises the member on issues, meets with lobbyists and constituent groups, and overseas the answering of constituent mail on issues.
In addition to the Washington office, members of Congress have one or more district offices where there may not be well-informed legislative assistants, but there is a concern to respond to constituents. Regular visits to these local offices by informed and concerned constituents are an important way to get the member’s attention on relief and development issues.
Writing to Your Member of Congress
Congressional offices are organized to listen to constituents and to respond to their concerns. Members who do not support global aid say that their constituents do not care about global aid since they do not receive letters or visits about global aid issues.
Several factors make it more likely that constituents’ letters will have an impact:
- Write to your own senators and representatives. Letters to legislators who do not represent you are not useful
- Explain early in the letter what specific bill or issue you are writing about. Make the arguments and provide information to support your position. Tell them what you want them to do. Avoid technical language. Request a response to your letter.
- Keep your letter reasonably short and to the point. One page is preferable; two pages is the limit.
- Many legislators read all about their constituent mail to stay in touch with public opinion. Because so few letters about global aid issues are written to members of Congress, it will have and impact.
- Always include your name and return address. Almost all constituent mail is answered.
- Timing is everything. If you write your congressional member about how they voted on an issue, the letter will obviously not be as useful as if you had written it before the voting occurred. Bills are voted on several times during the legislative year, so you may have more than on chance to write.
- Express appreciation for past votes or actions, if appropriate.
Just a few letters from constituents on a single topic will encourage the congressional office to pay more attention to that issue than to most of the more than 10,000 other bills and resolutions that are introduced annually. Letters are logged and summarized for the member as a way to gauge the strength and direction of public opinion.
Meeting With Members of Congress
Personal meeting with members are often more effective than letters because it is harder to avoid constituent requests. Meetings in the state or congressional district are more effective than a meeting in Washington DC because member is much less hurried. Always include several people with the same concern in the meeting.
Several factors make it more likely the meeting will be effective:
- Constituents are prepared with an agenda and are clear about the purpose of the meeting, including desired results.
- Be courteous even when the member disagrees with the constituents’ view, while also being firm and unambiguous about the concern and desired reactions. Do not threaten not to vote or pull financial support from the member if he/she disagrees with you.
- Say something kind about the member at the beginning of the meeting.
- Leave something in writing behind that presents facts and information about the issue.
- Specific actions or commitments are requested and arrangements for follow-up are made with the member or legislative assistant.
- Immediately after the meeting, citizen advocates should write a letter to the member thanking them for the meeting and reminding him/her of any commitments and arrangements that were agreed upon.
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