Grassroots Organizing:
Making Things Happen

Despite daily media stories and newspaper articles about the influence of wealthy campaign contributors and political action committees, the most effective advocates in Washington remain associations with committed, informed and organized grassroots networks.

Regional development professionals and the local officials they serve must remain active, committed and organized to ensure members of Congress and their staffs are educated on the issues facing the 82 million individuals living in small metropolitan and rural America.

Know Your Legislators

Before meeting with a member of Congress, invest some time in learning about his/her background, positions on relevant issues and current legislative priorities. The information is essential in shaping an effective communications strategy. Basic information and actions include:

• Know their committee and subcommittee assignments. This helps identify their primary areas of interest and influence.

• Research their voting records on key issues. Floor votes are available in the Congressional Record and committee votes can be obtained by calling the specific committee. NADO also compiles floor voting records on relevant issues.

• Find out which bills they sponsored and cosponsored in recent years. This also helps identify their primary areas of interest.

• Follow local and regional press coverage of legislators. The issues covered in the press are often the members’ current and top priorities.

• Read their biographical information. This information can typically be retrieved from the legislator’s website and obtained by calling their office.

Writing Letters and Making Phone Calls

Letters are among the most effective tools in communicating with a member of Congress. They are read, circulated and counted. However, because of the massive amount of mail sent to Congress each day, it is important to develop your letter around three basic principles:

1. Keep it local.
2. Keep it personal.
3. Keep it concise.

Personal Visits

Face-to-face meetings are another effective way to influence your legislators. You can meet with them either in their district offices or in Washington, DC. If you are unable to see your legislators in person, you should still meet with their staff. Staff members work on these issues every day and greatly influence their bosses’ positions and votes. To get phone numbers for DC and state offices, use the NADO staff and website, www.nado.org.

Arranging the Appointment

• Schedule a meeting in Washington or in the district office, whichever is most convenient.
• When you speak to the scheduler, explain that you are a constituent.
• Unless you have an unusual problem, do not ask for more than a half hour meeting because legislators often are overscheduled.

Preparing for the Meeting

• Do your homework!
• Compile basic figures.
• Know the counter-arguments.
• Make sure everyone in your group is prepared.
• Be organized.
• If you are part of a larger coalition or group, meet ahead of time to select a spokesperson.
• Leave a one-page factsheet. If it exceeds one page, it will not be read.

Making The Presentation

• Be on time and make your presentation simple and straightforward.
• Make clear the purpose of the meeting during introductions.
• Do not monopolize the conversation.
• Stay away from jargon and acronyms.
• Thank supportive legislators.
• Be sure to ask your legislator for support!

Follow Up After The Meeting

• Send separate thank you notes to the legislator and staff members.
• Keep NADO’s legislative staff informed.

Project Site Tours and District Visits

Writing, calling and visiting your legislators helps you get to know them and deliver your message, but the best way to get your legislators to know you is to have them visit your organization. You will need to plan visits around congressional recesses, when the legislator will be in the district. You may need to speak with the district office to arrange these visits. Call NADO to find out when Congress will be in recess.

• Invite your member of Congress to speak at annual meetings, board of directors meetings or other appropriate occasions, such as public forums sponsored by your organization.
• Recognize lawmakers for key accomplishments.
• Invite legislators and their Washington staff to visit your office or take a tour of a current project.
• Get other policymakers to follow up on your invitation.

Using the Media

Using the media to influence members of Congress is the most effective indirect advocacy technique. While big budget television ad campaigns and full-page ads in the Washington Post receive the most national media attention, there are numerous other media strategies that grassroots advocates can incorporate into a comprehensive legislative action plan.

Letters to the editor, opinion pieces in local newspapers and appearances on local radio programs offer excellent opportunities to shape public opinion and influence legislators on issues. Legislators and their staff carefully read local and regional papers, and listen to local radio programs from their districts and state in order to monitor the pulse of constituents.

Coalition Building

For decades, regional development organizations and local elected officials have understood the importance of joining together to influence federal and state policies, whether as members of NADO, the National Association of Counties, National Leagues of Cities or the US Conference of Mayors.

To remain effective and competitive, it is also essential for regional economic development professionals and local elected officials to build coalitions with other stakeholders at the local level. These may include local organizations such as chambers of commerce, homebuilders associations, industrial development agencies and financial institutions. Diverse coalitions are important as they demonstrate to legislators the importance of an issue. Below are basic tips to establishing and maintaining an effective coalition:

• Meet regularly.
• Coordinate.
• Share resources.
• Network.
• Work together.
• Sponsor events.

The most important step is taking the initiative to reach out to both new and old partners alike with the goal of working together toward a common goal.

Editor’s Note: This article was excerpted from the NADO Guide to Grassroots Action. To order a copy of this guide for $25, contact NADO at (202) 624-7806 or by email at info@nado.org. NADO members can download it from the web at www.nado.org/memonly/ grassroots.pdf.

For background on issues and members of Congress, visit NADO’s Grassroots Action Center online at http://capwiz.com/nado/home.

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