Grassroots Advocacy Training

March 6 - 7, 2011
Cesar Chavez School for Public Policy · Washington, DC

 

Follow Up on Your Congressional Meetings!
6 Tips for Making the Most of Your Efforts

Thank you for a great weekend of events and advocacy!  Your energetic participation and dedication to a future of peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis has been an inspiration to all of us on staff at Interfaith Peace-Builders, as well as our colleagues at the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, American Friends Service Committee and all the other endorsers.

In the coming weeks, you can expect more from us.  We will be working to post videos and materials from the workshops, photos from the whole weekend, and more.  We have posted the Congressional Packets available for download.

Click here for packets and materials from 2011 Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day

For those participants that met with congressional offices on Monday and Tuesday, it is important that you begin to follow-up immediately.  Below are 6 tips for following up from your meetings.

6 Tips for Following Up After Your Congressional Meeting:

  1. Send a Thank You Letter. Each person who took part in the meeting should promptly send a personal thank you letter to the representative.  This letter should be addressed to the Member of Congress whose office(s) you visited with a cc: to the staffer with whom you met, referencing the date of your meeting, who was in attendance and the issues you discussed. Your follow-up letter should express appreciation for the time and consideration extended to you during your meeting. Reiterate your request(s) and ask for a written response from the office.

    Keep in touch with the Member/staffer to maintain and strengthen your relationship. 

    Click here for a sample thank you letter you can adapt to your purposes.


  2. Follow up in a Timely Fashion with any Requested Materials and Information. If you e-mail or mail follow-up materials, call the representative or staffer directly to make sure they received it.  Schedule a follow-up discussion if appropriate. If the elected official or staff member doesn't meet the deadline for action you agreed to during the meeting, ask him or her to set another deadline. Be persistent and flexible!

    We have posted all the Congressional Asks and the full Congressional Packet on our website.  Click here to access those resources.


  3. Establish a relationship with your Members of Congress and their Staff. Keep your relationship current by phoning and faxing your representative or staffer when there is pending, relevant legislation.  Check in with your representative when she or he is at home to reinforce the relationship and follow up on your issues of priority.


  4. Book a follow-up meeting at Your Local District Office.  You don’t have to travel to DC to meet with your congressional representative or staff.  Look on congress.org to find contact information for your local district office and contact them to set a follow-up meeting with your representative and/or local staff.


  5. Sign up as a Congressional District Coordinator. The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation watches congress and works with constituents to promote peace and justice in Israel/Palestine.  If you want to build your relationship with your congressional representatives, you may wish to join the Campaign’s Congressional District Coordinators network.  Click here to read more about it.


  6. Join and Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation to Israel/Palestine!  Your on-the-ground experience will enrich your understanding of the conflict as you meet courageous Israelis and Palestinians working for peace and justice, and witness the current realities of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Participants on Interfaith Peace-Builders delegations return to North America energized and transformed. Attend one of our upcoming delegations to enrich your education and advocacy efforts in your home community.  Click here for upcoming delegations.

We hope to see each and every one of you again at future Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Days and/or on an upcoming Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation. 

If you need more information on booking a follow-up meting at your district office, please take a look at IFPB’s comprehensive resource on booking meetings with congressional representatives.

To stay connected with us and our work, please join IFPB on Facebook Causes.  We will add follow-up successes from the Grassroots Advocacy Training, media events and more to our Facebook Causes page. Click here to join IFPB on Facebook Causes!



This event sponsored by:
Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Endorsed by:
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Christian Peacemaker Teams - Palestine, CODEPINK: Women for Peace, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Friends of Sabeel - North America, Friends of Tent of Nations - North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, ICNA Council for Social Justice, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - USA, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Middle East Research and Information Project, the National Peace Foundation, Students for Justice in Palestine (American University), and the Washington Peace Center


Click here to return to event main page

Click here to watch video from the 2010 Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day