PART 1: Scheduling an Appointment  |  PART 2: Preparing for the Meeting  |  PART 3: The Meeting  |  PART 4: Following-up after the Meeting

PART 1: Scheduling an Appointment

• Look up the office information for your representative and senators. Consult the government pages of your local phone book or go to www.house.gov/writerep (for the House Representative) or to www.senate.gov (for your Senators) to obtain contact information for your Members of Congress.

   

• Call the legislator’s scheduler or appointments secretary.

   

• Identify yourself as a NCWO member from the district or state and request an appointment to meet for 15 to 20 minutes with your senator or representative about women’s issues.

   

• Tell the scheduler the purpose of the meeting. It's a good idea to provide Members and their staff with information about issues affecting women’s lives.

   

• Tell the scheduler how many people will be attending the meeting. It is sometimes helpful to give the mailing addresses of the people and/or organizations that will attend the meeting.

   

  Members are more willing to take a meeting if they know they are seeing their constituents (i.e. voters.)

   

• Answer any questions politely, but be firm about wanting to have a meeting.

 

FAQS:

• What if I cannot set up a meeting with a senator or representative?

  If you are unable to set up a meeting with your representative or senator, request a meeting with a staff member who is familiar with the issue. Congressional staff is important; they track issues for members of Congress and advise them on the pros and cons of issues for their district.

   

• How should I follow-up on a typical response like, “Let me check with the Senator to see if a meeting can be arranged”?

  When they say this, you should ask when you can expect to hear back from them, then get a date, verify that they have your phone number, thank them and tell them that you're looking forward to their phone call. If they don't call you back when they said they would, call them the next day to check on the progress of the meeting. Alternatively, you may be asked to send a letter requesting a meeting. If this happens, send, fax or hand deliver the letter as soon as possible. After sending the letter, follow up with a phone call two or three days later. Be persistent, but polite.

   

• What if they cannot meet at their office?

  If your meeting is with an aide, they may want to meet at your office, or they may want you to come to their office. Be flexible, so that they have no reason not to meet with you. You also should find out approximately how long the meeting will be, to help you plan and prepare.

   

• Can I just drop in without an appointment?

  Call ahead of time. Dropping in on the office of a Member or their staff and asking them to meet with you without an appointment is the least likely way to see them.

a. Information about your organization, including their past votes on issues and committee assignments

 

b. Reasons for the meeting

 

c. How much time you will need

 

d. Who will attend (approximate number of partners and community allies)

 

 

2. Call the Appointment Scheduler to set up the meeting

3. Plan for the meeting

a. Select the topics for the meeting

 

b. Bring materials, including specific requests, to leave behind about each topic

 

c. Create an agenda for the meeting

 

d. Assign roles: get every partner involved in a part of the meeting

4. Practice for the meeting

5. Confirm the meeting with the Scheduler:

a. One week before the meeting and the morning of the meeting

 

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