Advocacy Tip of the Month, July 2006

Welcome to the first issue of "Advocacy Tip of the Month." This is meant to help further your knowledge of grassroots advocacy while offering tips to effectively engage your elected officials. You will notice that each month, we will give you information on the tip with action steps to take each month that relate to the tip. This information will be distributed to all registered users of ACT and posted in NAFSA.news.

When Visiting Washington, DC, Remember to Schedule a Visit with Your Members of Congress

Many of you make periodic trips throughout the year to Washington, DC, on behalf of your institution; or perhaps you’re planning a summer vacation that will bring you and your family to the nation’s capital. No matter what brings you to DC, remember to make time to visit your members of Congress.

Visiting your members of Congress is an effective way to communicate your message on a particular issue. Given the legislator’s busy schedule, meetings are sometimes difficult to arrange; however, your elected officials will typically do what they can to meet with you as a visiting constituent, and will usually ensure their staffs meet with you if they aren’t available themselves. Do not overlook the opportunity to meet with a staff aide, particularly if he or she works closely with the member on the issue of concern to you.

For information about how to identify your members of Congress, as well as a list of Do’s and Don’ts for meeting with your member, please see page 2 and 3 of the Advocacy Handbook  (633kb ).

Additionally, before visiting, remember to contact NAFSA’s Public Policy department at grassroots@nafsa.org to see if there are any issues you should know about when visiting your members of Congress. We may have a special message for you to convey. Most Senators host a weekly social gathering, typically a breakfast, for their constituents. If you are visiting and would like to inquire about your Senators’ event, please send a message to our department at the above e-mail address.

Action Steps for July:

1. Schedule a meeting with your members of Congress in one of two ways:
   
   If you will be in Washington, DC, you should fax a letter to each member's DC office scheduler. You will want to be sure to contact your member in the House of Representatives as well as your two Senators. The letter should include:
   
   • Your name and the names of all others accompanying you.
   • Your voting address. This is needed to verify that you’re a constituent.
   • A list of any items you wish to speak to the member and/or staff about.
   • The specific date and/or time that you would like to visit.
   
   If you won't be visiting DC in the near future, you may want to try to schedule a meeting with your members when they are in the district or state. They tend to have more time available and fewer distractions when they are in the district. To arrange a district meeting, contact the member’s local office. If you would like to meet with them in the district, you should fax the same information as stated above to their district office scheduler.
   
   Remember to review the Do’s and Don’ts and to check with NAFSA’s Public Policy department to see if there are any special messages for you to convey.
   
2. Register for the Advocacy Centered Team (ACT) or if you’re already registered, encourage your colleagues to register. By participating in ACT, you will receive advocacy opportunities in your e-mail about legislation that affects international education and exchange.
   
   Learn more about ACT and register.