VAN SCOYOC ASSOCIATES Prepared for Working with Congress Institute for a Competitive Workforce

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 2 Working with Congress Introduction and Background Effective advocacy is a key component of any comprehensive education reform agenda, from grassroots work in neighborhoods and schools, all the way to work at the state and Federal level to bring about policy change.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 3 Working with Congress The Congressional Management Foundation released a report in 2005 entitled “Communicating with Congress: How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy.” Here are some of the key findings: Capitol Hill has dealt with a surge in citizen advocacy in the last 10 years: Congress received four times more communications in 2004 than 1995 –all of the increase from Internet-based communications Many congressional staff doubt the legitimacy of identical form communications, and want to know whether communications are sent with constituents’ knowledge and consent.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 4 Working with Congress “I wish that outside groups would understand that overwhelming our office with form letters does more harm than good for their causes.” -House correspondence staffer “One hundred form letters have less direct value than a single thoughtful letter generated by a constituent of the Member’s district.” -House correspondence staffer

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 5 Working with Congress Staff report that personal interactions between Members and their Constituents – whether through in-person visits or personalized postal or messages – have far more impact on Members’ decision-making processes than do identical form communications or visits from lobbyists

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 6 Working with Congress Key points from the CMI report: Personalized or individualized messages have more influence than do identical form messages Quality is more persuasive than quantity The organization behind a grassroots/lobbying campaign matters Grassroots organizations should develop a better understanding of Congress There is a difference between being noticed and having an impact. Bad grassroots practices may get noticed, but they tend not to be effective in influencing the opinions of Members of Congress, and sometimes can damage relationships with Congressional staff

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 7 Working with Congress Key principles: Know your audience Know your stuff Know what to Ask and how to Ask for it Follow-up Timing is everything

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 8 Working with Congress Know Your Audience - Members Learn basic background information: ○ State, District ○ Committee membership ○ Political party ○ Length of service ○ Electoral status (safe District or marginal District) ○ Anything he/she may have in common with you: friends, business associates, organizational affiliations

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 9 Working with Congress Know Your Audience – Members Learn their position on your issue, especially if they already have voted or spoken on the particular legislation Identifying the sponsors and co-sponsors of a bill can save resources and enable grassroots organizations to target only Members who need persuading or shoring up

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 10 Working with Congress Know Your Audience – Members Understand their role in the process; remember, the chamber in which a bill was introduced matters. House Members cannot vote on Senate bills or court nominations, and Senators cannot vote on House bills, so campaigns urging a Member of one chamber to take action on legislation from the other chamber cannot yield results. For example, don’t send a House Member a communication about an amendment in the Senate or a nomination.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 11 Working with Congress Know Your Audience - Staff Staff are on average, young, ambitious, and highly educated Learn basic background on their boss Learn their role in the office – Committee and Leadership staff play a far different role than personal office staff

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 12 Working with Congress Know Your Audience – Staff House and Senate Staff are very different ○ The average House office currently employs 15 staffers, of which approximately six are located in his or her District office. ○ Of the nine staffers in the DC offices, approximately three-quarters are involved in managing constituent communications on a part-time or full-time basis. ○ Senators’ budgets are calculated, in part, according to the populations of their states and the distances of their home states from DC. Consequently, their budgets and staff sizes vary widely. ○ The average staff size of a Senator’s office is 35. Staff are likely to be older and more powerful.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 13 Working with Congress Know Your Audience - Staff Your message is more likely to be read by House staff than Senate staff: ○ Among staff surveyed, 100% reported responding to individualized postal letters, but only 24% to form postcards or telegrams. Also, some Senate staff reported that their offices “do not count or respond to” some form communications – in essence, ignoring the message altogether. ○ Some 16% of Senate staff said they did not count or respond to form ; 24% said the same with regard to form postal letters ○ In contrast, 3 to 9% of House staff reported that they did not count or respond to various forms of communication

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 14 Working with Congress Know Your Stuff Have a thorough understanding of your issue, and be prepared for questions Know the legislative status of your issue: where it stands in each body of Congress, what Committees are involved, who the key players are, etc.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 15 Working with Congress Know Your Stuff The more information constituents provide in their communications, the easier it is for Congressional offices to serve their constituents effectively. According to The CMI study, Congressional staff believe it is “very helpful” or “helpful” for constituents to provide such details as reference to specific legislation and the bill number and title that their communication addresses. Additionally, staff would like to see more detail about how the issue affects individual constituents, including their reasons for supporting a bill or issue, the constituent’s perspective on how the bill would affect his or her district or state, and even a personal story related to the bill or issue.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 16 Working with Congress Know What to Ask and how to Ask for it Help them help you Don’t be afraid to ask for something – they expect it, and want it. It’s their job to respond to people’s requests Have a short, concise leave behind, and bill language if possible The more specific the better, especially with Committee or Leadership staff The goal is to make it clear to them that by taking action for you, they will not only be helping you and your organization, they will be helping advance their own policy and political goals

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 17 Working with Congress Follow-up Send a pleasant, concise thank you letter or note Follow-up when appropriate as Congress takes action on issues of importance, especially when the timing is right

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 18 Working with Congress Timing is Everything “ Timeliness is key. Letting us know the day of the vote is about 3- 5 days too late, in general.” -House chief of Staff “Wait until the bill is introduced before alerting the grassroots. We have gotten constituent input on legislation that doesn’t show up in the computer because it hasn’t been introduced, so we have to send a “there is no bill” type of letter, which either makes the Member look stupid, or the organization look stupid.” -House Correspondence Staffer For Committees, there is always a key point before or during a Committee mark-up, going to the House or Senate floor, or in a conference Committee, when deals are cute. Be ready to act.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 19 Working with Congress Key Education Issues Pending Before Congress Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization The Workforce Investment Act Budget/Appropriations Bills ○ Higher Education Reconciliation

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 20 Working with Congress The Business Community and Education Reform The Business Community is viewed as interested, but not often willing to have sustained involvement in the trenches. This must change. True reform will not occur unless the Business Community is energized at all levels.

May 2009 Van Scoyoc Associates Page 21 Working with Congress Conclusion Reform isn’t easy – the only way it can be achieved is through sustained advocacy and involvement in the policy making process at all levels When engaging policy makers, remember these key principles: ○ Know your audience ○ Know your stuff ○ Know what to Ask and how to Ask for it ○ Follow-up ○ Timing is everything