1. Number: 800-441-0042 Access Code: 640715# Mute = *6
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2. Welcome from YWCA CEO Lorraine Cole

3. Persimmon Power: Principles for Influencing Policy Makers

4. Who’s Speaking?

5. Where are we starting from?
Let’s go to the poll!

6. Topics About the Webinar Factors that Influence Elected Officials
Four Tips for Breaking Through the Chaos
The Top Ten List of Things Elected Officials and Staff Hate to Hear
The One Thing That ALWAYS Works!

7. About the webinar What’s happening here? Muting Questions
Post session materials
Recording

8. Factors of Influence
What factors do you think influence elected officials?
Let’s go the poll…

9. Factors of Influence Personal Relationships Most Important?
Friends
Family
Staff
Their own principles and passions
The message
The media
Most Important?
Their Constituents!
Note: That’s why our meeting scheduling is based on constituency

10. What’s Missing?

11. Four Tips for Breaking Through the Chaos
What do you want?
Who should you ask?
How should you ask?
How should you follow-up?

12. What Do You Want?
You must “Make the Ask”

13. Key YWCA Asks
Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act at $320 million
Support $175 million in the Labor, HHS budget for the FVPSA/Battered Women’s Shelter program
Support $683 million in the Commerce Justice and Science (CJS) budget for programs aimed at preventing and ending violence against women
Protect Appropriations for the Crime Victims Fund (VOCA) and raise the cap to $770 million

14. Relationship Building Asks
Visit a program
Put a statement in the Congressional Record
Write an article for your newsletter
Hold a townhall meeting on YWCA issues

15. Does this work? Casey visits local women's center
Senator Casey visited the Centre County Women’s Resource Center yesterday to speak of funding cuts.
By Margaret Miceli Collegian Staff Writer
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., toured the Centre County Women's Resource Center yesterday, speaking to the workers about a funding cut that could limit their services to the community.
The center, located at 140 Nittany Ave., could lose as much as $300,000 in federal funding under the proposed elimination of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund, the center's executive director said in a press conference with Casey yesterday.
"The thought of that money going away [is] pretty scary," Executive Director Anne Ard said.
"That's a pretty significant hit for us."
President George W. Bush's proposed budget for 2009 eliminates the fund, a $2 billion loss of VOCA programs.
That includes those offered by the Women's Resource Center.
The funding helps pay for staff members who respond to sexual assaults, go to the courthouse with crime victims and other victim-witness assistance programs, Ard said.
Casey said that he thinks the president's proposed funding cuts are "outrageous."
"In a time where millionaires and billionaires are getting tax cuts, we should not be cutting services for domestic violence programs," Casey said.
The funding cut could affect as many as 61 facilities similar to Centre County's across Pennsylvania, Casey said.
In addition to talk of funding concerns, Centre County Judge Thomas Kistler also spoke to Casey about the planned child exchange center in Centre County.
The center will be a place where estranged or divorced parents can meet to exchange their children safely, he said.
It will also offer "supervised visits in a neutral territory with people around," Kistler said.
The idea for the center stemmed in part from an incident on Easter Sunday of 2007, when Williamsport resident Ben Barone shot and killed his estranged wife, Jodi, before killing himself.
The shooting occurred while the two were exchanging custody of their 3-year-old daughter in the parking lot of a Sheetz convenience store in Mill Hall.

16. What Will YOU Ask for?
Let’s go to the poll!

17. Who Should You Ask? Who do they care about? Why are you relevant?
Constituency
How to look up
What does the elected official care about?
Congress.gov
How can you frame the message?

18. Tips on Dealing With Staff
What Are They Looking For?
Remember, Your Issue Is One of Many
Staff Contact Has Advantages Over Member Contact
Institutional Memory in an Elected Official’s Office Can Be Short
Expect (and Appreciate) Youth

19. How Should You Ask? Developing your Message
Know Your Facts
Make it Your Own Message
Be Positive
Be Specific
The Five Minute Rule

20. The Top Ten List: What Staff & Elected Officials Hate to Hear
10. But I thought my appointment was with the Senator!
9. Here’s some reading material for you – our 300 page annual report
8. How much of a campaign contribution did your boss get to vote against (or for) this bill?
7. I assume you know all about bill number 1234

21. The Top Ten List, Continued
6. No, I don’t have an appointment but I promise I’ll only take ½ hour of your time.
5. No, I don’t really need anything specific.
4. What you’re telling me can’t be right. I heard Jon Stewart from the Daily Show say otherwise.
3. We have ten (or more) people in our group.
2. What do you mean we have to stand in the hall?

22. … And the number one item?
No, I don’t represent anyone from your district. I just thought you’d be interested in what I have to say.

23. What steps will you take next?
You guessed it, it’s poll time!

24. Questions?