your path: Home > About the AGS > Handbook TOC >

Meetings with elected officials

The most direct and personal form of communication with legislators is organizing a face-to-face meeting.  This personal contact could be the key for future correspondence and collaboration.  It also opens the possibility for inviting your legislators to an affiliate program or special reception.  Meetings should be organized when important legislation is on the floor of the legislature or the affiliate has concerns they feel need to be addressed personally.  To meet with national representatives, it is not necessary to travel to Washington, DC, since representatives return to their home states during recess periods, to meet with their constituents.  The following are key steps in planning a meeting with a legislator:

The Appointment:

Delegate an affiliate member to coordinate the meeting, particularly someone with contacts within the office.

Establish a relationship with the staff of the representative.  They are key in scheduling an appointment since they decide which visitors will be in time well spent.  To establish a relationship, you may want to put the staff person on your mailing list or send them relevant affiliate and AGS Newsletters.

If you cannot get an appointment, immediately request one for the next recess or another time when the representative will be in town.  This will show your commitment to having a meeting.

If a meeting is scheduled, ask how much time is designated.  This is crucial for developing your presentation.

The Agenda:

Include an introduction of the affiliate and the AGS, reason for the meeting, key points on issues to be addressed, and summary.

If you have more than one topic to discuss, prioritize topics by immediacy.

Try to relate the topic to a local issue and provide examples.  This information is very useful to a congressional member when making their decisions on particular legislation.

The Meeting:

Bring a delegation of three affiliate members including a representative from the Executive Committee.

Have a pre-meeting to review all the key points, and make sure the group is punctual.

Have the leader of the group give the introduction about the affiliate and the AGS, and the reason for seeking this meeting.  The leader should also summarize the key points at the end of the meeting.

Assign each person from the group a particular point to address.  Remind each person to focus on the specific action you’re requesting at the end of his or her comments.

If the representative is responsive to your issue, offer your expertise for his/her work in the legislature.

Prepare a brief piece for the representative with a summary of the agenda items and the action requested.  Also include the names, addresses, phone numbers and affiliate titles of each person in the group.

After the meeting:

Meet immediately after the meeting to assess the outcome and confer on the representative’s response.  At that point, decide on your follow-up actions and delegate the tasks.

Write an immediate follow-up letter, summarizing your points, including additional information and especially thanking them for their time.  Also, send a thank you letter to the staff person who helped arrange the meeting.