i want to advocate
The best way to advocate is by developing a relationship with your elected officials and their legislative aides who work in the health care area.
But in order to develop a relationship, you need to know who your elected officials are and how to get in touch with them… The US is a big country, with a lot of different people working in government at various federal, state, and local levels. Depending on the specific policy issue you are advocating for, the representative you contact will change.
If you know what policy issue is most important to you, you can find the best official to reach out to using the following resources.
U.S. House of Representatives
You will only have 1 representative in Congress to represent your Congressional district in the House. Congressional districts are drawn up on maps by zip code.
Find your local representative and their contact information on the House website, along with a legislative schedule.
U.S. Senate
Every state in the USA has 2 Senators in Congress. You can find your state’s Senators, information about what Committees they sit on/upcoming meetings, a legislative schedule, and more on the Senate website.
State Senate & Other Legislatures
Once you get past the federal level, government structures start to look a little different based on your state. For example, New York state has an elected Assembly, while other states have different types of legislatures. Because of this, it can be hard to find a single list that will identify all your locally elected officials… especially because those officials can change with each passing election.
Luckily, there is a handy tool on USA.gov that helps you find and contact ALL federal, state and local level officials!
Enter your address information to find your officials: Find Your Elected Officials
Local governmental structure is even more specific and it becomes even harder to provide a single list. For example, your local government might be a city council, while someone in another part of the country may be governed by a township.
Thankfully, you can use the same USA.gov tool mentioned above to find your most local-level elected officials: Find Your Elected Officials
Once you know your specific policy issue and the person who you are contacting to advocate, you can start to plan your advocacy!
There are a lot of different ways to contact your representatives. The best way to advocate is to develop a relationship with your official and make yourself (and the cause you represent) more memorable.
The bigger an impact you leave, the more likely officials and their staff are to consider your opinion when the time comes to decide policy. Here are just some of the ways you can get in touch…
1. Write a Letter/Email
You can write a letter or email to your elected official. This is especially important during a letter-writing campaign or when there is an advocacy alert.
You can use a template that we provide if you want somewhere to start.
2. Make a Call
You can also call your elected official’s office and talk about your concerns (or read from a script if you’re nervous).
For federal representatives, there is also a Congressional switchboard that can connect you to their staff if you don’t call their office directly.
3. Schedule a Meeting
This is, by far, the most impactful way to advocate! Contact the official’s office and ask about setting up time to talk to the official or their staff about something that matters to their constituent (you!).
For federal- and state-level officials, they will often have more than one office– one in the capitol (Washington, DC for federal reps and your state capitol for state reps) and another at a more local office. You can request to meet officials at either office as long as they are scheduled to be there. Some officials may even agree to virtual meetings that can be taken from anywhere!
In your meeting, you will tell your personal story and finish up with your policy ask. More on that in Plan Your Ask & Make it Happen! below…
4. Attend Their Events
Sometimes, elected officials host their own local, free events. These may be campaign fundraisers, community benefit events, town halls, or others.
Attending these events close-to-home and introducing yourself is an easy way to stand out to your elected representative.
5. Participate in an Advocacy Day
Bobby Jones CSF hosts advocacy days in Washington, DC that are attended by patients and families living with Chiari malformation, syringomyelia and related disorders.
By attending an advocacy day in person, the stress of scheduling a meeting and crafting your ask is a little lower because it is often built into the day’s events! Learn more about the unite@thehill here.
Craft your Story & Meet Your Reps
First, check out this training from a previous unite@thehill given by unite4answers walk chair and board certified patient advocate, Julie Rauch. She goes over how to start writing your personal story and ask. She also describes what to do (and what not to do) in your meetings with elected officials.
Writing Your Story/Ask
It’s important to craft a story and an ask that is emotional and passionate, but easy to understand! If you’re writing a letter, email or phone script, be sure to write something that you would want to read/listen to. Any written communication should be brief and to-the-point, but have the emotional impact that explains your “why”.
It’s also important to write a confident and passionate letter, while avoiding tones of anger. For example, by writing “Dear, _______” rather than “To Whom It May Concern,” you convey a warmth that the reader can feel and you begin a gracious dialogue rather than a harsh critique. Even the addition of a few “please” and “thank you’s” can go further than you’d think!
Finally, if you can make it personal— definitely go there! There is nothing more persuasive to elected officials than hearing about a certain political issue from the point of view of someone who deals with the problem on a daily basis.
In summary:
Be brief, and to-the-point (no more than 1 to 1.5 pages)
Be passionate, but polite
Make it personal: tell your story
Once (or maybe even before) you feel ready: send that letter, make that call and meet with that staffer. You got this!
If you have any questions about advocacy or want to get more involved in your state or local policy areas, contact Kaitlyn!
