Is your email/Facebook page overflowing with instructions to call Senator so-and-so about this and that? While many CTAs (Calls To Action) come with pre-fab scripts, it's helpful to know how to get the most bang for our buck when making those calls. So here ya go!
Most of the information below was cribbed from the Indivisible Guide with a little editing/revising by me.
The Most Important Thing You Can Do Today!!!!
Find the phone numbers for your MoCs. You can find your local MoCs (Members of Congress) and their DC office phone numbers at www.callmycongress.com. MoCs are your TWO state senators and your ONE district representative in the House. PROGRAM THESE NUMBERS IN YOUR PHONE!!
Extra Credit Opportunity: Don't just put the DC numbers. Put their state and district offices in as well. Phone lines are jammed, so you want to have other options. Use Find My Representative for a link to your House representative and Senator Contacts for your senators. You may have to dig down to find all the state/district phone numbers, but it's worth it. If all you do today is write these numbers down or program them in your phone then you are AWESOME!!
I'm putting a lot of space here so you know that what's above is most important. The rest of this is frosting. Mmmm....frosting...
Okay. So from here you need to decide whether the person you are calling is already on your side or needs convincing.
BLUE DISTRICT/STATE or SUPPORTIVE CONGRESSPERSON
IF you are in a blue district or VERY blue state, you just need your opinion tallied, so it's critical that you make the call short and to the point. Here's the best approach:
Hi! My name is _______________________ and I am calling from [City and Zip Code] {Do this part kind of slowly as they are writing it down.} I am calling because I [support/do not support] ________________________. Please let the Congressperson know, and thanks for all your hard work answering all these calls. {If you get a live person, wait a moment for them to thank you and get all your information down.}
If your representative is on record for supporting whatever it is you are calling about, be sure to thank them. Just keep it short so they can get back on the phones.
RED DISTRICT/STATE or UNSUPPORTIVE CONGRESSMAN
1. Prepare a single question per call. Keep it simple. Choose the most important issue of the day and go with it. The question should be about a live issue — e.g., a vote that is coming up, a chance to take a stand, or some other time-sensitive opportunity. The next day or week, pick another issue, and call again on that.
2. Find out who you’re talking to. In general, the staffer who answers the phone will be an intern, a staff assistant, or some other very junior staffer in the MoC's office. But you want to talk to the legislative staffer who covers the issue you’re calling about. There are two ways to do this:
a. Ask to speak to the staffer who handles the issue (immigration, health care, etc.). Junior staff are usually directed to not tell you who this is, and instead just take down your comment.
b. On a different day, call and ask whoever answers the phone, “Hi, can you confirm the name of the staffer who covers [immigration/health care/etc.]?” Staff will generally tell you the name. Say “Thanks!” and hang up. Ask for the staffer by name when you call back next time.
3. If you’re directed to voicemail, follow up with email. Then follow up again. Getting more-senior legislative staff on the phone is tough. The junior staffer will probably just tell you “I checked, and she’s not at her desk right now, but would you like to leave a voicemail?” Go ahead and leave a voicemail, but don’t expect a call back. Instead, after you leave that voicemail, follow up with an email to the staffer. If they still don’t respond, follow up again. If they still don’t respond, let the world know that the MoC’s office is dodging you.
If you'd like to go beyond that and dive into some serious tactics, check the Indivisible Guide.
If just getting on the phone is tough and you need more support, check out this Shy Person's Guide to Calling.
No comments:
Post a Comment