Lobbying 101

First, Request a Meeting

Contact members of Congress

• Addresses, phone numbers, and other basic information are available online.
• Go to senate.gov and click on the tab labeled “senators” or house.gov and click on the tab labeled “representatives.”

Schedule the meeting

• Plan to meet with members of Congress or their staff in person or virtually, as some offices may still prefer the virtual option.
• If the office is accepting in-person meetings, ask whether the number of participants is limited.
• Let the office know what issues you plan to raise and who will attend.
• Don’t be put off if the meeting is with staffers—members rely on them and take their advice.

Remember: no permanent friends and no permanent enemies

• Don’t take traditional friends for granted.
• Never write off a legislator just because of party affiliation.
• Don’t make enemies of legislators—you may need them as friends in the future.

Prepare for the Meeting

Practice what you plan to say

• You may find materials posted on nea.org helpful, particularly during the planning stage.
• Decide who will participate: Include people with compelling stories. Have a pre-meeting to determine who will speak and what role each person will play.
• Remind everyone: The day before the meeting, send an email reminder to all participants, including staff for the member of Congress. 

Potential roles

• Meeting leader: Makes introductions, runs the meeting, keeps track of time and agenda
• Story teller: Shares a compelling story related to the issue you are lobbying
• Delivery person: Presents leave-behinds
• Pitch person: Makes the “ask”
• Meeting recorder: Takes notes on what happened and what you promised to do—very important when follow-up time comes

Sample agenda

• Introductions: 3 minutes
• Explain your goals: 5 minutes
• First educator story tells story: 3 minutes
• Second educator tells story: 3 minutes
• Reference NEA leave-behinds: 3 minutes
• Make the “ask”: 5 minutes
• Review next steps: 3 minutes 
• Thank you: 1 minute

During the Meeting

Introduce your team

• Meetings can be virtual, using a platform like Zoom, or face-to-face.
• If you’re meeting virtually, pay attention to dress, lighting, your surroundings, and how it all looks onscreen. Mute yourself when not speaking. 

Make your pitch

• Use personal stories to emphasize why the issue matters and connect through values.
• A good story, even a short one, is about something that happened to someone. It needs to be true, and it needs to have a beginning, middle, and ending.
• Numbers can get in the way. Make sure they’re compelling.
• Don’t use jargon.
• Don’t try to cover every angle with one story.

Be clear about the “ask”

• Your request needs to be specific, tangible, and verifiable.
• Put issues before politics. Bipartisan works; demands don’t.
• Be open to questions.
• Don’t worry if you can’t answer a question or are unsure of the answer. Admit it and say, “I’ll look into that and get back to you.”
• Have patience and keep your sense of humor!

Follow Up

Email a thank-you after the meeting

• In addition to expressing your thanks, repeat the “ask.”
• Answer any questions raised during the meeting you were unable to address at the time.
• Be sure to provide any materials you promised to provide.