50th Anniversary Advocacy Day Wednesday, September 21, 2011 (Orientation) Thursday, September 22, 2011 (Advocacy Day)

Ten Tips on Effective Advocacy (For Advocates OnlyDo Not Share with Others)
1) Have a Plan and Divide Roles and Responsibilities: Prior to your meetings, try to lay out a plan for who will take on various roles. Who will start the meeting? Who will talk about Peace Corps funding, commemorative legislation and safety and security legislation? What key points do you want to make? Will someone take notes? Answering these questions on Wednesday night and Thursday morning and in between meetings will make your presentation stronger. That in turn, will leave a stronger impression. 2) Follow the A, B, Cs of Advocacy: When taking part in your meetings it is always important to be: Accurate: You wont be expected to have the answer to every question, and the last thing you want to do is provide incorrect information. It is okay to say, I dont know, if you dont know the answer to the question. It also provides a great opportunity to follow up (see item #4) Brief: Your meetings may last anywhere from five minutes to (occasionally) 30 minutes. Be prepared to be brief and succinct. For one thing, you dont want to do all of the talking! You want your meeting to be a conversation not a monologue. You want to hear from the staff and/or the lawmaker about their views about Peace Corps and the issues you present. And, to give others the opportunity to share, it will be important to be brief so that others can have the chance to share their views.

Courteous: At all times, please be courteous and respectful to the lawmakers and their staff. All are public servants who have difficult jobs and long hours. Even if you dont agree with their positions, it is important to engage in dialogue and understandingsomething we were taught in the Peace Corps! 3) Ask for Something Specific: As much as possible, we are providing specific requests on what lawmakers can do to show their support for the Peace Corps. Put these specific requests forward during your meeting. 4) Follow Up: If you make a specific request, you may not get an answer right on the spot. Thats okay. But have a plan to follow up. For example, if you are asking that a lawmaker co-sponsor legislation, and the answer is they need to review the legislation, that is fine, but ask the lawmaker (or staff) how long they might need to make a decision. Then, plan on contacting the office at that time to inquire about the decision. Finally, always be willing to follow up with more information or assistance if you can help the lawmaker (or staff) consider your specific request. 5) Say Thank You if You Can: A majority of the lawmakers you will be visiting have taken at least one action toward the Peace Corps that is positive. You will be receiving profiles about your members that outline some of the positive actions they have taken or comments they have made on the Senate or House floor. It is very important to acknowledge these positive actions, and to make the lawmaker (or staff) aware that you appreciate their doing the right thing. Offering a thank you is a great way to start a meeting. 6) Have Your Elevator Speech Ready: Prepare for the unexpected. It is possible you may walk into a meeting only to find that a change in plans only allows for a few quick minutes. Be prepared to highlight the key points that you want to make, while also discussing a way in which the group can follow up later with more information. 7) Watch Body Language: As your meeting progresses, be watchful of body language messages that might indicate the person you are meeting with is either detached or wanting to close the meeting. Dont rush through a meeting, but if the non-verbal indications are that the lawmaker (or staff) needs to wrap up, look for a way to begin to close out the meeting. 8) Above AllDo No Harm: We have heard from a couple of advocates who are less than thrilled about meeting with their lawmakers, and have expressed , that they do not wish to meet with them. Along with making our points and putting our arguments forward, an additional goal is to have the lawmaker and his/her office staff have generally good feelings about the encounter.

While it is fun to hold meetings with lawmakers who consistently support the Peace Corps, in many regards it is the meetings people will be holding with offices that are not clearly supportive or not sufficiently familiar with the Peace Corps that will be the most important meetings of the day. While these meetings may not result in getting a lawmaker to take a positive action, it may result in a lawmaker thinking twice before s/he takes a negative action towards the Peace Corps. It is also extremely important to let your lawmakers know there are constituents who care deeply about the Peace Corps. If you honestly think, however, that your meeting with a lawmaker would be harmful, please contact us right away. 9) Keep The Message Positive: With so much negative feeling about Congress these days, a great deal of partisan bickering, and a number of people who question the effectiveness of government, we will be going to Capitol Hill at a time where the mood may be very difficult. Plan on bringing the can-do, positive Peace Corps spirit and message to your meeting. We will want to make our case forcefully, but positively. That positive message may help lead to good results down the road. 10) Last but certainly not leastBring Your Passion and Bring Your Stories! You will be provided with some facts that you can use in your meetings. But even more important are the personal stories you can convey about the power of the Peace Corps and its impact on the world. Perhaps a story of building understanding between and among people of different countries, ethnicities, religions and cultures. Perhaps a story of a successful Peace Corps development project and how it did (or still does) make a difference. Anddont Anddont forget stories of how Peace Corps makes a difference here at home: With so much focus on our troubled economy and the many challenges our citizens face, it is essential that we share the stories of how Returned Peace Corps Volunteers benefit our communities and our country each and every day. Maybe you are a teacher, a health care worker or a social worker whose career path was shaped by Peace Corps. Maybe you are a civic leader, or part of an RPCV group that takes on local, community based volunteer projects. Think of examples provided by you, by your RPCV member group, or another former volunteer you know. letter.Take a moment to write a brief Before September 22nd, write a letter. letter (that includes your name and address) that touches on your thoughts about Why Peace Corps Matters or How Peace Corps Benefits our Communities, our States and Our Country. Make four copies and bring them with you. Plan to hand deliver one letter to each of your representatives. Since your congressional meetings might not provide you the time to say everything you want, the addition of a personal letter will add to the power of your presence. Provide the fourth copy to the NPCA for further distribution to some of the Peace Corps champions.

(For some other helpful hits, copy and follow this link to read Top Ten Things Elected Officials and their Staff Hate to Hear produced by Advocacy Associates www.advocacyguru.com) http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ogr/PDFs/Top%20Ten%20Things%20 Elect.pdf