Don’t Come to DC in August (and other ways to win this month)

“While Obama gets back to (non-debt) business, Congress returns home for the rest of August, with little else to show constituents other than the debt deal — and an economy that’s gotten worse since the Republican House pushed its austerity agenda. And guess what takes place in August? Constituent town halls. The question is whether we see town hall madness (like we saw in the summer of ’09), or if we see exhaustion (after the long and frustrating debt debate).” -First Read, 8/3/11

It’s Congressional recess time, which means that advocates have a relatively rare opportunity to act in their hometowns to influence what happens when Congresscritters return to Washington, DC.

Are you ready to make it count? Do you have a plan in place to make sure your representatives’ experience of August is “town hall madness,” so they head back to DC with your issue firmly embedded in their heart and mind?

Ideally you’ve already got it all worked out and are ready to go. If not, it’s not too late. Hit the ground running tomorrow for a winning August with these three tips:

1) Stay the heck out of DC

We’ve been dismayed here at Englin Consulting to get a few calls-to-action from groups we’d love to support (we’re lookin’ at you, Tar Sands Action) organizing August activities here in Washington, DC. PLEASE, stay the heck out of DC this month if your goal is advocacy.

Nobody is in DC during August. Not members of Congress; Generally not the President; Even agencies tend to clear out as folks get out of dodge during the Congressional recess. Not even the national media is here during August – they’re out covering what’s happening at those crazy town halls!

Rallying (or sitting-in, or in any way other mobilizing) in DC in August is talking to yourself, but crazier because it’s wasting an opportunity to make a much bigger impact by organizing action in the places where your activists live.

2) Forgo the big broad call-to-action.

If you’re not all ready all organized up to have your folks show up at in-district events with their member of Congress or Senator, don’t start now with a big broad national call-to-action email.

Instead, focus on your top activists in target districts and email them, call them, text them, go to their doorsteps, send them a postcard – anything you can to connect personally to make a focused plea. The “ask”? Please go to XYZ event with Congressperson Soandso, and volunteer to ask [this question] at [that event]. (You’ll fill in the brackets with the details as appropriate to your cause.)

Once you’re recruited 2-3 people per town hall event per key Congressperson, ask those activists if they’d also be willing to edit, sign and send a letter to the editor (give them talking points and where to send the letter).

Focus on, support, and follow up with the rock stars on your list who’ll do this for your cause. Now is not the time to gamble that someone, anyone on your big email list will step up to the plate.

(See this three things on an approach to using your lists in this way.)

3) Use strategic media relations.

Your activists caused a kerfuffle when they asked the pithy question about your issue at Congressperson Soandso’s town hall meeting. Maybe they also submitted their letter-to-the-editor to their local papers. Swoop in with the amplifier: strategic media relations. Immediately issue releases about the person, the question, the issue (as localized as possible), the Congressperson’s response, and printable quotes to go along with everything. Make your follow up calls. Blog about it. Work with local bloggers on it. Do everything you can to make sure the Congressperson and his or her staff see that question again and again during their weeks at home in the district.

Need some backup putting this all together right now? We can help. Call ASAP: 202.683.8465

Numbers Don’t Move People

Many of our client engagements include research to find out what moves people to action. We work with polling firms to ask questions that help us build messaging that mobilizes. Most polls get more expensive with more questions, so having ... Continue reading

Strategize and Target in a Rapidly Shifting Environment

Even if you're the US Chamber of Commerce with essentially unlimited resources to spend to ensure your policy agenda wins the day, you focus your resources on the legislators, voters, and advocates that you need to move. If you’re not the ... Continue reading

What if your organization just isn’t strategic?

At a party last weekend, one of us stumbled into a conversation with the Communications Director of a major international organization about her frustrations with consultants. Her principal complaint was that consultants she’d worked with insisted on telling her the ... Continue reading

Musings on 350.org’s Chamber Advocacy Campaign

At Englin Consulting, we live where politics, policy, and the strategies required to win meet. It's a fast-moving world, and it's critical we stay current.  So, we keep an eye on what the innovative organizations we're not yet working with ... Continue reading