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🚨Advocacy 201: 🚨Getting personal with your members of Congress! @ASCO #ASCOadvocacysummit
If you mastered my advocacy 101 tweetorial, what’s next? Get to know your leaders & their teams via face-to-face meetings. #ASCOadvocacysummit
Are you planning a visit with a group like @asco? If so, follow their instructions. Most groups dispatch staff to go with you to navigate the schedule & locations. Going on your own? Keep reading. It’s easy!
If you aren’t following them already, go NOW & follow your members of Congress on Twitter, Facebook, & social media.
Keep the websites handy for your member. Let’s use one of my senators as an example, @SenatorBurr 
On his page, there are several choices. I am looking to directly email his office. Choose from : “contact” or “visiting DC.”
🇺🇸While you are looking around here, remember that your members of Congress are the keys to getting tickets for White House tours & other educational tours/ events. 🇺🇸(Ask well in advance of your trip!) ((See my pics from a WH tour last year)):
If you know when you will be in DC, fill that info in. Once a staff member reaches out, you can provide more details. Dates not final? That’s ok- just give the info you have.
What happens to that email? It goes to the office of your member of Congress, just like this one. There are several hard-working staffers from your state/ district who are in charge of the complex schedules that their team keeps.
The email arrives! You have an appt to meet with your member or his/ her team! Now what?
Check the address! There are 2 senate office bldgs & 3 house office bldgs. Closely check the room numbers- some house bldgs have misleading prefix numbers.
Come early & be prepared to go through security including metal detectors. Also be prepared for poor signage & directions once inside. Ask the Capitol police if you need to.
Use the underground tunnels if you can! (Some are creepy!)
Wear. Comfortable. Shoes.
Enter a Congressional office & you are walking into a small business crammed into a (usually) tight space. The photos & decor are always the best part! Here’s a view from the office of NC Rep David Price. @RepDavidEPrice
Depending on your area of interest, they will offer an appropriate representative for your meeting. For ex, this is our group from NC during @asco #ASCOadvocacysummit meeting w/ health policy assistants to @SenThomTillis & @SenatorBurr. They’re tremendous resources to Senators.
Keep in mind that each member’s team is small. Senators have more staff than Representatives.
The chief of staff is the big 🧀. This individual is a great contact. Deputy chief is the next contact. “LA’s” are legislative assistants... aka the “heartbeat” of the office. They are invaluable. You may have the chance to meet with an LA or a more senior staff member.
If you’re lucky, you may score a visit with your member. Thank you to @RepDavidEPrice & @virginiafoxx for meeting with your @asco team from NC! #ASCOadvocacysummit
Reach out! Be clear as to your interests & why you want to meet. Ex: “I am a constituent & will be in town on date X. I would love to meet & convey my support for Senator Y. I would also love to share my views on clinical trial funding for cancer patients.”
Tell a story. Share your passion. Be gracious & NONpartisan. Offer to be an educational resource for their office for oncology and/or medical policy issues. Invite them to come visit your office! #ASCOadvocacysummit
Take a photo & post it!! Tag away!
You did it! 😄 See, that wasn’t so hard. After sending a thank you note, make a plan for how you will stay engaged. Look up your member’s district office. Get to know his/ her team. Send emails regularly!
@threadreaderapp pls unroll
