Advocacy with Elected Officials
Why Advocate?
Meeting with elected officials is one of the most important parts of advocacy. Members of Congress and other elected
officials care deeply about what their constituents are doing and what they are interested in. Taking the time to meet,
call, or write your representatives is a necessary complement to direct service and human care. Working in
communities often reveals systemic issues that must be addressed by policy reforms. When you build relationships
with your elected officials through advocacy, you play an important role in bringing about the desired change.
The goals of your advocacy with elected officials may include:
 understanding his/her interests and position on the issues,
 helping them understand what constituents think and want,
 adding your voice to that of other advocates for a stronger impact,
 getting a commitment of support for a specific bill, and
 building relationships with public officials whose decisions influence your community.
The agenda for your meeting might range from sharing the news that a prayer vigil was held in your town or you
might be laying out specific concerns with particular legislation. While the content of the meetings will change, LIRS
has pulled together this basic guidance for in-person, phone and written advocacy. While formatted for federal
advocacy, these guidelines will also work for meetings with state and local officials. At any point in the process, if you
need guidance, information, or materials, don’t hesitate to be in touch ([email protected]).
In-Person Advocacy
In-person advocacy visits are part of a larger process of gathering information, building relationships, and
developing advocacy strategies. The information below will guide you through preparing for, scheduling, and
holding a meeting with an elected official.
Decide what you want to talk about:
Congress considers migration legislation on a daily basis. To find the most current information on what’s
happening on the Hill, check out the LIRS blog (www.lirs.org/blog) and press room (www.lirs.org/pressinquiries). You can also sign up for our Stand for Welcome campaign (www.lirs.org/sfw) to receive 2-4 e-mails a
month with opportunities for advocacy with migrants and refugees. Once you’ve found a topic that speaks to you,
it’s time to schedule the meeting!
Schedule a meeting:
You can find names, contact information, and office location for your two senators (www.senate.gov) and
your representative (www.house.gov) online. If your elected officials are not available to meet in person on the
requested day, meeting with their staff members is an equally valuable way of building relationships and conveying
your concerns.
When you call to schedule the meeting, be prepared to tell the scheduler what issues you’d like to discuss
(immigrants, refugees, DREAM Act, funding, etc.), to ensure the meeting is set up with the appropriate staffer. If
you are scheduling a meeting for a group or coalition, be ready with the names and affiliations of other attendees or
make plans to follow up with the staffer to let them know how many people to expect.
Prepare for the meeting:
Do basic research on your members of Congress. Congressional committees divide proposed legislation
by subject matter, allowing members to focus on particular areas of the law. For advocacy on particular
legislation, members of the relevant committee are especially well-placed to champion your issues.
Much migration legislation begins in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. Some immigration issues
come out of the Homeland Security Committees while Foreign Affairs (House) and Foreign Relations
(Senate) handle some refugee legislation. The Appropriations Committees are also important as they allocate
federal funding, impacting services for resettled refugees, the size of immigration detention, and other
important programs. While advocacy with members of these committees is important, it’s necessary to build
support for migrants and refugees with all members of Congress. Be sure to check your member’s committee
assignments and previous stances on migrant and refugee issues, available on their personal website or
through a Google search.
Compile informational materials. Having materials to leave behind with the staffer is an effective way to
make sure your message is remembered after you leave. Consider including LIRS fact sheets, Mythbusters,
press releases, or letters, all available on the LIRS website. If you are representing an organization or coalition
materials explaining the work you do, specific facts/figures about the populations you serve, or the
membership you represent is helpful to include. Bring along business cards and a pen and paper for notes.
As a general rule, dress is business professional.
Review the issues and your message. Make sure you have a firm grasp of the issues and current legislation
so you can speak accurately about them. If you would like LIRS support in preparing for the meeting, we’re
happy to help – just e-mail [email protected] and let us know how we can assist you!
Hold the meeting
The key components of any successful meeting are:
1. The pre-meeting meeting. Meet ahead of time to assign roles for the meeting, including introducing
the group, explaining any materials you will bring, taking the lead on discussing each issue, making the
ask, and redirecting the conversation if it goes off course. Follow the plan, allowing for some flexibility so
participants can supplement what others say.
2. The meeting.
 Introduce yourselves. You have important credentials: First, you are constituents. Second, whether you
care about these issues because of your friends, your family, your faith, or your work, you can share
this personal connection. Third, you know other constituents who care about these issues and will
likely share the outcomes of the meeting with them.
 Present the issues. Explain how current legislation would help or harm migrants.
 Listen. Ask where your members of Congress stand on the issues. Get an understanding of their
position and their interests.
 Make the ask. Don’t just tell your members of Congress what you want, ask them to support you! “Can we
count on your support on this measure?” Listen carefully for information about the member’s specific
position and concerns. Ask for clarification if what he or she says is vague.
3. After the meeting. Debrief with your group: What did we hear? What are the next steps? How did we
work together as a team? Send an e-mail to the member of Congress or the staffer, expressing your
thanks for the meeting and sending any additional relevant materials and information. E-mail [email protected]
to let LIRS’s advocacy staff know that you met with your members of Congress. When LIRS staff meets
with your members’ staff in D.C., they can remind them of your conversation.
Also, remember to continue building the relationship with the office by inviting policymakers to events,
sending news articles or other materials about the work of your organization, and setting up further meetings.
Advocacy by Phone
Preparing for the call
Phone advocacy is an easy way to get in touch with your elected officials without traveling to the district or
national offices. Follow the same preparation steps listed above to select an issue, prepare what you want to say,
and make the call!
Making the call
When you contact your senators’ or representative’s offices, ask to speak with the staffer who covers
immigration and/or refugee issues. While phone conversations are often shorter than in-person meetings, it can
be helpful to follow the same conversational outline as an in-person meeting. Introduce yourself, explain the
issue and why you care about it, ask about the member’s position, and ask for a commitment to support.
Remember to be yourself! If you are prepared to share the story of your community and the issues that
concern you, your passion will be evident and you will establish a warm connection with the staffers you call.
Remember to share your contact information with the staffer and get theirs so you can send a follow up thank
you note and any relevant materials. It’s a good idea to be prepared to leave a voicemail if the staffer is away
from their desk. No need to go into all the details in the voicemail – just explain who you are, what you’re
calling about and ask for a timely call back. Be sure to call again if you don’t receive a response in a few days.
After the call
Send a follow-up e-mail to the congressional staffers you spoke with. Provide materials and repeat your ask
for their boss’s support. Respond to questions that came up during the call. E-mail [email protected] to let LIRS’s
advocacy staff knows that you contacted your members of Congress.
Written Advocacy
You can easily send letters to your elected officials through LIRS’s Action Center (www.lirs.org/actioncenter). We have pre-written messages on a variety of topics which may be customized as desired.
Consider also writing your own letter to your elected officials, explaining who you are, your position on the
issue, and asking for the member’s support. Remember to include your name, affiliation and contact
information below your signature. Letters should be written in business format with the following heading:
The Honorable [full name of Senator/Representative]
[U.S. Senate/U.S. House of Representatives]
[room number] [name of congressional office building]
Washington, DC [20510/20515]
Dear [Senator/Representative] [last name]:
If you send the letter to your member’s office in Washington, DC, it’s generally a good idea to e-mail a copy
as well due to security delays for mail screening. You can call the office’s general information line and ask for
the e-mail address of the relevant staffer.
If you have a relationship with your member’s district office, feel free to send the letter there. You can also
consider delivering the letter yourself, as that may lead to an opportunity for a brief meeting with the staff as
you hand over your letter.