This message was distributed via Congress Plus at 11:30 a.m. today.

August 25, 2011

BIWEEKLY MESSAGE TO CAPITOL HILL

Earlier this week, we targeted the President about TRIO and Pell. Now it’s time to focus on Capitol Hill. Here is today’s sample message:

During the recent debt ceiling deal, Congress made the decision to invest $17 billion to help shore up the Pell Grant. While this money is necessary to help students pay for college, it is not enough to keep them in school and ensure that they graduate. Invest in the supportive services provided by TRIO – they are the best mechanism to leverage our nation’s substantial investment in financial aid.

You can send this message to your legislators via the COE website at http://www.congressweb.com/cweb2/index.cfm/siteid/COE/action/Legislators.ValidateZipCode/composeyourown/true.

NOTES ON TRIO ADVOCACY

Several of you have asked about the Do’s and Don’ts of TRIO Advocacy. As a refresher, please see the attached document, “Nine Commandments on Advocacy.” Also, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), of which COE is a member, held an off-the-record meeting in August with a bipartisan panel of former Capitol Hill staffers.  Titled, “Been There, Done That,” the panel offered helpful hints and tips for communicating with Capitol Hill:

1. Despite party alliances, there are 435 different political environments to consider in working with Congress—one for each Member.  It is a mistake not to recognize this in making one’s case to a Member.

2. Hill staff talk to one another across boundaries of party, committee, and even between House and Senate.  Consequently, outreach to the Hill must be comprehensive.

3. The historical distinctions in working with the Senate, where every individual is important, and the House, where committees are more important, calls for distinctive advocacy strategies for each body.

4. The conventional knowledge of keeping communications to two pages has suffered in the twitter era:  one page with bullets is the current admonition to advocates.

5. It is always desirable to have a constituent join you in the presentation with a Member or with staff.

6. Be prepared for the question:  “Who else on the committee is interested in this?”

7. Frame your issue in the largest reasonable context.

8. Remember the admonition to show rather than tell.  Stories and anecdotes that make a point are valuable in advocating before Congress.


Let’s keep the momentum going. Thank you for your continued support of TRIO programs!

COE