Meet with Lawmakers During the August Recess

By Laura Walling, Vice President of Government Affairs, Goodwill Industries International

Congress is in recess until after Labor Day, creating an opportune time for you to meet with lawmakers while they are back in their district. Senators and Representatives want to meet with constituents, and from reauthorizing workforce development programs, investing in key job training initiatives, to expanding charitable giving tax incentives – there is a lot to discuss.

Below are a few tips to have a successful meeting:

1. Visit our Legislative Action Center and enter your address to find your elected officials. Visit the official’s website for information on how to schedule a meeting or call their district office.
2. When requesting the meeting, know what topic you would like to discuss and have the names of everyone who will be joining your and a short description of your group.
3. Once the meeting is scheduled, be flexible. Schedules change and you may be asked to reschedule your meeting or may have to meet with a member of staff (which can still be very beneficial).
4. During the meeting, stay on topic and if you are asked a question to which you do not have an answer, say that you will get back to the office.
5. After the meeting, send a thank you note and answer any questions that you were unable to address in the meeting.

Keep the relationship going by attending events where the lawmaker is speaking, send the office important updates about your organization (ex: how public grant money is being utilized), ask the lawmaker to attend key events (Goodwill store openings, program participant graduations, etc.), and follow the lawmaker on social media to stay informed of their activities and positions.