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NAPTA CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY
Background Research
Think about the following questions:
Who are my elected officials? Why am I
relevant to them? What is their legislative record and general
philosophy on public transportation issues? What issues are my elected officials they
passionate about? What committees are my elected officials
on? Are my elected officials newly elected,
or more senior? What party do my elected officials belong
to?
Resources
www.congress.org
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov
www.congress.gov
Message Development
Tell a compelling story -- – you have
something of value to contribute! Know your facts. Make your message your own – why is public
transportation important to you and your community? Be positive – how can you and the elected
official work together to solve a mutual problem?
Resources
www.napta.net
www.publictransportation.org
www.cfte.org
www.tea3.org
General Message Delivery
These tips apply to all communications
-- – letters, phone calls, and meetings.
Decide which method of communication suits
you and your purpose. Develop a thoughtful, well-argued message.
(volume does not equal effectiveness) Ask your member to take a specific action
in support of public transportation. Ask your member to respond to the request. Make it clear what your priorities are. Tell your congressional office how you
can be an ongoing resource on public transportation in their district
or state. Make your message targeted and forceful
without being rude or threatening. Tell the truth. Be reasonable about opposing points of
view. Be prepared to answer questions about
opposing arguments.
Effective Meetings
Determine whether a meeting is needed
to deliver the message. Decide where you want to meet, after looking
at the congressional calendar at www.house.gov
or www.senate.gov.
Don’t forget the APTA Legislative conference March 9-12, 2003! Decide who you want to deliver your message
(preferably someone from the district). Limit the number of people you bring to
the meeting. If you’re in DC for a national meeting,
try to coordinate with others from your state. Fax the scheduler a meeting request, including
a list of issues and attendees. Follow-up with a phone call to the scheduler
after sending a written request. (find fax and phone numbers at www.congress.org) Schedule carefully to assure ensure you
will be on time, but not too early, for each meeting. On voting days, try to schedule meetings
with members before 11:00 A.M. Be prepared to meet anywhere -- – standing
up in the hallway or on the run to a vote. Be prepared to deliver your message in
five minutes. Make sure you have short, concise, and
consistent information to leave behind. Don’t forget a one-pager
about public transportation in your community – see the NAPTA One-Pager
Template for more assistance. Leave your information in a file folder
with your organization’s name on the label.
Effective Site Visits
Sketch Out a Plan: One way to make the
invitation as enticing as possible is to be specific about what the
elected official can hope to gain from the experience. Transportation: How will the elected official
get to and from the event? Time: How much time can the member commit
to the event? Do not try to cram too much into a short visit. Make sure
you hit the highlights. Food: If this visit is going to occur
during a regular mealtime, you should consider setting up a discussion
over an informal buffet or box lunch. Weather: Obviously, you can’t control
the weather, but you can be prepared for all possibilities. Make sure
you have enough umbrellas, bug spray, or whatever you’ll need to make
the visit pleasant for everyone. Attendance: Think carefully about who
you want from your program to attend the visit, while keeping the total
number of people to no more than five. Recording The Event & And When To
Bring In The Media: You want to be sure to capture this auspicious occasion.
Consider inviting the media – but only after talking to the Congressional
office!
Following Up
Send a thank you note to the staff and
the member soon after a meeting. Always ask again if you haven’t heard
back, but give it some time. Report on your meeting in a non-threatening
way. Be sure to let NAPTA know how your meeting
or phone call went by e-mailing a short summary to transitadvocates@netscape.net.
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