Family Law Advocacy Network

Working to Protect and Strengthen the Family

Resources:

Annual Timeline:

  • Summer: Begin to develop draft bills and identify other supportive organizations
  • September to October: Hold initial meetings with sympathetic lawmakers
  • November to December: Pre-file legislative bills, and meet with other sympathetic lawmakers
  • Legislative Session (usually January to May): Hold lobbying events

Flyers:

Flyers should be one page in length, explain the issue in personal (not overly legal) terms, be thoughtful in tone, avoid partisan buzz-words, and provide appropriate links to state-level information. Following are examples of lobbying flyers:

How to Organize and Conduct a Lobbying Event:

Several Weeks in Advance:

  • Identify local persons to participate in the event
  • Finalize the date

Two Weeks in Advance:

  • Telephone a staffer in the Senate and House, ask if advance appointments are needed to distribute flyers to staffers.
  • Set date for a Zoom call for participants to discuss messaging and logistics.
  • If four or more participants, divide up the persons into two teams. Identify who is the captain of each team.

One Week in Advance:

  • Develop one-page draft flyer.
  • Hold the Zoom call to review the flyer and discuss messaging. Clarify the exact time and location to meet. Get everyone’s phone numbers. Discuss need to bring business cards, wear comfortable shoes, and dress professionally.
  • Finalize the event, make travel arrangements and hotel reservations.
  • Contact key lawmakers to arrange for an appointment.

A Few Days in Advance:

  • Print out the flyers and a list of all lawmakers – one list for each team.
  • Bring extra business cards, for persons who don’t have them.

Day of the Event:

  • Meet with participants at the designated time and location.
  • If you will be testifying at a hearing, sign up first thing in the morning.
  • Review messaging and event objectives. Role play messaging.
  • Divide into teams, distribute flyers and list of lawmakers to participants.
  • For sit-down meetings, make a note of the level of receptivity: 1 = hostile, 2 = skeptical, 3 = non-committal, 4 = sympathetic, 5 = person states will take concrete steps to help us.
  • HAVE FUN!

Afterwards:

  • Send thank-you emails to all participants.
  • Write short summary of event, including number of offices that received the flyer and number of sit-down meetings held.

Follow-up:

  • Day after event: Send thank-you notes for sit-down meetings with receptivity scores of 2-5. Ask staffer if they have any questions or comments.
  • 1-2 weeks after visit: Follow-up with interested persons and propose another meeting.
  • 3+ weeks: Follow-up as appropriate.