Congressional Office Meeting Tips - Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy

PPMD’s Advocacy Conference

Congressional Office Meeting Tips

Thank you for participating in the 2022 Virtual Advocacy Conference!

Whether you are a first-time advocate or a seasoned advocate who has participated in prior years, this set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is designed to answer questions you may have for this year’s Virtual Advocacy Conference.

Key Dates

Advocacy Training	PPMD will host an online training session on Thursday, March 3rd from 6pm - 8pm ET.
Registration Deadline	Please register by Friday, March 4th to ensure time to schedule meetings. Click here to register for the Virtual Advocacy Conference.
Virtual Fly-In	Meetings with congressional offices will be scheduled for Tuesday, March 8th between 9am and 5pm ET.

What if I only meet with staff and not my Member?

Don’t be upset if you only meet with staffers. Congressional staff are generally young, but are tasked with many important responsibilities, one of which is meeting with constituents when the Member is unavailable. In many cases, the staffer will know a great deal about the issues. In some other cases – particularly if you are meeting with a new staffer or a recently elected Member – they may rely on you for guidance. If this is the case, don’t be angry that “they don’t know anything” and instead use this opportunity to cultivate a deeper relationship with that office.

What if I’m asked a question that I don’t know how to answer?

Relax. Staff and Members know that you are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, patients and friends who are personally affected by Duchenne. So if a question comes your way that you don’t know how to answer, simply say you don’t know and that PPMD will follow up to get them an answer as soon as possible. Look at it this way, this would be another great opportunity to keep open the door of communications with the office and come back with a follow up. Be sure to make note of the question so that we may follow up.

What if the staffer seems unresponsive or hostile to our request?

The chance of having a “hostile” meeting with a staff member working for your Member of Congress is unlikely. Staffers know that they are there to serve constituents and most take that job very seriously. If you have a meeting in which the staffer is unresponsive or non-committal, always thank them for their time and ask if there is anything they need from you and offer to follow up in a couple of weeks.

Ultimately, NEVER GET DISCOURAGED as regular contact with the staff and Member by courteous and informed constituents has swayed staff and Members to take actions in support of individuals with Duchenne and our PPMD agenda.

What should I leave behind?

Congressional offices will receive their background materials via email the morning of March 8. They may or may not have the materials in front of them when you meet them. Feel free to refer to the fact that the documents should be in their inboxes, but don’t pressure them to follow long on the documents while you speak. All hill materials will also be available on PPMD’s website for ease of access for both advocates and hill staffers.

I strongly support or oppose my local Member politically. What should I do?

Remember that your sole mission as a PPMD Advocate is to advance an agenda that seeks federal support of Duchenne programs and to impact legislation that matters to our community. As such, you will want to make sure that you don’t hinder PPMD’s overall efforts by criticizing a Member, especially on unrelated issues. We also recognize that you may have interaction with the office or staffer on other issues and ask that you don’t “piggyback” on the advocacy conference by asking for support on non-related matters. If a staffer recognizes you from your other activities, you can certainly acknowledge that greeting or speak generally about the other issue if they bring it up. Nevertheless, don’t proactively bring up issues unrelated to the Duchenne request during the meeting.

Even if you strongly support your Member, do not discuss political issues with him or her. Members are prohibited from discussing partisan politics with constituents within their official office. If you want to get involved in your Member’s campaign, when you get home you can contact their campaign office, which is separate from his/her official government office, and offer your support.

How do I follow up with offices after meeting?

PPMD will send you follow up materials (essentially the information that is in the packet you are leaving behind). It is important to thank them after the meeting. After your meetings are complete, Soapbox will add the email address of the staffer you met with (or the scheduler if the meeting was with the Member of Congress) to your schedule on the mobile tool so you can follow up with an email.

PPMD’s Advocacy Conference

Congressional Office Meeting Tips

Congressional Office Meeting Tips

Key Dates

Advocacy Training

Registration Deadline

Virtual Fly-In

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