Leveling up your climate action with a (very doable) constituent meeting
For the average climate changemaker, constituent meetings are the most impactful political action you can take.
Constituent meetings are Zoom calls or in-person meetings with a policymaker or their staff. Typically, if you’re advocating for federal legislation, you’ll meet with a policy staff member for your U.S. senator or U.S. House rep. Staff run the show in Capitol Hill offices. They help the member of Congress distill which policies are important to pursue, and when. They are also the ones keeping track of which fellow members of Congress are forming coalitions in support of, or against, certain bills. When you meet with a Hill staffer, you’re playing the very important role of informing them how their constituents are thinking about policy priorities. It’s their job to listen to you. Members of Congress work for their constituents, and it’s their duty as stewards of representative democracy to legislate on your behalf.
The crazy truth is that there’s so much legislation pending in Congress on so many different issues that even the most well-informed members of Congress cannot possibly be aware of every bill. Often, when changemakers meet with congressional staff, the staffer is hearing about the legislation for the very first time. Very few constituents actually take the time to contact their reps and advocate for specific legislation, which means each individual constituent meeting yields very high returns when compared to phone calls, emails, or other forms of outreach. In 2021, our rate of success in securing legislative cosponsorships was 33% for constituent meetings—more than 4x the rate of success for calls and emails.
In general, constituent meetings achieve 3 things:
Influencing members of Congress: This is the most obvious goal of a constituent meeting. By speaking with a staffer, you are centering a policy issue that might not have been on their radar. At the very least, you have communicated that constituents care enough about the policy to schedule a meeting. In the best case, they are now considering cosponsorships or communications strategies they had not previously considered. Many Climate Changemakers constituent meetings result in new cosponsorships!
Gathering intel that helps us maximize our impact: Meeting with staffers gives you the ability to ask questions about how the member is approaching a specific policy issue, which climate issues they’re prioritizing, and where they might need help mobilizing constituent support. This can give us fodder for conversations with other members and make us more strategic advocates.
Establishing trust and rapport: This goal is in service of the previous two goals, but there’s a unique benefit to having a two-way conversation with the appropriate staffer as opposed to contacting the office via phone or email. The staffer may be more compelled to share information that informs our advocacy strategy. We also want to instill a positive view of Climate Changemakers, so they may be inclined to mention us to others or proactively reach out for help. Building this relationship also provides a direct line of contact for discussing future priorities.
Ready to dive in and try it yourself? Climate Changemakers will support you every step of the way, and our staff joins every meeting so you’re never left feeling stranded or put on the spot. Climate advocacy is a process, and you’re about to level up!
© 2022 Climate Changemakers