Nonprofit Advocacy In Action

Take Advantage of the August Congressional Recess

Representatives and Senators are taking a long August recess from Washington to reconnect with constituents and learn their concerns. This is the ideal time to introduce your organization to your federal officials, impress them with the impact of your work, and influence their thinking in your favor.

When is the August Recess this Year?

House: August 1 through September 13
Senate: August 7 through September 12

Introduce

District and State Directors of Representatives and Senators are working hard to take advantage of the long recess by setting up meetings and opportunities for the elected officials to connect with constituents. Policymakers will be scheduling more meetings in their state offices and traveling throughout the region to connect with people. Here are a few ideas:

• Schedule a meeting in the policymaker’s office in the state.
• Invite the politician to an event that your organization is hosting.
• Set up a special occasion for the officeholder to come to your facilities to meet the people of your organization and those you serve.
• Promote your work by encouraging your Representative or Senator to help in the work of your organization by serving as a volunteer for a day.

For all of these ideas, send an invitation as early as possible. It is then best to follow up with a call to the district/state office a few days later. If possible, ask one of your board members or a personal friend of the official to make the follow-up call.

Impress

Regardless of the venue, you will have the opportunity to make a powerful impression on the Representative or Senator.

• Tell a positive story. Nonprofit organizations exist to solve problems and make difference in the lives of individuals and communities. The story of how your organization came to be started, individual testimonials from recipients of your services, descriptions of how volunteers have changed areas of the community – all of these impressive stories will give policymakers a better understanding of what you do, and why it matters to them.
• Show them what you do. While a picture may be better than a thousand words, hands-on experiences and seeing it with one’s own eyes are best of all. Help the policymaker experience the satisfaction you gain through working in a soup kitchen or cleaning up a river bank, conducting an orchestra rehearsal, or participating in arts therapy.
• Be a resource. Know the facts about your organization and your community's needs and make it clear that you are a resource upon which the elected official can rely for further information.

Influence

Once you have shown your Representative or Senator that you are making a positive impact in the lives of the people he or she represents, you will be in the ideal position to recommend policies that will help make a difference. Here are three issues we recommend that you bring up:

• Nonprofit Capacity Building: Congress should appropriate adequate resources to help its nonprofit partners strengthen their ability to be efficient, effective, and innovative service providers. Urge Representatives and Senators to appropriate $55 million for nonprofit capacity building programs.
• Nonprofit Sector and Communities Solutions Act (H.R.5533): The Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act (H.R. 5533) would strengthen America’s communities by making the federal government a more productive partner with nonprofit organizations by establishing 1) better communication with the federal government, 2) better coordination within government, and 3) enhanced data collection.
• Government Contracts & Grants: An increasing number of 501(c)(3) organizations with federal, state, and local contracts are reporting that their government partners are failing to make payments for services performed under contracts, forcing the nonprofits to make painful cuts to programs, services, and staff. The whole community suffers when governments undermine the ability of their nonprofit partners to provide quality services. Help us create – and maintain – policies that allow nonprofits to do the work communities and government agencies count on us to do.