Never Turn Down A Meeting With An Aide

My last meeting with an aide I with whom I had
lobbied for about 5 years. Then, I moved
and he changed jobs. Miss you, Dave!

There has been a lot of fuss lately over the inability of constituents to get face time with federal members of Congress (let's call them MOC's for short) and irritation at being passed off to talk to aides. As a long-time activist, I understand this frustration. When We the People have something to say about abuses of justice and rights, we want to see the person in charge...and we want to see him or her RIGHT NOW. We're Americans. It's what we do. 

At the same time, I sigh inwardly when novice activists demand our outrage because they walked into the local office (unannounced) and couldn't see their U.S. representative (who wasn't on the premises). In politics, there are lots of things to be outraged about, but if you want to increase your chances of changing an MOC's mind and gaining them as an ally, it's important to know what's realistic to expect from a congressional office.

When volunteer advocates first start out, we can get fired up with entitlement knowing Congress works for us and is paid by us. This is true. But it's also true that they have many demands on their time. Even with the most constituent-friendly representatives who like your issue, you probably won't get to meet with them more than twice a year, it generally takes several months to line up an in-person meeting, and it's easier to get a face-to-face meeting with them in Washington D.C...although it will usually only be about 15-20 minutes long. Senators are even harder to see.

I'd like share some basic truths I've seen about lobbying and life:

• Like when you seek out your professor, your member of Congress is not sitting at her desk simply waiting to talk to you without an appointment.
• Like when you take your kid to the orthodontist, if you show up 15 late to an appointment, you probably missed it entirely. 
• Like when you take preschoolers to visit the firemen, your meeting might have to be delayed because of sudden, serious matters that you really do want him to attend and you may never get to know what that reason was.
• Like when you need to talk to the PTO mom you snubbed at the potluck, your request for a meeting is not going to be top of her list if you've shown her public disrespect.

So, if there are understandable, human reasons that your member of Congress can't see you quickly, how can we still have our voices heard?

Enter the person with a reasonable compromise: The Congressional Aide.

I'm only including this meeting pic with Senator Blunt's aide
because President Truman's old office is so pretty and
my daughter's photo bomb is so funny!

NEVER turn down a meeting with an aide. Even though you might have the impression that they are just an "assistant," they can actually have more sway over your issues than most people think. I've now met more aides than I can count or even remember names for. Some have been joys to work with...others, less so. But I have found all of them - Republicans and Democrats - to be respectful, professional, and courteous when we offered them respect, professionalism, and courtesy ourselves.

An aide's job is to represent the senator or representative and hear your concerns when the boss is not available (which is most of the time). The role they play in your meeting will depend on their own years of experience in the office, their job description, and how much their boss trusts them. 

Pro tip: Yams on the table make a welcome addition to any
meeting about nutrition. 

What roles can aides play in your meeting?

They can be messengers: This is pretty much always the case. If they are taking a scheduled meeting with you, their job is to listen to your concerns and pass them on to the MOC with their recommendations. 

They can be issue experts: Most aides - especially in DC offices - have a particular job responsibility and therefore know more about issues that fall in that scope. I've known aides that have covered education issues their whole career and those that specialize in foreign affairs. Aides in the local district offices tend to be more "jacks of all trades" because the local offices are smaller, but I even know one local aide who is the point person for all her boss' activities in opposing sex trafficking within U.S. borders...that's pretty specific! Anyway, you want to make sure that you request to talk to the correct aide for your issue and be aware you might be talking to someone with deep knowledge of your topic.

They can be gatekeepers: They have quite a bit of influence with the scheduler in deciding who gets face time with the MOC or not. Sometimes this depends on your issue, but I really do think it has a lot to do with whether you present yourself as a rational human being or not. If you show up yelling curse words or wearing a chicken costume or something else meant to shame the office, you probably just blew your chance to have a productive back and forth conversation with your senator.

Building a relationship with Senator Durbin's aide (right) got
Richard Smiley and I tickets to a Congressional Gold Medal
ceremony for Muhammad Yunus because he knew our names
& that we supported microcredit lending.

They can be your champion: Here's a secret....aides don't always agree with their bosses on everything! I once worked for two years talking to a polite, but disinterested aide trying to get a certain Congressman to do anything at all on global poverty. Then, one day, that aide wasn't available and we ended up talking to his press secretary. I could've chosen to be offended and turn down the meeting, but I went in with my group and pitched our bill anyway. Turns out this aide was a young woman from a family who had adopted a family from Somalia. She showed us pictures of her Somalian siblings standing up at her wedding. She knew better than we did what the devastating affects of extreme poverty were to individuals. So, even though she wasn't the official issue expert, she presented our message to her boss and convinced him not only to sign the bill, but to publish an opinion piece in our local newspaper about it...one that I have no doubt that she wrote for him. And next time we asked for a face-to-face meeting? We got it.

Not only does this Chief of Staff have the authority
make decisions in the Congresswoman's absence, she
was willing to give my volunteers a tour of her super-full 
in-box & email to show why it's important we 
keep in touch with staffers regularly. 

They can be decision makers: Three times I have been surprised that I was sitting with aides who were actually empowered to grant my request WITHOUT consulting the member of Congress first. Holy cow. That's enough to make me treat everyone that way just in case! Aides who can do this are usually 1) Issue experts who know the MOC's position so well that they can anticipate which bills their boss will want to sign 2) Chiefs of Staff who take your meeting because they are interested in your issue or happen to be filling in for more junior aides for whatever reason.

They are ALWAYS human: They are always human beings worthy of your respect. Yes, they are paid by our taxes, but they're still people just doing their jobs. It is always worth taking the time to ask her what brought her to this line of work or ask how his day is going. They are often also constituents or former residents of your state, so it rarely takes very much small talk to find something you have in common. They are never deserving of unsolicited curse words and personal attacks. They don't have to be your best friend, but cultivating a friendly relationship with an aide might be the best thing you can do for your cause.

So, to recap...

What an aide can be: 

Messenger, Issue expert, Gatekeeper, Your Champion, Decision Maker, Human

What an aide isn't: 

Your Punching Bag

Do you have a story about how working with an aide created a positive outcome with you member of Congress?

Capitol Hill: What's in Your Lobby Bag?

Next week, I'm heading to Washington D.C. with my kids for the RESULTS International Conference...an event that will include a full day of lobbying on global maternal and child health. (What better topic for "Anti-Poverty Mom," right?) As I was preparing, it dawned on me that I should document the things that I take with me for a day trip to Capitol Hill with my kids, so that other mom-advocates can be prepared for their first trip.

Advocates heading out for a whole day should pack their lobby bags with the same mentality a mom uses to pack a diaper bag. Think through the likely possibilities of what is likely to happen and what unfortunately may happen, then pack accordingly. Like a backpacking hiker, be conscious of weight since you have to carry it all day long. The trouble is that if you haven’t lobbied before, you don’t know what to bring. So, I’ll tell you what’s in mine. My bag is always packed and I’ve just added in things over the years after I’d wished I’d had them.

WHAT DO I NEED?

• Over-the-shoulder messenger bag with plenty of pockets and the organization logo on the outside: Some organizations give you a plain tote for free and that’s cool. In some ways, the logo is more important than the pockets. It lets people know your cause whether you are walking in the door, trudging down long congressional corridors, or smiling in front of the Capitol dome for your photo post on social media. However, I am very partial to my UN Foundation Shot@Life tote because of all the cool zips and compartments. 

• Notebook: To write down follow up actions from the meeting, important observations, names of all the staffers in the meeting, and miscellaneous reminders about the day
• Two-pocket folders that hold a business card in the pocket: To hold information to leave behind with each office you meet with (copies of newspaper clippings, infographics, brochures, etc)
• Business cards: Put one in each leave behind folder and keep some to hand out to every aide at the meeting as well as colleagues you meet during the conference. Don't have any? Order some cool ones from www.moo.com You deserve to have people know who you are!

• Note cards: I write the name of the member of Congress, the room number, and aide’s name on a notecard attached to each folder, so I know exactly what I’m giving to whom and I can remove it just before the meeting. Sticky notes fall off in my bag…don’t trust them.
• Paper clips: To hold the note card to the folder, hold together media or information sheets, hold other people’s business cards, pick simple locks, etc

• Thank You cards: The aide or member of Congress you meet with should get a quick handwritten note simply thanking them for their time they spent meeting with you. Get the signature of all your fellow team members in your group before the meeting and if you’re clever, just hand the thank you to the receptionist on your way out.
• Stamps: To mail your thank you note if you forget to be clever and hand it to the receptionist on your way out.
• Phone charger cord: It is totally acceptable to charge your phone in an outlet during a meeting. Note: it is not acceptable to run back and interrupt their next meeting because you forgot your phone!
• Picture of your children (or your children in person!): When explaining why you are an advocate, show them a picture of your family and say you’re making a better world for your kids. Or, just look at it for strength and resolution if you feel butterflies in your stomach.

• Kleenex: If you’re a parent. You know this is useful.
• Hand sanitizer or wipes: You will be shaking a lot of hands and you don’t know where they’ve been.
• Band-Aids and Neosporin: Someone always gets a blister walking between the senate and house buildings with no nylons in the summer. They will revere your benevolence for giving them a Band-Aid and a dab of Neosporin. Or it might be you and you’ll just take care of it quietly by yourself.
• Granola bar or pretzels: Cafeterias on Capitol Hill are sometimes too far for little ones to make it. Have a little snack packed in case you don’t get to one or if a meeting runs late and you have to skip lunch.
• Cough drops/hard candy: For coughing fits...or keeping children's mouths busy.

• 3-4 ball point pens: One will always run out when you need it. Another will be stolen by someone. See? You still have an extra!
• Sharpie: At least once every conference, it seems like someone yells “Does anyone have a sharpie?” I don’t know why.
• Scotch tape: About every third conference, it seems like someone yells “Does anyone have scotch tape??!!” and they always look more desperate than the Sharpie people. I think it’s usually related to making and posting directional signs in hallways because it’s not like anyone ever quickly wrapped up a present and gave it to me.

There you go! Those are my lobby bag basics. I've skipped cosmetic things like hair ties (which I use) and lipstick (which I don't), but this is enough to help a novice pack like a pro...or at least a mom! 

To my experienced mommy lobbyists out there...

what's in your lobby bag?

Looking Back at my RESULTS Conferences

Photo Credit: RESULTS Educational Fund

Greetings from the RESULTS International Conference in sunny (for now) Washington D.C.! We are celebrating the 35th Anniversary of this stellar organization, which has played such a pivotal role in the steady march to end poverty. We've been sharing a lot of memories and retrospectives here at the conference and it made me want to post a few of my own memories here on my Anti-Poverty Mom blog. Makes sense because this is the organization that MADE me the Anti-Poverty Mom. 

Getting our pic with my Senator Obama's foreign policy
aide at my 1st RESULTS conference

2008: The year I took a leap of faith. 
I wanted to learn to lobby in person and heard from people in the know that RESULTS teaches face-to-face lobbying better than any other organization. Wow. That's huge considering the people that told me also belonged to other advocacy organizations. So, I left my babies with my husband and went all by myself to the RESULTS International Conference where I knew exactly ZERO people. During that week, I met people I now call dearest friends and role models. I lobbied my senator's office never knowing that Senator Obama would soon become President Obama.

Standing with lobbying giants Sarah Beardmore and RESULTS
legend Bob Dickerson

2009: The year of the green suit. 
(Who wears a green suit?) By this time, I had been bitten by the lobbying bug hard and was on my way to becoming a regularly published letter-to-the-editor writer. I loved RESULTS so much, I ran for the national board by making a speech in front of the whole conference...and won! Wait, what?! Yep, I became the Evanston group leader and a board member the same year. With pre-schoolers. See what a good green suit can do for you?

A photo op with Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois

2010: The year I met Senator Dick Durbin. 
By this time, my U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky knew my name and even mentioned me in a speech. More importantly, I'm feeling super empowered because I walked into their offices, asked them to do things, and they said "Yes!" You're looking at a mommy drunk with power!!! Fortunately, when I came home, my kids wasted no time dumping food on the floor, which I had to clean. Humility restored. 

2011: The year of the D.C. family vacation.
By this time, my family was wondering what the heck I do with myself at the RESULTS International Conference of mystery. The girls were still too little to come with me, but we decided they are old enough to enjoy some museums and, I guess, an open-bar reception in the Capitol. I greeted them with "Future Member of Congress" T-shirts and we ushered them in to meet all my friends, colleagues, and celebrity activist Valerie Harper. Then, later, even after the conference was over, we had a double senator meeting at the IL constituent breakfast with senators Durbin and Kirk. Um...yes...somtimes our family lobbies on vacation on our free time. We're a bundle of fun!

Pre-Lobby Day shenanigans at a podium

2012: The year I was elected to Senate.
No, no. Just kidding. But I did quit my board term early and start working as RESULTS staff part-time on the fundraising team. I got paid for talking on the phone and emailing the most wonderful people every day! I loved being so involved with our volunteer activists and getting to know the staff I admired so much as friends and colleagues. I no longer had any free time and learned that everyone who works at a non-profit does about 30% more things that I thought they did.

My daughter & I become a DC lobbying team

2013: Take your daughter to work year.
Finally deciding my oldest daughter had enough patience to sit through conference sessions (even if she reads books while we meet), I brought her out to DC with me. After all, she'd already attended more in-district lobby meetings than most adults by this point in her short life. Turned out she was great at filing things and sorting nametages, so "take your daughter to work day" became "put your daughter to work" day as well.

Bringing the little sister to join the team

2014: The year BOTH daughters attended.
By this time, I had decided to leave my part-time job because of my decision to become a writer. Yet it was far from a slow paced conference. That year I brought both girls, ran for board again (and won), met the president of the World Bank Dr. Jim Kim for the price of writing a thoughtful blog piece about his speech, coached a team full of brand new poverty advocates on my team, and even helped acclimate movie star Sean Astin to our happy family traditions. Honestly, I'm kind of tired even thinking of last year!

2015: ??????

What will this year hold? I don't know, but I'm here with my two seasoned lobbyist kids and heading to offices who darn well know who we are now. All I can say, is that I'm excited for the future days and future years with all my RESULTS family.


And now, here's a retrospective of my dear friendship with Jen Paprotna who has now left the RESULTS staff for another organization. Here are all our pictures together in one place from Lobby Days past. (Honestly, 2012 was a rough year on that open bar.) Enjoy, Jen!

2009

2012

2013

2014