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At CMF we have recently conducted research on how Members of Congress and congressional staff align their work and life on Capitol Hill. But, CMF not only studies and applauds good examples of aligning work and life on Capitol Hill, we live it. As of this April, CMF has implemented a new office holiday, "First Day it FEELS Like Spring Holiday." Seriously.

It might sound cliché, but there is only one way to land a job on Capitol Hill: networking. With congressional offices receiving hundreds if not thousands of resumes a month, you need to be able to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pile. This post, written by a previous CMF Research Assistant and now a current Hill staffer, contains several important networking tips and other time-tested strategies that will help improve your chances of success.

We are entering a busy time of the year when organizations, associations and nonprofits conduct their fly-ins to make a connection between their supporters and those supporters’ Members of Congress. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is a group that conducts fly-ins very effectively through an integrated and intensive plan. Tony Kudner, Manager of Grassroots Advocacy for NHPCO, generously shared with CMF some of the lessons they have learned by building on successful advocacy strategies from previous years.

Patricia Kempthorne, Founder/President/CEO of The Twiga Foundation, recently contributed to CMF's newest report, "Life in Congress: The Member Perspective." As a work-life expert and former congressional spouse, Patricia has a unique and fresh perspective on the challenges facing public officials and their families.

CMF President and CEO, Brad Fitch, submitted this op-ed piece In Roll Call shedding light on the recently released report, "Life in Congress: The Member Perspective," by CMF and the Society for Human Resource Management. This report looks at the work-life of Members of Congress, showing that they, and their staff, work extremely hard long hours and value their contribution to society. This raises the question, if Member's of Congress are working so hard why is Congress falling short of getting things done and boosting public approval?

Recently, James Vaughn, Special Consultant to CMF, attended the Public Affairs Council Grassroots Conference where he picked up a few easy tips to share. Some of these came from William C. Lane, Caterpillar Inc.'s director of government relations. In recounting Caterpillar's success in advocating passage of three free trade agreements, he noted there are six tools he considers crucial to changing policy.

This month, the first of four Advocacy Leaders Network (ALN) workshops focused on how to begin working with new Members of Congress. With the new 113th Congress established in office, it’s time to focus on fostering good relationships with the Members and their staff. This ALN event hosted a panel of three current and former House Chiefs of Staff who shed light on best (and worst) practices they’ve encountered as they set up new offices. They also shared some insights into what it’s like setting up a new office. Understanding their experiences can also help you build relationships with these Freshmen Members.

James Vaughn, Special Consultant to CMF, recently attended the Public Affairs Council Grassroots Conference where he had the pleasure of hearing Nick Schaper of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce talk about social media. Schaper's list of "Do's" when it comes to communicating with Congress were very similar to the basics we all learned- or should have learned - in kindergarten.

CMF would like to congratulate Earlham College juniors David Schutt and Clara Stuligross for taking first prize at the Project Pericles 2012 Debating for Democracy™ (D4D) National Conference! To advance their issue, team members Schutt and Stuligross used a portion of their prize to produce “Effective Communication with Elected Officials – Tips and Tricks from Those on the Inside,” a video featuring Rep. Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and congressional staffers. The series of one-on-one interviews reveals much of the same insight that CMF has gained through our research.

Congressional offices field calls from constituents seeking grants and support all of the time. When your office is on the receiving end of such requests, you might want to point them to these eight resources on the legislative support pages of the Foundation Center's website.