Ask Us: “Protocols” for Communicating with Congressional Staff

QA_6

Recently, I have had several people ask me about what is appropriate when it comes to communicating with congressional staff.

Obviously, Members of Congress have a constitutional responsibility to interact with their constituents because the First Amendment extends us the right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." But what about the chief of staff, the legislative director, or the legislative assistant for small business issues? Do I as an individual citizen have a right to communicate with those individuals?

When I was a kid, Spam was just a canned, processed meat product. Today, though, we're all much more familiar with its alternate meaning. Wikipedia (the source of all earthly wisdom, which I chose because my dusty dictionary didn't contain the word) defines "spam" as "the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately." There are three important components to that definition (and all three should be present): something is spam if the recipient is not expecting the communication from you and hasn't asked for it; if the same or similar text is sent in bulk (to many people at once); and if it is sent indiscriminately, which is defined as "lacking care, judgment, and selectivity". To ensure your communications aren't viewed this way, consider the following suggestions based on my experience as a former staffer and our research with congressional staff:

  1. Staff Should Not Be Grassroots Targets. Staff should never be the target of organized grassroots campaigns, which means individual communications from citizens should not be sent directly to the email addresses of congressional staff. Many congressional offices have experienced campaigns where one or more staffers become the target of a particular advocacy campaign, virtually bringing down the staff person's email account. This tactic overwhelms the office or the staffer and rather than the intended outcome of influencing a public policy decision, the group instead succeeds in ensuring that the staff person will be less likely (if at all) to interact with your organization in the future. It might even result in your organization's email addresses or IP addresses being blocked by the congressional office or even the whole House or Senate. It's impossible to overstress how damaging this practice can be for your group's future effectiveness. Grassroots communications should always be directed to the Member through the proper communications channels.
  2. Communicate with Your Personal Contacts. If you, or one of your supporters, know a particular staffer, have met with the staff person and exchanged business cards or contact information, it is, of course, fine to email or call that person. Let's say you met Senator X's "health LA" (the legislative assistant responsible for healthcare issues) on a recent lobby day on Capitol Hill. Ask her for her card (if she didn't offer it already) and let her know that you would like to follow-up with her in the future. Most staff will welcome this kind of interaction.
  3. Introduce Yourself and Invite Staff. Calling or emailing to introduce yourself and your organization, requesting a meeting, or inviting staff to a briefing or other event are all perfectly acceptable communications and are welcomed by most offices.
  4. Send Your Organization's Policy Statement. Another category of communication that staff receive are position statements sent by organizations to individual staffers. These are distinct from grassroots communications in that it is a single communication from the American Association of Puppy Lovers detailing their support for H.R. 296, the Save the Puppies Act of 2011. Many staff appreciate these kinds of communications because they know their boss (the Representative or Senator) will eventually want to know which groups support and which groups oppose the bill. Of course, this type of communication is MUCH more effective if you have already developed a relationship with the staffer (see number 2 above). One caution, though: don't overuse this vehicle. Save this for important legislative updates that are sent in a timely manner, such as when relevant legislation is being considered on the floor or in committee. It should be not be used to alert staff that you reached 500,000 Twitter fans or other things that are more appropriate for press releases. The goal here is that when staff see your name pop up in their inbox they will know that what you are sending them is important to both them and the Member of Congress.