Upcoming Event: May 6 - Constituent Communications: How to Improve Your Correspondence System to Reduce Labor, Impress Your Boss, and Build Constituent Trust
Program Overview
One fundamental truth bedevils every congressional office – the struggle to keep pace with the incredible amount of constituent mail. Managing and responding to constituent correspondence can represent 20-30% of office resources in many offices. Moreover, the workflow and communications practices, while utilizing modern technology, have largely remained unchanged for 40 years.
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Building Relationships with Members: How to Thrive in the Small Village of Congress
by Oren Depp
on March 25, 2019
When a Member of Congress appears on television or spearheads monumental legislation, it is hard to remember that they are regular people whose job relies on interacting with constituents. Despite the ornate buildings and throngs of people walking in and out each day, Congress is only a small village. And, like in any small village, building relationships is vital for success.
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Find the Budding Advocacy Rock Stars in Your Network
by Seth Turner
on February 26, 2019
Once in a while, I have the opportunity to look in the rearview mirror at my 20-plus-year career working at organizations such as Catholic Charities USA and Goodwill Industries International as an advocacy and government affairs professional.
Identifying advocacy leaders within the network was always a headache. While local agencies had a footprint in key legislative districts, we often didn't know who within the agency (besides a ridiculously busy CEO) to contact when we needed that agency to reach out to their Member of Congress about an important issue. Furthermore, once we were lucky enough to identify the advocacy leader at the key agency, that person often lacked the existing relationship with the congressional offices and the skills to effectively engage them.
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Upcoming Event: March 21 Workshop for Freshmen Legislative Staff
by CMF
on February 25, 2019
Join CMF on March 21 for this session on "How to do the (legislative) work your boss was elected to do." This program will feature senior staff from House personal, committee, and support offices who will offer their guidance and expertise on successfully achieving your legislative goals.
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Upcoming ALN: Building and Maintaining a Working Relationship with Congress
by CMF
on February 22, 2019
With a divided Congress, developing a relationship that works for your organization despite the political climate is more important than ever. This Advocacy Leaders Network event on March 15 will explore how to work with this new Congress, win the time and attention of staff and members, and frame the stories that will drive action.
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Upcoming Event: Feb. 4 Workshop on Leadership & Emotional Intelligence
by CMF
on January 18, 2019
How do you react under stress? Do you really know how your team views your leadership? Are there times when you are your own worst enemy and don't even realize it? As recent news cycles have shown us, the actions of team leaders, and the way those actions are perceived, have real impacts on how staff perform. Join us February 4 for a workshop that will explain emotional intelligence (EQ) and how use it to lead a team more successfully.
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New Member Training: How to Get Your New Office Up and Running
by CMF
on January 17, 2019
Was your office unable to attend the Orientation for Senior Aides program hosted by the Committee on House Administration in November 2018? Did you attend, but still have questions? Or have senior staff joined your team who need a top-level briefing on EVERYTHING about getting your office up and running? If so, our January 31 session is for you!
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More Research Demonstrates the Ineffectiveness of Mass Email Campaigns to Congress
by CMF
on January 09, 2019
University of California at Irvine Ph.D. student and former CMF Research Assistant Samantha McDonald presents a new paper, “Constituent Correspondence in the U.S. Congress: A Survey of Staff Perspectives.” Sam’s work focused on surveying Legislative Correspondents to understand the flow and impact of constituent communications on Capitol Hill. It is an outstanding contribution to the growing body of work in this field.
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This Is Not Your Father’s Congress
by Bradford Fitch
on November 27, 2018
When I arrived on Capitol Hill in the summer of 1983 for my internship with a House member, I had never stepped foot in a congressional office building. I walked into the office, was led to a corner in the back and sat down in front of an IBM Selectric typewriter. (For younger readers, you can see examples at the Smithsonian.)
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Upcoming Webinar: Improve Your Hiring Process
by CMF
on November 19, 2018
Join us Dec. 4 for this special program in which Chief of Staff Lisa Sherman and District Director Jessica Reed, senior managers for Rep. Susan Davis, will present their best practices on hiring. Lisa and Jessica will share the "Team Davis" approach to hiring – a process so impressive that they were recognized for a 2018 Democracy Award for "Life in Congress" Workplace Environment.
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