Build relationships or advocate on a specific issue with Congress

Members of Congress have multiple office locations. Both Representatives and Senators’ main offices are based in Washington, DC. In addition, Representatives will have one or more office locations in the district they represent, and Senators will have multiple office locations across the state they represent. Whether you reach out to the local or Washington DC locations depends on your goal.

Congressional state and district offices are the best place to start building relationships with officials and their staff in your community.

These offices play a crucial role in the democratic process by working as pulse-takers, relaying the local impact of federal policies and programs to lawmakers, and evaluating local problems. They also perform constituent services, such as helping people navigate federal agencies like the Social Security Administration. We encourage you to build a relationship with district offices because when you do you tap into a key communication channel to the Washington, DC offices – including the scheduling team who know when the official will be working at home in their state or district.

The Washington, DC office will be the better choice after you have formulated your policy position.

Representatives and Senators rely heavily on their Washington DC policy staff – primarily Legislative Assistants (LAs) - for their knowledge and key information on assigned portfolios. Staff input strongly influences the elected official’s stance on an issue, so meeting with Congressional staff on policies that are important to you is a great investment. Over time, you will build a trusting relationship with them, and they will more readily factor your insights into discussions they have with the elected official.

Whether you are reaching out to build a relationship or advocate for an issue, the steps to contact your congressional office will be largely the same. 

Each of these steps will need to be done separately for the House of Representatives and Senate.

1. Visit Congress.govopens in new window to identify your U.S. Representative and Senators.

2. Visit their websites—they should have a section with contact information that includes addresses and phone numbers for district and Washington, DC offices.

• If you want to build relationships, select the district office closest to where you live and call them to ask for the district chief’s email address.
• If you want to advocate for an issue, call the Washington, DC office. Your call will be answered by front office staff. Ask them for the email of the staffer who handles your issue topic (e.g., Medicare, reproductive rights, etc.).

3. Once you have identified a contact, you could:

• Send them a direct, personalized message. Use this approach when you want to quickly share thoughts on an issue or call them to talk about it. Keep calls to under five minutes and written messages to between 200-300 words.
• Ask for an in-person or virtual meeting. Do this when you want to either build relationships or discuss an issue in greater depth. A meeting allows for more meaningful interaction, such as asking questions about your legislators’ priorities and offering yourself as a resource.  
  1. Guidance and a sample email on how to request a meeting with your
     member(s) of Congress or congressional staff
  2. Best practices for a successful meeting
• Organize a group meeting or site visit with a range of stakeholders. This is a good way to explain the different kinds of effects an issue can have in your community. Examples of stakeholders include a combination of psychologists and clients and community organizations, or researchers and students, and more. The Advocacy Office can help you think about how to approach group meetings and prepare for them.

If you scheduled a meeting, remember to follow up afterwards to extend your impact.

• Within 1-2 business days of having the meeting, send a thank you note which reiterates the ways in which you can be a resource.
• Follow up in the future as issues emerge that affect your work or community; share your concerns, paired with potential solutions.