Getting Politicians to Attend

"As citizens of this democracy, you are the rulers and the ruled, the lawgivers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end."
- Adlai Stevenson

Solving the climate crisis and building a clean energy future is not a technical problem, it’s a political problem. Our leaders need encouragement to build the willpower to stand up to entrenched interests and solve this problem.

Your event will provide a forum for your community to engage directly with the people pulling the strings. By bringing decision makers at the local, state and federal levels to your event, you can truly help focus the nation on a just & prosperous future.


WHAT MAKES AN EVENT APPEALING TO A POLITICIAN?

1.Constituent-Focused, Broad and Diverse
Politicians need popular support from their constituents. The appeal of your event is that it is organized and executed by constituents, and it provides the elected official an opportunity to reach a large audience of supporters and potential supporters.

2. High-Profile: Fancy People Like Other Fancy People
Politicians want to go to events that are guaranteed to get media. To be sure that your event will be covered by some local media follow these tips:
  • Reach out to local radio stations (alternative radio, campus radio and NPR affiliates, etc.)
  • Send out a media advisory, 2 weeks before your event, to every media outlet in your area – print, broadcast and web based. (The League of Rural Voters offers a great tool to find their contact info.)
  • Include a press kit at your event with the following:
    • Background info on the participants
    • Statement from organizers and partner groups
    • A statement of purpose for the event
    • Background info on Focus the Nation

3.Plug and Play
Since politicians are busy, your event should not require anything of them but showing up. Give them:

  • a time, a place, and a subject matter
  • a note that they will give brief remarks
  • note that there will be a town hall with a Q&A section

4.Welcoming Environment
Nobody wants to come to a hostile event intended to criticize them. Be clear, in all your communication with political staff, that this event is focused on solutions and opportunities. While some politicians have admittedly horrible records on climate and energy issues, the future is yet to be written.

WHAT MAKES AN EVENT APPEALING TO A POLITICIAN?
Once you have a solid list of co-sponsors and endorsers for your event, it’s time to send invitations. Focus the Nation has a Civic Engagement Director dedicated to helping get your member of congress to your event. Alex has been in contact with members of congress these last few months, and will make sure your invitation is well received. Make sure you contact him before you send anything: Alex Tinker, alex@focusthenation.org, 503-442-3900
Remember your first invitation should ideally go out ten weeks prior to your event. After you’ve contacted Alex start by doing these things:

  • Ask around to find someone with a personal relationship with the elected official you’re inviting. If so, bring them into your coalition!
  • Try to get signatures from VIPs: local politicians, leaders and friends of the invitee.
  • Deliver Collect signatures on an invitation petition to deliver to district offices with a media-savvy event.
  • Develop a list of sponsoring organizations to include with your invitation.

Sending the Invitation
When sending out invitations remember these key factors:

  • For members of Congress, the original paper version should go to the DC scheduler.
  • An electronic version should go to their district office.
  • Mail processing for DC Congressional offices takes an extra 10 days for security screening.

Follow Up

One week after the paper invitation is delivered (remember to allow for 10 extra days) do the following:
  • Call the scheduler to confirm that s/he has received the invitation.
  • Let them know that you will follow up 3 weeks prior to the event.
  • Have anyone from your organizing committee that is going to Washington DC, perhaps for Powershift, schedule to meet with the member directly to hand-deliver an invitation and personally ask the member to participate.
Some members of Congress may be out of reach for an event of this type, but very few are. Never forget - your Focus the Nation event is an opportunity for them. That said, if all the elected officials at a particular level decline your invitation, ask that they send senior staff to your event in their place. Attempt to invite officials from other levels of government like governors, state representatives, city counselors, county commissioners, or your mayor.