Persistence Pays Ideas for Connecting with Lawmakers At Home

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Persistence Pays! Ideas for Connecting with
Lawmakers At Home

• An ALA Washington Office Advocacy Webinar.
• Call In!
• 800-441-0042
• 640715

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Whos Speaking?
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About the Webinar

• Whats Happening?
• Is there Sound? (Call In! See Below)
• Questions
• Follow-Up Materials
• Recording

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Topics

• Why Persistence Works
• Top 7 Ideas for Being Persistent (without being
  irritating)
• What Will You Do TODAY?

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Where are we starting from?

• Lets go to the poll

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Breaking News!

• Report on Citizen Engagement with Congress

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What is Persistence?

• To hold firmly and steadfastly to a purpose,
  state, or undertaking
• despite obstacles, warnings, or setbacks
  (thats the hard part, right?)

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Barriers to Persistence

• Why do we give up? Lets go to the poll!

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Barriers to Persistence

• Not enough time
• I forget
• Dont want to be a pest
• Dont think it will work

• Quick and Easy Ideas
• Subscribe to ALA Pubs
• Everyone else is!
• Lets see

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Will it Work? Why Legislators Dont Respond

• The legislator forgets about your first (or
  second, or third) ask
• The legislator needs time to form an opinion
  about your ask
• The legislator wants to know how bad you want it
• Surprisingly, its not often because they dont
  agree with you. If they dont agree, theyll
  usually say so.

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Persistence Solves all these Problems

• We remind the legislator what we want
• We help the legislator make a decision
• We let the legislator know were serious!

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Top 7 Ideas

• Ranging from about 5 hours to less than 5 minutes!

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Number 7 Ask again!

• What did you ask for during Leg Day?
• What have you asked your local legislators for
  recently?
• Call, write or use the ALA Legislative Action
  Center
• Timing Approximately 15 minutes

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Number 6 Site Visit

• What is it?
• What can you do?
• Van ride along?
• Summer reading program?
• See ALAs Top 10 Ideas for Library Site Visits
• How to put one together
• Timing about five hours to put together and
  conduct

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Number 5 Try ONE New Outreach Tool (here are
THREE to consider)

• Google Blog Search and Comment (five minutes)
• Take READ Posters of Legislators and post on
  Flickr (to arrange, about one hour. To post,
  five minutes).
• Is your elected official on Facebook? If so,
  sign up as a supporter / friend and post a
  friendly message. (Five minutes)

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Number 4 Attend a town hall meeting

• What are they?
• Why are they good to go to?
• How can you find out about them?
• Try the legislators website or call the district
  office
• When might they be?
• See the House and Senate schedules
• Timing Approximately one hour

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Number 3 Combine an Ask with a Thank You

• PALS Example
• Ask Will you pose for our Read poster?
• Thank You Have library supporters sign a copy
  and send to the legislator!
• What Can You Do?
• Ask Will you visit our library?
• Thank you Dedicate a book
• Others?

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Number 2 Participate in the Annual Conference
Virtual Hill Day!

• On July 1st from 8am to 12pm the ALA OGR staff
  will be hosting a Virtual Hill Day at the
  exhibit hall.
• All computers will be available for attendees to
  send messages through CapWiz
• Volunteers needed!
• See District Dispatch for more information
• Timing For volunteer up to 2 hours. For
  participant, no more than 10 minutes.

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Number 1 Get Involved in the Elections

• Top Three Ideas
• Voter Drive (See ALAs Rock the Vote Site)
• Host a candidate forum at your library
• Utilize ALAs Scorecard
• Timing Register / review scorecard no more
  than 10 minutes Host a candidate forum about
  five hours
• Want more ideas? Join our webinar on this topic
  later in the year.

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What next?

• What are you going to do in the next six months
  to be more persistent?
• Lets go to the poll!