How to create a local event that will attract a member of Congress or staff

Bradford Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, briefed county leaders on the ins and outs of planning events in their districts with their members of Congress.

Every member of Congress goes back to their district about 40 times per year, Fitch explained. When scheduling events back in their district, members value meeting with interest groups  who advocate for a certain cause.

Keep events focused on a single topic. An event on schools, for example, is more manageable because most questions will revolve around education.

Members of Congress also love a good photo op. So if your event can give them good material for their social media account, do your best to highlight that in your request.

When a scheduling request is received it is first reviewed by the member's scheduler, then if approved by the scheduler it will be reviewed by senior staff before final approval. An event could also be marked as “tentative,” depending on how crucial staffers see the invitation as.

You should always draft your invitation ahead of time. Make sure to make logistics clear and be specific as possible. Members of Congress usually don’t take more than thirty minutes for an event, so try not to take up too much of their time.

Members of Congress get many requests per day so it’s extremely important to follow up and be persistent with the scheduling director. But at the same time, it’s important to be patient as these requests may take a long time to process.

Prior to the event provide the congressional staff with as much information as possible about who will be in attendance, the layout of the space, the agenda and exact time commitments.

After the event occurs it is most important to follow up by writing thank you notes, sharing the good news and evaluating how it went. Finally, after the Congressman attends your event write an editor to the editor of the local newspaper thanking him.

“That letter will be read by your member of congress. I absolutely guarantee it,” Fitch said.