PREPARING THE 4-H MESSAGE FOR CAPITOL
HILL VISITS
April 7, 2013
National 4-H Conference
Prepared by: Christopher AndersonMaryland 4-H Youth Development Specialist
“Strong leaders and advocates armed with information and passion can make a huge difference.”
PURPOSE OF THE HILL VISITS Visit with federal legislators and decision
makers to observe the political process in action.
Help Extension and 4-H build relationships with stakeholders.
Build political and public support for Extension and 4-H through consistent and targeted communication with decision‐makers.
Broaden understanding of public policy issues that impact Extension and Extension clientele.
Learn how the changing political environment affects support for Extension and 4-H.
BENEFITSOF THE HILL VISITS
Opportunity to experience the political world of our nation’s capitol.
Enhance advocacy and public policy education skills - increase your knowledge and effectiveness in working in your local political arena.
Learn about the federal structure that supports Extension and 4-H.
PREPARING FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL VISITS Meet with your state’s Extension and 4-H
administration to discuss your visit to Capitol Hill. Obtain permission to meet with legislators May have a specific message for you to carry to your
visit May provide useful tips or information based on
personal knowledge of your Congressional delegation Schedule appointments, then confirm your
appointments Collect or prepare briefing information (not more
than 1-2 pages) to leave with Members and staff. Use pictures in your reports and use bullet points rather then paragraphs.
PREPARING FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL VISITS Conduct research about your Member of
Congress: Learn your which district your Congressman
represents within your state. Do you live in his/her district?
Term in Office Political Party Educational Background Occupational Background Committee Assignments Leadership Positions in the House or Senate Which issues are most important to the Member Familiarity with Extension and 4-H; any special
relationships, i.e. a 4-H alumna? Who are the Member’s aides?
PREPARING FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL VISITS Prepare a Summary Sheet of Key
InformationUNITED STATES SENATE
Staff Contact
Office/Contact Information App. Time
UME Contact Person
Hill Visit - UME Representatives
PHOTO
*##Cardin, Benjamin L. - (D - MD) *Josh had a pretty extensive visit with Nick and Dr. Wei
Josh Klein – Ag
509 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, 202-224-4524 fax: 201-224-1651
2:30pm Chris Anderson Chuck Esther
*Mikulski, Barbara A. - (D - MD)
Brent Palmer
503 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-4654 Fax: 202-224-8858
11:00am Karen Reddersen
Nevin Chris
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
*Andrew P. Harris (R), 1st Congressional District
Craig Chesek
506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-5311 fax: (202) 225-0254 web: http://harris.house.gov
2:00pm Karen Reddersen
Micheal Nevin
C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger III (D), 2nd Congressional District
Ann Jacobs 2453 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 - 2002 (202) 225-3061 1-800-877-8339 fax: (202) 225-3094 web: http://dutch.house.gov
10:30am Cynthia Warner Dwayne Chuck Nick
*John P. Sarbanes (D), 3rd Congressional District
Jim Notter 2444 Rayburn HOB Washington DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4016 Fax: (202) 225-9219 web: http://sarbanes.house.gov
3:30pm Dwayne Murphy Esther Cynthia
Donna F. Edwards (D), 4th Congressional District
Allyson Alvare
318 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-8699 fax: (202) 225-8714 web: http://donnaedwards.house.gov/
4:30pm Esther Mitchell Chris Chuck Cynthia
PREPARING FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL VISITS Know the basic process of how funding
decisions are made. Prepare a one-page account of the
important points you wish to make during your visit.
Prepare a list of questions you would like to ask if given the opportunity during the visit.
Take a camera just in case you have photo opportunities.
CREATING YOUR MESSAGE Develop a message that is direct,
concise, and short - plan on 15 minutes total for your group.
Develop a 2-minute version of your message just in case their schedule changes – aka, the elevator speech.
Select no more than two or three educational programs or issues, and focus on them.
Don’t talk in Extension or 4-H jargon. Emphasize outcomes of the program and
how it makes a difference in people’s lives.
CONTENTS OF YOUR MESSAGE Introduce yourselves. Describe the purpose for your visit. Describe how 4-H is administered by
your State Land Grant College and Extension program; nationally administered by 4-H National Headquarters, part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Agriculture.
No more than two or three educational programs or issues and focus on them.
CONTENTS OF YOUR MESSAGE If you are planning to talk about issues or
problems in your community, be prepared to offer solutions (of course that include the important work of Extension and 4-H).
TELL YOUR 4-H STORY. Make it personal to you, your family, your club, your community
Emphasize outcomes of the program and how it makes a difference in people’s lives.
Do not overwhelm the Member or staff with materials. A large packet of information will likely not get looked at.
POTENTIAL ISSUES OF RELEVANCE Childhood obesity Food Safety Food Security Nutrition and Health Renewable energy Rural Economic Development Water Youth Development
PUBLIC VALUE MESSAGES FOR EXTENSION We are often called upon to provide
evidence of our programs’ private value to program participants, including such factors as time saved, dollars earned or health benefits increased.
But, Extension also creates public value when our programs benefit others in the community — those who do not participate in our programs directly.
Source: http://extension.missouri.edu/staff/publicvalue.aspx
PUBLIC VALUE MESSAGES: Q & AQ: "When making the case for Extension funding to an elected official, is it more effective to tell personal stories about positive experiences with Extension, or to share statistics about the impact of Extension programs?"
A: The answer I got from the official who visits regularly with state legislators was, "We need a lot of both!" He said that the evidence on program impact is crucial for showing legislators that Extension is improving conditions in their districts. However, we make a stronger case when we can also "put a face" on those statistics with personal stories about Extension and, importantly, personal stories about how the improved community conditions have positively affected a constituent. So, it seems to me, our best case has three components: (1) evidence of program impact, (2) testimony from individuals whose lives were improved by their own participation in Extension programs, and (3) testimony from individuals who benefit from the improved conditions--environmental, social, economic, etc.--that Extension programs helped generate.
Source: “Are we storytellers or statisticians?” by Laura Kalambokidis http://blog.lib.umn.edu/kalam002/publicvalue/public_value_messages/
EXTENSION / 4-H OFFERS A national infrastructure that can support the
country – we have personnel that live and work in their local communities committed to providing education for youth, families, businesses and communities to meet local needs.
Ability to access knowledge from numerous other individuals and institutions in the Land-Grant system; information that is timely, credible for decision making, problem solving, community engagement, and public policy development.
Adapted from: Cooperative Extension: Relevant Now and Beyond, 2011 PILD Conference presentation by Douglas O. Lantagne, Dean and Director, University of Vermont Extension
OUR SIGNIFICANCE Extension works to keep Americans healthier
with food safety and nutrition lessons. It helps parents develop confidence in their
parenting skills. Farmers are able to learn practical and
important information for a strong operation. Children and young adults develop
communication and leadership skills to make them stronger citizens of tomorrow.
Adapted from: Cooperative Extension: Relevant Now and Beyond, 2011 PILD Conference presentation by Douglas O. Lantagne, Dean and Director, University of Vermont Extension
DELIVERING YOUR MESSAGE Practice giving your 15 minute and
2-minute versions of your presentation.
Determine who will take the lead to get the conversation rolling.
As youth, you may choose to ask questions about how or why the Member or staffer got into his/her role of public service, or similar questions that will inform your potential interest in serving.
CAPITOL HILL
MISSION OF THE DAY Take the “Hill”
Explain relevance of Extension and 4-H Make sure all have a good understanding of what we
do and what impact we were having in their districts. Fiscally conservative solution
We address the cause of problems, not funding for the result of problems
Localize Personalize Apply MAKE the ASK!
Adapted from: Making Your Hill Visit Count, 2011 PILD Conference presentation by Jim Richards
TIME FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL VISITS Again, confirm your appointment the day
before your visit. Arrive 20 minutes before your scheduled visit.
Allow time for security checks at entrances. Don’t be late!
Don’t be disappointed if your legislator is late. Don’t be disappointed if your legislator is
unable to meet with you, the aides will be knowledgeable about your problem’s and the legislator’s point of view.
Don’t overstay your welcome. Request to take a photo with your
Congressman.
NEXT STEPS Find out what they are interested in. Keep
notebook. Record when you meet and what you learned.
Be specific about what programming is going on their district and what concerns they have that aren’t being addressed.
Learned the art of “ button-holing” outside the chambers in the months prior to the budget being approved. Meet before or after their regular meeting. Convenient for them.
WRAP-UP AND FOLLOW-UP Get business cards from everyone that you
meet with. Complete a Summary Report of your visit to
share with administrators back home. PILD Delegates will visit on April 24. Include: Name of Congressional Member visited (or Aide)
Date of visit
Names of 4-H Team who were part of the visit
Major talking points
Congress Member of Aide comments, requests, promises that require follow-up action
Other comments/observations about the visit
WRAP-UP AND FOLLOW-UP Upon return, send follow-up email
Thank them for meeting Remind them of your key messages Provide answers to any unanswered questions or
additional information you promised. Work with your local or state office to visit your
Member of Congress back home, or invite them to a prominent 4-H program.
We need to communicate with them throughout the year, not just at budget time.
Get to know their Legislative Assistants. Attend county events and find ways we can
help them. Go where they are going to be.
APPLICATION TO STATE AND LOCAL DECISION MAKERSInformation learned during the National 4-H Conference, during Capitol Hill visits, and during other experiences had at Conference should be applied back in the states, counties and communities.
QUESTIONS ??CONTACT INFORMATIONChristopher Anderson4-H Youth Development Specialist, Animal ScienceUniversity of Maryland ExtensionMaryland 4-H Center8020 Greenmead DriveCollege Park, MD 20740Phone: 301-314-7187FAX: 301-314-7146Email: [email protected]