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Comprehensive Advocacy Program (CAP)
CAP
Alert Instructions:
CAP
Alert Contact Chart:
Read
National CAP Alerts online:
Visit
the Federation's Legislative Action Center:
WHO
A national CAP Alert Hotline is initiated by the NFRW
president to generate support or opposition for an issue that
concerns the members of the Federation. The Hotline can also
be initiated by the NFRW president in response to a request
for support from a Republican congressional or administration
leader or a state Federation president. A club can issue an
Alert for their members on a state or local issue. It is
important that Federation members be actively involved in
legislation at all levels.
WHAT
NFRW's Comprehensive Advocacy Program is based on our
ability to reach thousands of Federation members quickly and
effectively to generate letters, faxes, e-mails, and phone
calls to Members of Congress, state legislators, and/or
federal or state administrative officials. It is an effective
tool to carry the Republican message.
WHEN
A national CAP Alert Hotline is initiated when there is a
need for massive grassroots support or opposition to influence
crucial legislation before Congress and/or an action or
decision of Congress or the White House. In addition, the
Hotline can be used to motivate Congress or the White House to
address a particular issue and influence the discussion before
the legislation is introduced.
HOW
Once the decision has been made to start the Hotline, the
NFRW president contacts the Executive Committee members, who
contact the states in their regions, who contact the clubs,
and so on - until every Federation member has been reached.
This system can only be effective if each club establishes its
own workable Hotline system. To download the Hotline contact
chart,
click here.
The following steps are vital to our success, and should be followed carefully.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT A CAP ALERT HOTLINE
1. Appoint a Club Legislative Chairman, or someone responsible for organizing and overseeing the Hotline system and legislative activities for your club.
2. Identify the "core activists" in your club - those members who particularly enjoy contacting elected officials and can be depended upon to do so - to be contacted first on the Hotline. Then proceed with calls to ALL club members. (Having a core activist does not, however, exempt other members from responding to Hotline calls to action.)
3. A Hotline message should be kept simple and short - briefly identifying the issue, the provisions of the bill, the bill number, when a vote is expected, etc. Have each person repeat the Hotline message back to you for accuracy. This must be done for every phone call down the line. For additional clarity and further information, follow up with a fax or e-mail. The credibility of the Federation as a lobbying force depends upon a well-informed membership. A clear message and accurate knowledge of a bill's provisions will bring respect from Members of Congress, or other targets of the Hotline.
4. When setting up your Hotline, try to provide a back-up name and phone number to the caller ahead of you. That way, if you cannot be reached within a reasonable period of time, your back-up can help keep the Hotline going. (This is particularly important for the lead members at each junction of the Hotline - i.e. regional directors, state presidents, club presidents, etc.)
5. Set up a system to periodically monitor the effectiveness of the Hotline in your area of jurisdiction. Is it working? Are the members reached quickly? Are they responding? One method might be to have the last person on the Hotline chart contact the lead person as soon as she has been called, indicating that the message has completed the Hotline course. Another method is to ask each member to record any action she takes in response to a Hotline. Then the club president or legislative chairman can compile records on total calls, letters, faxes, or e-mails from your clubs - important documentation of your effectiveness and support.
WHY
As one of the largest and most influential women's
political organizations in the nation, the Federation has the
power and unified voice to truly impact the direction of our
Congress and our country. It is our responsibility to ensure
that we have a seat at the table as the agenda is set for the
next millennium.
FOUR KEY ACTION STEPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE HOTLINE
When a national Hotline has been issued, your mission is
to make your voice heard on the local, state and national
level.
STEP 1
Immediately contact the next Federation member on the
Hotline list. Verify she understands the issue and knows which
step to take next. To download the Hotline contact chart,
click here.
STEP 2
Immediately contact your representative and/or senator as
instructed. Call, e-mail, fax, or write a letter.
STEP 3
Make your voice heard through the media. Media outlets
represent perfect opportunities to reach large audiences, and
your participation will generate additional support for the
effort.
- Call a local radio talk show. Next call a national radio talk
show, i.e. Rush Limbaugh.
- Write a letter to the editor or an opinion-editorial for your
local newspaper.
STEP 4
Take action and use alternative methods to carry the
message.
- Discuss the issue or action with your friends, colleagues and neighbors - motivate them to get involved. Show them how this issue or action will personally affect them.
- Discuss the issue at your next community meeting.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
CONTACTING THE WHITE HOUSE
PHONE:
(202) 456-1111
WEB SITE:
ADDRESS:
President of the United States of America
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
CONTACTING CONGRESS
PHONE:
(202) 224-3121 (Through the U.S. Capitol operator, you can reach any representative's or senator's office.)
WEB SITE:
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov
www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/ADDRESS:
The Honorable______________________
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510The Honorable______________________
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
CONTACTING YOUR STATE/LOCAL MEDIA
You should have the below contact information available and current at all times -- this will come in handy when you must take immediate action.
MEDIA OUTLETS:
- State Daily Newspaper
- Local Newspaper
- State Radio Network
- Local Radio Talk Show
NECESSARY CONTACT INFORMATION:
- Contact Name and Title
- Phone
- Fax
- Address
- Deadlines
- Best Times to Reach Your Contact
FIND YOUR STATE/LOCAL MEDIA:
www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
www.nfrw.org/membersonly/publicrelations.htm
CONTACT TALK RADIO:
www.gop.com/ActionCenter/CallTalkRadio/
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