Far be it for us to give “instructions” on how to throw a party – you probably have a much better sense of how to get down and have a good time than we do. But if you want some suggestions on ways to have a successful letter-writing get-together, we have a few ideas:
1) Make it fun! Sitting around and writing Congress may not be everyone’s idea of a good time, so be sure to lighten the mood with some snacks, a bit of music, perhaps a beverage or two…
2) Make it easy! Be sure to provide anything that they will need to write a good, thoughtful, accurate letter. Your guests will need pens, paper, envelopes, stamps, fact sheets, and addresses.
3) Make it personal! Folks in Congress are used to getting tons of form letters from interest groups, and they know how to spot an artificial letter that’s just cut and pasted from a web site. That is why it is so important for people to handwrite the letters and to add personal touches to each one.
After folks finish their letters, you can collect them to make sure that they all get in the mail the next day (or you may fax them directly to the senator’s or representative’s office). Please let us know how things go – we would love to know how many letters you are able to get written and who will receive them. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Myers Asch at 202-712-9121 or asch@uspublicserviceacademy.org.