Being respectful of the time constraints of your elected official is a must. We also recommend you leave reference materials behind. Those materials also take time to read, and you want the official to focus on those points of importance to you – so don’t make it lengthy.
REMEMBER: APPLY THE RULE OF THREE -- Summarize your points in three, quick, easy reference statements or talking points.
Helpful Hints on Compiling Resource Materials:
- Know Your Elected Official: As stated earlier, this information will be very useful when you develop your materials.
- One Size Does NOT Fit All: Create your reference material around the specific issue you are speaking to. Customize the material to the elected official’s district and if you know they have a particular interest in the issue, connect through that. For instance: If Representative “A” is from District “999”, they want to know if the funding list is not fully funded, which of their projects are not going to be funded.
A good example of customizing material is what FRPA has done with the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program funding list each year. The list contains a field “Amount Needed to Fund This Project”. The list is then sorted by Senator and/or Representative, and provided to the elected official so they know for each project, what amount must be funded in the total Grant Program. It takes the guessing work out of it for the elected official, and is a handy piece of information they can carry with them to the Appropriations Committee Staff and Chair.
- A Picture Paints a Thousand Words: Colorful, interactive photographs make the parks and recreation point more than mere words. Smiles on the faces of youth and seniors, pets playing in the dog park, interaction that allows you to almost hear the laughs when you look at the smiles – that will capture their attention. High quality, colorful photographs make them see the good they can do, or the good they have done.
- Bring the Information Home: Don’t speak in generalities such as “we would like to see full funding of program XYZ”’ or “this law will greatly affect parks and recreation programs”. Let them know how it will affect their constituents. Be careful in providing that information, making sure that your information is accurate.
- Stick to the Facts: Don’t threaten. Present the facts, and in a calm manner demonstrate the benefits or consequences (factually) of the legislation they are considering. This is part of the education process and threatening will get you no where – except invited out the door!
- Follow Up: After you provide the information, follow up a week or so later to assure the information was understood, and make yourself available to answer any additional questions, or provide further information.
