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: canders2@umd.edu