Toolkit: Meeting with a Decision Maker

Introduction

When most people hear the word “lobbying,” they think of slimy back-room deals between corporate executives and corrupt politicians. In reality though, lobbying can simply be the act of speaking with someone who has the influence to make important decisions that impact the lives of people, communities, and the planet.

A meeting with a decision maker, also called lobbying, is simply an opportunity for you to speak with your representative about a certain issue and why you need them to take action.
If you haven’t set up a meeting with an elected official’s staff before, don’t worry. These meetings can be fun and empowering, and most importantly — persuasive. As a constituent, it is your job to share with them your views on how their actions impact the issues you care about.

This step-by-step guide will give you everything you need to host a successful lobby meeting.

Phase 1: Scheduling your meeting

Schedule a meeting with the decision maker!

Decide who to meet with

There are many types of decision makers you can select for your meeting. These include:

Who should you prioritize meeting with?

Research

Determine which issue you would like to speak with your elected official/s about. 

Then, look up your representative to see where they stand on these issues. Check out if they are part of any key committees important to the passage of these bills, and what their political leaning on these issues is.

Set up your meeting 

On the federal level, call the local office of your member of Congress. Often the information is located in the “Contact us” section or at the bottom of their website. The same process is generally true for state and city officials as well.

When you call, be prepared with your request for a meeting and why you want to meet with them — and keep it very short and to the point. Ask for the scheduler and make sure to get their email contact information BEFORE you are transferred.

Sample script: Hi, I’m (Name) a constituent from (City/State) and I’d like to set up a virtual meeting with (Congressperson) to discuss the [LAW / ISSUE]. May I speak with a scheduler to set this up and get their email contact as well? (pause for response – write down email and phone. Repeat first part of the script with scheduler live or via message when transferred) 

Tips: 

Send a follow-up email immediately after you speak with the scheduler or leave a message. Here’s an example: 

Dear Scheduler,

“I am writing to request a virtual meeting with [TITLE] [NAME] the week of [DATE]. A group of constituents would like to meet with [TITLE] [NAME] to talk about the importance of [ISSUE].  Please let me know as soon as you can about [TITLE] [NAME]’s availability. 

Thank you for your time and attention to this request.

Sincerely,

Name

Profession, Greenpeace USA volunteer

City, State, Zipcode

List of any attendees you’ve confirmed

If you don’t hear back by the next day, call again. Courteous and respectful persistence pays off.

Things to remember:

Add your event to to the Greenpeace events page.

If you need help with creating your event, talk to your coach, or a Greenpeace staff member.

Phase 2: Inviting others to join you

  1. Set your attendee goal. A good lobby meeting typically should have 3 or more participants. We recommend setting the goal to 5, and recruiting at least 10 individuals.
  2. Reach out to your own connections. Your attendees can come from all aspects of your life — work, school, faith, friends, family, neighbors — the options are unlimited! Think about the best way to recruit someone based on how you know them. If you want to recruit a family member or a close friend, you probably want to have an in-person conversation or give them a call. For coworkers, classmates, and neighbors, a text message or an email might feel more appropriate. It all depends on your relationship and what feels right to you!
    Sample text message (Feel free to adapt this so it sounds like your own voice):
    “Hey [name]! Hope all is well 🙂 I’m reaching out because I’m organizing a lobby meeting to discuss [ISSUE] with [OFFICIAL] and wanted to see if you could join! It will be on [DATE] at [TIME]. It would be great to see you there! Can you make it?”
    You can also reach out to folks outside of your immediate network. Social media, listservs, and community posters are just some examples. The key here is to be creative!
  3. Recruit other Greenpeacers (recommended). If you’d like to invite Greenpeace USA supporters in your area, let us know by filling out this recruitment request form. Once you do, a Greenpeace staffer will get you set up with a textbanking campaign. This way you’ll be able to reach out directly to other Greenpeace supporters and volunteers near you and invite them to your event.
  4. Make sure people RSVP to your event. This is so you’ll have a better idea of who’s coming!

Phase 3: Preparing and hosting your meeting

Watch our lobby 101 training 

Linked above is the recording of a lobby training we held in May of 2021. While the dates and the specific demands we employed are not relevant to your personal lobby push, you’ll still learn the basics for what makes a good lobby meeting, what to prepare before your meeting, and get your outstanding questions answered. 

Prep for the meeting

Hold a prep meeting with your group 

Meet with your group before your meeting with the key decision maker. Determine who will be the main speaker and go over your talking points together.

Meet with the elected official (or staffer)

Here’s the basic outline of your meeting:

Please remember that you are at this meeting as a concerned constituent and member of your community. You may represent yourself as a volunteer with Greenpeace USA, but please do not directly or by implication represent yourself as Greenpeace staff, or speak on behalf of the organization.

After your meeting 

Send a “thank you”! After the meeting, send a thank-you note or email to the staffer you spoke to. If you said you would get back to them with any additional information, do so promptly.

Report back! Let us know how your visit went – fill out this quick form. Make sure to take note of who attended your meeting.

Lobbying Pro-tips

Lobby Targeting Guide (Congress Only)

The goal is for you to have smart, strategic conversations with your members of Congress. You can reference these lists for some overall information on where your member of Congress stands on climate issues and what committees they are a part of. See below for more information on what each field means.

For state and house seats, try Googling “[State/city] [legislative] guide.”

Political Leanings

Key House Committees

Key Senate Committees