Join Us on Capitol Hill on June 4th!

Hello Nonprofit Congress Participants
(and those of you who are lurking ‘fence-sitters’),

The delegation from New York is happy to have representatives from a diverse geographic area – and we’re excited to take our message about nonprofits, our strength, our impact on communities and our desire to see the National Capacity Building Initiative become a reality directly to Capitol Hill.

I know many of you are wondering what is happening for lobbying day on June 4th and I wanted to give you a little information just so you know what we are planning (of course, this is if all goes well, plans are subject to change.)

1.      The NYS Delegation is going to be divided up into teams of 3-4.

2.      Each team will have a team “leader” that has either had lobbying experience (or is willing to learn quickly!) Each team will also have a representative from CCSNYS as well. Each team will be assigned 2-3 meetings.

3.      So far we are awaiting word on appointments from:

·         Senators Schumer and Clinton and;

·         Representative Charles B. Rangel of Congressional District number 15 of New York

·         Representative Kirsten Gillibrand of Congressional District number 20 of New York

·         Representative Nita M. Lowey of Congressional District number 18 of New York

·         Representative John Hall of Congressional District number 19 of New York

·         Representative Michael R. McNulty of Congressional District number 21 of New York

·         Representative James T. Walsh of Congressional District number 25 of New York

·         Representative Brian M. Higgins of Congressional District number 27 of New York

If you have a strong preference either way of who you would like to meet with, please let me know. Otherwise I will assign you to a team that will be visiting a Representatives from your area.

To prepare yourself for lobby day, please read below. These resources will help you with background on the national nonprofit sector and information on the Nonprofit Congress and the National Capacity Building Initiative.  (From NCNA)

Learn more in preparation for Lobby Day: Read about the Members of Congress with whom you will be visiting. Visit their websites (see links above) and learn more about the issues they champion and on which committees they serve.

Brief yourself on the key content:

o    Building and enhancing awareness of the Nonprofit Sector as “one voice”
Fast facts about the Nonprofit Sector
Nonprofit Sector Priorities

o    Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative (NCBI)
Overview of NCBI
OpEd piece about NCBI
State Association Endorsements

·         Read Nonprofit Advocacy and Lobbying Basics from the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI)

• Read NPAction’s Guide to Lobbying

·         Learn what nonprofits are doing to engage voters by visiting the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network

 

If you would like to brush up on your lobbying skills or any of the issues, please click here for more information on workshops you should attend during the Nonprofit Congress.

I will be contacting you before June 1^st to let you know who your team ‘members’ are, what Senator(s) and/or Representatives you will be visiting, and your appointment time(s).

We will all be meeting from 4pm to 5:30pm  on June 3^rd for the “Lobby Day Launch Session” to go over any final details and/or changes.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (800) 515-5012, ext. 121 or email me at vvenezia@ccsnys.org.

Thank You, and I look forward to seeing you all soon,

Valerie
Valerie Venezia
VP of Membership & Marketing
Council of Community Services of NYS, Inc. (CCSNYS)