Congressional Management Foundation Resources

Reports and guides on effective strategies for engaging with Congress from the Congressional Management Foundation, an organization dedicated to enriching the relationship between citizens and Congress.

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Use the reports below to help further meaningful civic engagement through education, re-establishing trust, and providing innovative yet pragmatic tools to facilitate purposeful two-way communication.

CCL is proud to have partnered in the past with the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) as part of their Partnership For A More Perfect Union.

Public Reports from the Congressional Management Foundation

Citizen-Centric Advocacy: The Untapped Power of Constituent Engagement- This report reveals the degree of influence that citizens have on congressional decision-making. The report is the most comprehensive research ever published on citizen engagement with Congress and answers critical questions for citizen-advocates and lobbyists, including the following: How influential are constituent meetings compared to lobbyist meetings? What is the most effective way to communicate with a lawmaker (letter, email, phone call)? Which methods/strategies are most successful for building long-term relationships with Congress? Bonus Report: How Citizen Advocacy is Changing Mail Operations on Capitol Hill
#SocialCongress 2015- This report highlights results from a CMF survey of congressional staff showing that a relatively few number of constituents can get through to their Members of Congress on social media, possibly influencing lawmakers’ decision-making. Other highlights include finding: Senators and Representatives are more inclined to use social media than they were in the past. Staff generally feel social media have improved relationships between constituents and Congress. Thirty or fewer similar comments on a social media post are enough to get an office’s attention, but they need to be posted quickly or they may not be seen Social media posts by constituents can influence undecided Senators and Representatives, but staff generally do not feel social media posts provide enough information to identify constituents.
State of the Congress 2017: Lessons for Advocates Lesson 1: Be a better resource. If Congress can’t keep skilled staff; lacks time and resources; and doesn’t have enough access to balanced information, smart advocates should fill those serious voids by sharing their knowledge while being balanced in their arguments. Lesson 2: Use other methods to engage Congress, in addition to technology. Technology hasn’t replaced the good-old-fashioned face-to-face engagement. Advocates who meet their Members of Congress, host Members at their facilities, or show up to town hall meetings demonstrate that they are serious about their issues and potential resources. Lesson 3: Advocates should re-examine their capacity to perform their role in democracy. Starting with the two lessons above, those who do will not only become more effective advocates, they will help Congress address significant challenges that are making it difficult for it to perform its vital role in our democracy.
Communicating With Congress – This report highlight that even in our data-driven time, influence is still about relationships more than numbers. When citizen advocates provide personalized information that Members need from their constituents, they are transformed from a tally mark in their Member’s weekly mail report into a person in the district who is a resource. While 16% of Congressional staff surveyed said that fewer than 50 form emails would cause their office to consider taking the action requested, 70% said that it takes fewer than 50 personalized emails to get their office’s attention.
Face-to-Face with Congress: Before, During, and After Your Meetings This report provides guidance to citizens for setting up, conducting, and following up after meetings with Members of Congress and their staff. Many of the findings have guided CCL’s advocacy strategy over the years.

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