Preparing For CCL 2023 Fall Conference and Lobby Days
On November 4-5, 2023, Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers will meet online for our annual fall conference with the following week designated as our lobby days (November 6-10). Liaisons and chapters are working together to help volunteers find training and plan their corresponding lobby meetings (which will be held online after the conference). This page walks through important details regarding how the appointment setting process is being handled, available trainings, and additional recommendations as volunteers prepare with their chapters.
Most Important Training and Resources
Led by CCL's Vice President for Government Affairs Ben Pendergrass and Senior Director of Government Affairs Jennifer Tyler. Click any of the links below to RSVP and sign up for a day-of reminder or add to your own calendar by clicking on “add to calendar” at the bottom of the event information. Note that political dynamics are unpredictable and can lead to changes between the trainings and your lobby meeting:
- Lobby Training #1: Primary & Secondary Asks (Mon. October 23rd, 8 pm ET) - during the liaison call
- Lobby Training #2: Legislative Plan and Open Q&A (Thursday, Oct. 26th, 8 pm ET)
- Overview and Benefits of the BIG WIRES Act Video
If you’re new to CCL or you have never taken the Climate Advocate Training workshop, we strongly encourage you to sign up and attend the live session on Oct. 1st at 2 pm ET or Nov. 5th at 1 pm ET. This workshop is required to lobby with CCL. There will also be a Youth Lobby Training on Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 4 - 6 pm Eastern / 1 - 3pm Pacific. Register by Oct. 20th here.
If you've never been to a conference in person before and have questions about what to expect, be sure to attend the live Tues., Oct. 17th training on Fall Conference Lobby Days Q&A.
Registering for the Conference
Registration for our Fall 2023 Conference opens Sept. 18th at https://cclusa.org/fallconference. 🎉 The Speakers, Schedule and FAQ pages are updated with the most current information. For any questions regarding the conference, email conference.inbox@citizensclimate.org.
Additional Training Opportunities
In addition to the scheduled trainings given by D.C. staff above there are additional CCL trainings to help you get ready to lobby. All of them take place on Tuesdays, at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT as part of the Core Volunteer Training series (especially for new-ish volunteers):
- Oct. 3rd: Understanding Congress Basics
- Oct. 10th: Lobbying Basics: Planning and Practicing Your Meeting
- Oct. 17th: Fall Conference & Lobby Days Q&A
- Oct. 24th: CCL's Policy Agenda
- Nov. 7th: Economics of Carbon Fee & Dividend Policies
How Are Appointments For Meetings Set
The CCL Congressional Liaison is the designated point of contact with the Congressional office.
- All appointments for meetings will be set by CCL congressional liaisons (or someone they designate). If you are not a liaison, please do not try to set an appointment (you can learn about becoming a liaison here). If you’re not sure if there is a liaison or you need help, contact your Regional or State Coordinator.
- If there is no liaison to set the appointment for your Senator or Representative, work with chapters in the district/state and your CCL Regional or State Coordinator to designate an appointment setter and email their contact info to liaison.coordinator@citizensclimatelobby.org. CCL's Liaison Coordinator team will distribute details on how to set appointments to appointment setters.
Lobby Meeting Planning
- If you'd like one resource that can help your team plan is CCL's Meeting Plan Template. It can be used as a guide to solicit, discuss and prioritize everyone’s ideas for the lobby meeting. Key items to discuss include the appreciation, primary goal, secondary asks, and open-ended questions for discussion. You can find planning guidance on the Planning Your Lobby Meeting training page.
- If there is a primary liaison, but the liaison is not at your meeting, designate someone to send your ideas to the liaison.
Assembling Your Lobby Team
For the fall lobby drive, lobby teams will be created by the local meeting lead, who is usually the liaison and/or appointment setter. If you have any questions about who that person is for your group, feel free to reach out to your chapter leader. If you have any additional questions please contact CCL's Liaison Coordinator team at liaison.coordinator@citizensclimatelobby.org.
- (0:00) Intro & Agenda
- (2:35) Fall Conference Overview
- (14:06) Fall Lobby Week Overview
- Alison Kubicsko
- Mindy Ahler