Preparing For CCL's June Conference (in-person) and Lobby Week (in-person or online)

On June 11-13, Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers will meet in Washington DC for our annual conference. Liaisons and chapters are working together to schedule and plan June lobby meetings in-person in D.C. or online via Zoom.  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

Dr. Danny Richter's June 2022 Lobby Trainings.  Click 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 (with the caveat that the current political dynamics are unpredictable and can lead to changes between the trainings and conference):

• Lobby Training #1: Legislative Plan  (Thurs. May 19th, 8 pm ET)
• Lobby Training #2: Primary & Supporting Asks (Thurs. May 26th, 8 pm ET)

Registering for the Conference Livestream

The CCL June 2022 Conference livestream registration is now available via the main conference webpage (cclusa.org/juneconference). 🎉  You can also go to the Zoom Events page directly and register here. The virtual portion of CCL’s June Conference will be on Zoom Events, a new product offering from Zoom that’s similar to the Zoom meeting and webinar experience, but with a lobby, schedule of sessions, speaker bios, and interactivity with other virtual conference attendees.

Once there you can see the full line-up of what sessions are planning on being livestreamed and after you register your confirmation email will automatically send you the calendar event invite with the Zoom links to click to join the day(s) of the conference. To find out more about Zoom Events, check out this helpful Zoom Support Article: Getting Started With Zoom Events as an Attendee.

For this event, you must have at least a free Zoom account and you must register to receive a unique invitation link by email.

To register:

1. If you don’t already have one, please sign up for a free Zoom account.
2. If/when you have a Zoom account, click the button below.
3. On the Zoom Event landing page, click the “Register” button.
4. You will be prompted to log in to your Zoom account.
5. Log in to your Zoom account with your Zoom username and password.
6. Fill in the registration form and submit it.
7. In a few minutes, you’ll receive an email invitation with your unique link to join and the option to add to your calendar.
8. Add to your calendar and do not share your invitation with anyone else. This is not like a Zoom meeting or webinar with a link that anyone can use to join the event.

Register for the virtual conference

Planning For June 2022 Lobby Meetings

CCL is not organizing a national in-person lobby day for this conference the way we have in the past, due to the on-going uncertainties of the times we live in. Instead we are joining with Citizens’ Climate International to hold an international week of action and lobbying after the conference ends. In the United States our local congressional liaisons and group leaders will determine whether the lobbying will be virtual or in-person and will be in charge of putting together the lobby teams, just as they have done throughout the pandemic. Our goal remains to meet with all or nearly all members of Congress during the second half of June. If you wish to be part of a lobbying team this June (either in DC or online), contact your CCL Regional and/or State Coordinator. We cannot guarantee that any particular Congressional meeting will get scheduled or who will be on that team. If you have any questions about lobbying, please contact CCL’s Director of Congressional Liaisons and Lobby Days, Amy Bennett, amy@citizensclimate.org . Your patience and flexibility is also much appreciated as this is a new way of doing our June lobbying. Note: Since we cannot know how many in-person meetings will actually work out, the conference will end with a closing reception on Monday evening, rather than on Tuesday as has been our tradition.

Additional Training Opportunities

In addition to the scheduled trainings given by Dr. Danny Richter above, leading up to the June Lobby Days, there is a variety of additional CCL trainings (live and self-paced) being offered for you to help you prepare.

• Understanding Congress Basics (May 3rd, 8 pm ET)
• Lobbying 101: The Transformative Power of Citizen Advocacy  (May 12th, 8 pm ET)
• Lobbying 201: Practicing Effective Lobbying (May 17th, 8 pm ET)
• Q&A About June Conference & Lobby Days  (May 24th, 8 pm ET)
• Lobbying 401: Review of Leading a Lobby Team (June 2, 8 pm ET)

How to Participate In Lobby Meetings

Follow the instructions below to identify your meeting appointment setter, work together to plan your lobby meetings and assemble your lobby teams, and then rehearse your June 14-30 online lobby meetings. The CCL Congressional Liaison is the designated point of contact with the Congressional office. There is no need to sign up or register for this June's virtual lobby days. Please contact your CCL Regional and/or State Coordinator as soon as possible to request being part of the team and to find out more information. Also let your Chapter Leader know to alert the CCL Congressional Liaison.  Generally there's at least one pre-meeting rehearsal days or weeks in advance on Zoom (see more information below).

Due to limited space in meetings, not everyone may be able to participate. For any questions regarding June’s Lobby Days, please email Amy Bennett at amy@citizensclimate.org. For any questions regarding the conference, email conference.inbox@citizensclimate.org.

How Are Appointments For Meetings Set

1. 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).
2. 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 amy@citizensclimate.org. Amy will distribute details on how to set appointments to appointment setters. If you’re not sure if there is a liaison or you need help, contact your regional or state coordinator.
3. We recommend that appointment setters/liaisons work with local CCL leaders (especially where there is more than one group in a district/state) to assemble the lobby team and create a meeting plan. 
4. While setting the appointment, appointment setters should be sure to ask the Congressional office how they would like to meet - by phone, Zoom, or another preferred platform and possibly explore options for an in-person meeting in D.C. For additional security considerations and support for preparing for your online meeting, see the "More Support" section in the Practicing Video Conference Security training page. 

Meeting Planning

1. Use CCL's Meeting Plan Template as a guide to solicit, discuss and prioritize everyone’s ideas for the lobby meeting. Key items to discuss include the appreciation, primary goal, supporting asks, and open-ended questions for discussion. You can find planning guidance on the Planning Your Lobby Meeting training page.
2. If there is a primary liaison, but the liaison is not at your meeting, designate someone to send your ideas to the liaison.  
3. Please include a volunteer in each meeting who will solely be the point person in helping your team with managing the technology platform you will use.

Assembling The Lobby Team

1. Working with your liaison, determine who will be on the lobby team like you usually would for an in-district meeting. If appropriate, include a local business leader or other trusted messenger on the team.
   Note: CCL Headquarters will not create lobby teams nor send out lobby meeting schedules. While CCL HQ will track appointment times, your schedule will come directly from working with your local liaison and chapter leaders.
2. We recommend that the lobby team meet several times on Zoom to plan and rehearse the meeting. Some teams have found it helpful to have someone role-play being the MOC as part of your practice session. If your team includes a local community leader of some prominence, you may need to personally prepare them for the meeting. Include them in your practice meetings if at all possible.  
3. We trust that your meeting team knows your member of Congress best, and can determine what you think is your best option for strengthening the relationship with your MOC and their staff. You’ll want to make sure you have worked through any technical challenges related to conference calls or Zoom, as well as practiced how you will deliver the content of your meeting. Make sure everyone on your meeting team has the time to participate in this planning and practice. Amy will be providing guidance for liaisons around planning and practicing.

Intro & Agenda
(0:00)

CCL's June Lobby Days
(2:15)

CCL's June Conference
(13:12)

• Alison Kubicsko
• Amy Bennett

• Download or view the Google Slides
• Download the video

Intro & Agenda
(0:00)

CCL's June Lobby Days
(2:15)

CCL's June Conference
(13:12)

• Alison Kubicsko
• Amy Bennett

• Meeting Minutes Form
• Initial Meeting Plan & Meeting Roles
• Follow-up Meeting Plan
• Primary Ask (Leave-Behind)
• Making Primary and Supporting Asks Sheet
• Congressional Bios