Advocacy Made Easy: Letter-Writing Events
Have you been calling and writing Congress, but wonder what your next step could be? Well, you now have a lot of experience that you can share with others! When you invite people to take action with you, you multiply your own impact. Plus, you get to hang out in-person with people who believe in the same things you do.
I’ve learned a lot about action events over the years from my advocacy mentors and through my own mistakes. Here’s my best advice about holding letter-writing events!
Choose a Convenient Location
Convenience can mean a lot of things to different people. No location is going to be perfect, but I have three suggestions for picking a venue:
Somewhere that costs little to no money. Don’t make money to be a barrier for people, especially if you’re advocating about poverty issues.
Somewhere accessible to folks with disabilities. This should always be the case, especially if you are hosting a public event. I have learned this to my great embarrassment. If someone arrives in a wheelchair, but they can’t get in or have to wheel themselves all the way to the back to a service entrance, that’s on me for a poor organizing job!
Somewhere you like to be. You’ll be more effective helping others if you’re comfortable with your surroundings.
Libraries can work well because they are free, public spaces required to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The cafe area of a grocery store can work, too, and some attendees liked being able to run a store errand afterward. Inexpensive coffee shops can provide a friendly atmosphere while supporting a local business. My ONE campaign group used an independent Ethiopian-owned coffee shop to write letters about global health on Africa Day. Great synergy!
Find Sample Scripts
If you don’t already have a clear message in mind, a reputable advocacy organization supporting your cause will likely have one for you online. RESULTS and MomsRising are good examples of websites kept current with “take action” scripts you can turn into letters on several subjects. You can also use 5Calls to tell people how to call Congress right there at your event.
Print these sample scripts or bullet points on sheets of paper to be shared around. If someone cannot make it to the event, you can send the script to them, so they can write or call Congress from anywhere.
Here’s a sample script from the ONE Campaign about global health funding in the FY 2026 budget:
“As you make important choices about the FY 2026 budget, I want to express my strong support for smart U.S. foreign assistance, including the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The proven success of these cost-effective programs has earned them longstanding, bipartisan support.
Continued U.S. leadership through these investments makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Failing to fund them would endanger countless lives, upend decades of progress, and damage U.S. global credibility.
Please continue to fund PEPFAR, Gavi, and the Global Fund in FY 2026, and ensure that prior-year funding for those programs is spent as Congress has directed.”
Invite Early and Stack the Invite List
For a good turnout, invite 2-3 times as many people as you hope to attend. Send the invitations out via email or text at least 2 weeks ahead of the event. Re-send them again a week before the event. Send a reminder the day before, too! Life is busy for everyone, and you just can’t remind people enough.
Invite friendly folks you know who support your issues and already know how to write letters to Congress. They are great to have around in case a ton of people come! I’ve made the mistake of having more newbies than I can handle, making me run around like crazy. These experienced friends can help get folks started with basic letter-writing skills and free you up to answer more detailed questions.
Even better, find a co-host for the event. When I did election postcard writing events last year, I teamed up with Michele, who was also excited about it. It made it less stressful and more fun to work together. As Winnie the Pooh says, “It’s much more friendlier with two!”
Bring Writing Materials
Bring pens and paper for people to write letters on. If you use regular notebook or printer paper, you might also want to have clipboards depending on the writing surfaces available at your venue. Or, get some postcards because they are cheaper to mail and encourage people to write brief, simple messages. Here’s an example of 4x6 postcards that could work for any topic: https://www.amazon.com/Postcards-White-Blank-Patriotic-Election/dp/B08BP4Z1GT/
Provide stamps, ask people to bring stamps with them, or commit to hand-delivering them to the offices yourself to save on the postage cost.
Print Addresses for Members of Congress
Print out a few sheets of paper with the addresses of offices of local members of Congress. I like to print them on colored paper, so they don’t get mixed up with letters or sample scripts. Re-use them for a future event.
Make it a Regular Event
If you have the mental and physical capacity to hold events every week or month, you’ll get more turnout each time. If your event is well run and people have a good time, they’ll want to bring friends back with them.
More Resources
Need more details about writing letters or making phone calls? Visit my blogs about taking those actions. These also might be helpful to share with people who can’t make it to the event and need more than just the sample script to get into action.
Advocacy Made Easy: The Handwritten Letter
Advocacy Made Easy: Phone Call to Congress
Now, plan your next event and tell us how it goes in the comments. If you think I missed any important advice, let me know, so we can all learn together!
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My second book, “Advocacy Made Easy: How to Turn Civic Frustration Into Powerful Action,” is a practical handbook designed to demystify the advocacy process for everyone. It offers a convenient, step-by-step guide to making your voice heard in the halls of power—no political experience required.
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