Your lobby day is over. Your volunteers have gone home. And you might even get a good night’s sleep tonight. So, what comes next?
Too often, an organization’s lobby day plans end the moment their volunteers leave Washington. If that sounds familiar, then you’re missing a huge opportunity.
These volunteers will return home feeling that advocacy high that drew us all to advocacy in the first place. They might have been awed by the sight of the U.S. Capitol or inspired by the community they now feel a part of.
This is the moment to formalize and advance your relationship with them. How? Here are three great ideas.
📣 Write an email series specifically for lobby day attendees. I don’t mean just asking them to complete the feedback survey. This series should leverage the intense emotions they’re feeling to drive a new advocacy addiction.
📣 Create a role for volunteers who want to continue doing more than just sending messages to their lawmakers. Even small advocacy teams can manage DIY-focused volunteer positions for those ready to stay more involved.
📣 Boast about the awesome impact and fun the lobby day attendees had to the rest of your volunteer list, and ask volunteers if they’d like to be considered for a future lobby day. You can do this by promoting the success of your lobby day via email and social media.
Most importantly, continue to treat your lobby day attendees as something special. Invite them to a virtual town hall with your CEO, head lobbyist or a member of Congress. Send them a new report the day before it’s released, making it clear that they are seeing it first.
Whatever you do, don’t let them leave Washington and just slip back into their normal lives. They are more energized now than ever before, and it’s your job to provide them an outlet for their advocacy passion.
Need some help? Not sure where to get started? Let’s schedule a meeting to talk about all of the possibilities and opportunities for your organization.