Writing Your Legislators

[Guest guest]

Writing a Personal Letter

Dohn Hoyle of the Association for Community Advocacy () has been kind enough to give some pointers on writing an effective letter.

A good personal letter is one of the most effective tools in the advocate's arsenal. The telling of a story and letting a decision making know how an issue affects you or someone you are concerned about, can be very persuasive. It makes a strong statement and is likely to be remembered. For elected officials, especially lawmakers, a single letter represents many constituents beyond the one letter writer.

You should not be daunted by the prospect of writing a letter. The suggested format is simple and the elements are always the same. Personal means in your own words which is a good part of its effectiveness.

To write an effective letter:

Be brief (one page is best).

Use your own words.

Focus on ONE issue.

Tell your story (how the issue affects or will affect you or someone that you care about/know).

State your position.

Make your request (usually you are asking for support of your position).

Reiterate or emphasize what it will mean to you and many others.

Ask a specific question and request a response (ie. Can I count on your support? or Will you join us in this fight?).

Thank the reader for their time/consideration.

Offer additional information, materials, or assistance.

Your letter should always:

Be correctly addressed and have the person's name/title spelled correctly.

Include your name, address and telephone number (and, if relevant, your affiliations, titles and/or roles).

Be courteous and respectful.

Contain ONLY ACCURATE information (no guesses or blown up data).

Be legible, grammatically correct and free of spelling errors.

Be neat (type if handwriting is not legible).

You should be prepared to write follow-up letters. Thank the reader for their time/response - even if they did not support your position. Remember to reiterate your position in the follow-up correspondence.

Long or rambling letters will be most likely discounted. Don't take the whole page to get to the point. Given the force that this type of personal pitch generates, and knowing the power of numbers, it usually makes sense to facilitate the writing of as many letters as possible.