Each year, PPAI hosts its Legislative Education and Action Day event in Washington, D.C. This is an important chance for members to take the promotional products industry’s concerns to the halls of Congress and build relationships with legislators and key staffers on Capitol Hill.

But advocacy is not a once-a-year effort. It’s critical that we stay in touch and continue those conversations.

The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 requires Congress to adjourn no later than July 31 of each year unless there is a declared war or other emergency. Members of Congress traditionally spend this August recess back home meeting with constituents, and it’s a great time to advocate for the promo industry in your own backyard.

Whether you reach out to your senators and representative on your own or through group efforts organized by your regional promo association, now is the time to build on the connections made during LEAD by focusing on local congressional offices.

It’s easy to call congressional offices in Washington using the Capitol Switchboard (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern) at 202-224-3121. A live operator will connect you directly with the office you request.

You can also call congressional offices directly, and it’s often easier to reach a live person at a district office in your state. This is a great way to start building a relationship with the local staff of your federal representatives, too. Look up contact information for any member of Congress using the congressional directories:

Click on the member’s name to load their website and look for a “Contact” tab or button at the top or bottom of the page. Formats vary, but these pages should provide addresses and phone numbers for all of their offices, as well as contact forms and sometimes even an online scheduling request form.

The Quickest Way To Advocate

One of the simplest ways to advocate is calling or emailing legislative offices. Looking up the phone number will probably take longer than the call itself. Most of time, it takes less than five minutes – unless you are lucky enough to reach a live staffer who asks follow-up questions.

Calls can be made by individuals or as part of a virtual phone bank organized by your regional association. Phone banks are best deployed to address a specific bill or issue. Choose what you want to address and a date, then invite members to call at a time that’s convenient for them or as an in-person group effort during a larger association event.

Providing a script is the most important element of a successful phone banking effort. Having the words ready to go makes it easy to feel confident picking up the phone and speaking up for the industry. Here are a couple of sample scripts that can be easily customized for any issue or proposed legislation:

  • BILL: Hello. My name is [your name], and I live in [city, zip code] and work at [company name] in [city, zip code]. I am calling to [support/oppose] [name of bill]. [Briefly state how this bill would affect your company/job/livelihood.] Thank you for your time.
  • ISSUE: Hello. My name is [your name], and I live in [city, zip code] and work at [company name] in [city, zip code]. I am calling to express my concern about [briefly describe the issue and how it affects your company/job/livelihood.] Thank you for your time.
  • OPTIONAL: I would like to know what Senator/Representative [last name] is doing to [support/oppose] this [bill/issue], and I would be happy to provide more information on this and other issues and challenges the promotional products industry is facing.

Prepare Your Message

PPAI Media provides important information on key issues affecting the promotional products industry with regular coverage. Below are some links to key issues from the past six months. Reviewing them can help you decide which issues resonate most with you.

(Note: Some details may have changed since the articles’ publication dates. For example, H.R. 1319, the Modern Worker Empowerment Act, has progressed out of committee, and the fired-then-reinstated product safety agency leaders have again been fired as of this writing.)

Read the articles to refresh your understanding of the issues and prepare your message before the call. Consider these elements to personalize your message:

  • Specifics on how the issue is affecting the industry/your business.
  • Potential adverse effects if the issue is not addressed/the bill passes and is signed into law.
  • The name and number of the bill (if applicable).

If the congressional staffer on the other end of the line asks for more information, be sure you are prepared to share the scope and economic impact of the promotional products industry in your state – how many jobs, how many small businesses, how much revenue, etc. the industry contributes to your state’s economy. (This information can be found on PPAI’s Promo By The Numbers page.)

Federal legislation and regulation affects the industry as a whole, and PPAI focuses its efforts at the national level. That said, it’s also important that regional associations and individual members keep an eye out for legislation and regulation at the state level. Calls to your state legislators using these same strategies can build important awareness of the impact of promo on local, state and larger economies.

Please contact Rachel Zoch, PPAI’s public affairs manager, at rachelz@ppai.org if you have any questions or to request sample call scripts, constituent letters or meeting requests.