One of the easiest ways to communicate with your legislators is to write a letter. As few as three letters on an issue can get a legislator’s attention. The letters may not change the elected official’s mind, but it’s a sufficient number to have a staffer assigned to look into and follow the issue.

When writing a letter to a Member of Congress, you should keep the following points in mind:

• With few exceptions, it is best to write only to your own elected officials. A letter from a California CDFI doesn’t do a whole lot of good to an Illinois representative. Elected officials care most about their constituents and districts.

• To be most effective, the letter must be personalized. It should take only a few minutes to customize the letters that Opportunity Finance Network prepares on our advocacy issues by adding a short description of your organization and a story about a successful borrower. If you build a library of borrower profiles, your job will be even easier.

• Send the letter by fax or e-mail. Because of security precautions the government takes, postal mail faces significant delays in reaching Congressional offices. Both e-mail and faxes are best if you can direct them to a specific staffer. Opportunity Finance Network can help you determine whom to contact. Sometimes legislators use forms on their Web pages to help direct e-mail to the right place, but these e-mails are less effective than sending a fax because they can often collect for long periods of time without being distributed to the correct staff.

• Keep your letter short and to the point. One page is best. Address only one issue in the letter.

• Be clear about what you want the legislator to do: support an appropriation, vote for or against a bill, etc. Include the bill numbers, if appropriate.

• Don’t write to a Senator about a bill or vote in the House, or vice-versa.

• Use one brief paragraph to talk about your organization, its mission, its results, and its place in your (and the legislator’s) community.

• Include an example or two of borrowers who have benefited from your organization’s financing. These stories are the key to demonstrating your organization’s impact. (If you work over a wide area, choose stories that are relevant to the legislator to whom you’re writing. The maps in the back of the Opportunity Finance Network’s, “U.S. Congress Handbook” show Congressional district lines, or our policy staff can help.)

• Close with an offer to be a resource for more information.

• Make sure to use the proper form of address. The address section of a letter should always be, “The Honorable First and Last Name.” For the salutation:

  Assembly: Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name
  Senate: Dear Senator Last Name
  House of Representatives: Dear Representative (or Congressman)
  Last Name
  Governor: Dear Governor Last Name
  Administration: Dear Mr./Madam Secretary Last Name

Send a copy to the Opportunity Finance Network.