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Clean Water Advocacy - Public Relations Resources

Clean Water Advocacy - Public Relations Resources - NACWA Clean Water Trust Fund Toolkit

NACWA Step-by-Step Member Guide to Using the Clean Water Trust Fund Toolkit

The Clean Water Trust Fund Toolkit gives you the tools you need to solicit support from community groups and your Member of Congress for a federal trust fund for clean water infrastructure. Here is a step-by-step guide to using the toolkit:

Step 1: Review Toolkit Contents

The toolkit includes presentation materials for speaking engagements, briefing kit materials for small group meetings, and a variety of letters and correspondence that can be customized to meet your individual needs. Tools are alphabetized for ease of reference when using this checklist. Additional tools will be added to the toolkit as they are developed by NACWA.

Presentation Materials
These materials give you tools for making presentations to a variety of audiences, including community groups, editorial boards, professional organizations, recreational enthusiasts and environmental activists.

Briefing Kit Materials
These materials provide more in-depth information on a variety of topics for more sophisticated audiences, such as board members, elected officials, the news media and Congressional staff. They are designed to be placed in a briefing folder, but could also be used as individual handouts or fact sheets. Several of the handouts include space (marked by red text) for you to localize the problem with your own facts and statistics.

Letters/Correspondence:

Media Relations Tools:

Step 2: Gather Information to Localize the Toolkit

The toolkit materials will be most effective with your elected officials and stakeholders if you insert local facts and statistics to support the need for federal funding. Begin by gathering the following information, which can then be inserted into the communications tools, as noted below.

Infrastructure Needs (INSERT into Tools D, F, J, K1, K2, M and P)
Estimate these numbers for your service area:

Funding (INSERT into Tools A1, F and J)
Spending on our capital program has increased _____ percent since ______. Federal funding has fallen from _____ percent of capital funding in ______ to _____ percent today.

Construction Grants Program (INSERT into Tool G)
How did construction grants in the 1970s and ’80s help build your local infrastructure? What facilities were built and how did they benefit the community?

Improved Asset Management (INSERT into Tools A1 and G)
How have you improved O&M, reduced operating costs or improved asset management in recent years? Can you document increased efficiencies or reduced costs?

Congressional Contacts:
Identify key staff for your Member of Congress, including the chief of staff in Washington and the director of his or her district office. This information may be found on their Web site (see www.house.gov) or in the NACWA Government Relations Directory.

Step 3: Seek Endorsement of Your Board and/or Elected Officials

Tools:
A1. Bridging the Funding Gap Presentation LONG version
D-I: Briefing Kit Fact Sheets
M. NACWA Member Letter to Mayor & City Council (with K3. NACWA Member Letter to Congress-Attachment)
J. Sample Board Resolution

Schedule a presentation before your board or City Council committee on the Clean Water Trust Fund Act. Use the LONG version of the PowerPoint presentation (Tool A1) and the briefing kit fact sheets (Tools D through I). Your talking points are contained on the “notes” pages of the PowerPoint.

Ask your Board or Council to approve a resolution in favor of the trust fund. A sample resolution is provided in Tool J. The approved resolution can then be provided to your Member of Congress.

NACWA members who provide service to several communities may want to send letters to each mayor and Council, asking them for their support. A sample letter is included as Tool M.

Step 4: Schedule Meetings with Community Groups and NGOs

Tools:
A1-2. Bridging the Funding Gap Presentation LONG version or SHORT version
B. Summary Fact Sheet
N. NGO Letter of Support
O. Postcard

Identify groups that have influence over your Member of Congress. Who does he or she listen to in the district? Can you turn them into a supporter of the Clean Water Trust Fund Act? If they will not support the Act, can you persuade them to remain neutral? Once you’ve identified the key groups, ask to meet with their leadership or speak at one of their meetings. Ask them to send a letter to your Member of Congress, using the draft letter of support (Tool N) as a guide. Or, bring copies of the postcard (Tool O) and ask people to sign the postcard and offer to mail it for them.

Step 5: Send a Letter to Your Governor and State Legislators

Tools:
L. NACWA Member Letter to Governor & State Legislators
K3. NACWA Member Letter to Congress-Attachment

Send a letter to your governor and state legislators, asking them to support the Clean Water Trust Act by asking your Member of Congress to become a co-sponsor. A sample letter is included as Tool L. If you already have relationships with your governor or state legislators, call and ask for their assistance. K3 is an attachment that can be used with the letter.

Step 6: Send a Letter to Your Member of Congress

Sample letters are included as Tools K1, K2 and K3.

Letter K1 asks the Member to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 4560. Use this letter if you already have a relationship with your Member of Congress and you think he or she will be receptive to the idea of co-sponsorship.

Letter K2 requests a meeting with your Member to discuss becoming a co-sponsor of H.R. 4560. NACWA believes one-on-one contact from NACWA members will be the best way to recruit co-sponsors for the bill. We encourage you to send this letter if you think your Member will need more information before making a decision on co-sponsorship.

K3 is an attachment describing H.R. 4560 that can be used with either letter.

Step 7: Meet with Your Member of Congress

Tools:
B-I: Briefing Kit Fact Sheets

Meeting with a Member of Congress, or congressional staff, is a very effective way to convey a message and asking for support. Here are some suggestions for planning your visit to a congressional office:

Plan Your Visit Carefully: Be clear that you are asking your Member to co-sponsor H.R. 4560, the Clean Water Trust Fund Act.

Make an Appointment: Contact the Appointment Secretary/Scheduler. Explain that your purpose and who you represent. It is easier for congressional staff to arrange a meeting if they know what you want to discuss and your relationship to their district.

Be Prompt and Patient: When it is time to meet with a Member, be punctual and be patient. It is not uncommon for a Member of Congress to be late, or to have a meeting interrupted by their crowded schedule. If interruptions do occur, be flexible. When the opportunity presents itself, continue your meeting with a Member’s staff.

Be Prepared: Bring the Clean Water Trust Fund Toolkit materials to the meeting. Place Tools B through I (Briefing Kit materials) in a folder and include your business card or contact information. Consider including your own public relations materials, such as annual reports or newsletters. Members are required to take positions on many different issues. In most instances, a Member may lack knowledge of wastewater treatment and infrastructure needs. Be ready to share information and examples from your community and your state, to demonstrate the benefits of a federal Clean Water Trust Fund on the Member’s home district.

Be Political: Members of Congress want to represent the best interests of their district or state. Whenever possible, demonstrate the connection between the Clean Water Trust Fund and the interests of the Member’s constituency. For example, you might highlight the needs of an important waterway, such as the Chesapeake Bay or Great Lakes. You might highlight recreational opportunities or economic opportunities affected by clean water in your district. Know the organizations and interest groups your Member listens to in the home district. If possible, meet with them ahead of time to ask for their support. (See Step 4 of this Checklist.)

Capitol Hill Meetings - What to Expect

Meetings on Capitol Hill can - and will - take place anywhere; in a Senator or Member's office, in a Committee hearing room, in the hall or in the reception area. Don't be surprised.

Critical "Dos & Don'ts"

General

Step 8: Send a Thank You Letter to Your Member of Congress

After your visit, follow up with a thank-you letter that outlines the points you covered during the meeting. Provide additional information that the Member may have asked questions about or expressed interest in.

Step 9: Work with the News Media

Tools:
P. Letter to the Editor
Q. Trade Press Article
R. Working with Local News Media

Once your Congressional representative and other stakeholders are aware of the issue, you can work with the local news media and trade press to advance the cause. Tool P and Q provide editorial support for letters to the editor and a trade press article for local or regional publications.

Sending a letter to the editor (Tool P) is as simple as adding local information gathered above, signing it and putting it in the mail. However, you might want to time the letter to coincide with a local issue, such as an infrastructure problem or rate increase that gets local news coverage. This “news peg” will increase the chance that your letter will get published.

Next, identify the local and regional organizations that your organization is active in and seek to place the trade press article (Tool Q) in their newsletters or magazines. NACWA is working with national trade press to place similar articles. Your voice can help spread the word at the local and regional level.

Tool R gives you step-by-step advice for getting local news media attention to this issue. This includes advice on working with local reporters, scheduling an editorial board briefing, and planning a media event. Be creative, and work with your Congressional representatives if they are supporters of the Clean Water Trust Fund Act.

Call NACWA If You Need Help

If you have questions or need assistance, feel free to call the following NACWA staff for help: