Resources for Download:

CPCA POSTCARDS: For Personal Home Printing or Professional Printing  |  For Professional Bulk Printing

FOR ADVOCATES: Meeting Report Form  |  How to Schedule a District Meeting

FOR CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES: Letter from IJM  |  Full Text of the Child Protection Compact Act  |  NGO Endorsement Letter  |  Dear Colleague Letter

Meeting with your elected Members of Congress is a powerful way to raise the profile of issues you care about and to effect change. It is difficult for Members of Congress and their staff to be well-versed on every issue, so this is an opportunity to educate them. You do not need to be a scholar or expert to make a contribution to a policy maker’s understanding of abuses and oppression suffered by IJM’s clients. Remember, meeting with constituents is part of our elected officials’ job. It is also how policy-makers gauge what is important to those living in his/her district or state. And it is how we help decide our government’s priorities.

Senators and Representatives return home to their states and districts during Congressional recesses; district meetings are a great opportunity to meet with these policy-makers while they are in your area. Usually a district meeting lasts 20-25 minutes. During that time, you’ll want to make a personal connection with the Member of Congress and/or their staff, provide background information on the issue you plan to discuss, and make a specific “ask” of your Member. Check out our Tips for a Successful Meeting and Sample Agenda for more information on how to conduct an effective district meeting.

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Plan your Presentation

Establish the basic message and goal of the meeting and designate a leader for the group. The participants should have a brief meeting to discuss roles, the “ask,” and talking points. The group leader should know what each person is planning to say. The participants should try to reduce redundancy, and speak from the heart about their personal experiences or observations. Have an agenda; you may not follow it exactly, but you should be prepared. (See Sample Meeting Agenda)

It is important that your meeting be ACCURATE, BRIEF & COURTEOUS.

ACCURATE – It is important to provide only the information that you know to be true. Knowing your facts helps establish you as a credible resource, but it is better to state that you don’t know the answer to a question than to take a guess. If you’re unsure, just let the Member/staffer know that someone else from IJM will follow up with the answers.

BRIEF – Members and their staffs are very busy. Therefore you want to clearly articulate the reason for the visit and avoid bringing up extraneous issues. While we all have a number of issues that we care about, remember that you are there to build support for efforts to eradicate child trafficking. Avoid diffusing your message.

Choose your facts, figures and stories carefully. Only use them to underscore a point. Cover the basics and make sure that the Member/staffer understands your message. Try to make your case in no more than 3-5 minutes (this can take practice). Keep in mind that your meeting might be interrupted, so be sure to get to the point early on in the meeting.

COURTEOUS – Your meeting with the Member/staff is part of a long-term effort to build support for a strong US commitment to supporting public justice systems that protect the poor. You should see your role as beginning or continuing an on-going conversation. Successful advocacy involves building long-term relationships with policy-makers and this meeting is just one step in the process. We need to be able to use the meeting as a stepping stone for other meetings/ requests, so you always want to be respectful and actively listen (and you can learn a lot about your Members’ views and priorities by listening well).

Additional Tips for a Successful Meeting:

• Be prompt. Members of Congress and their staff have busy schedules.
• Consider how to frame the issue you care about from the Member's perspective. Think about what motivates him/her. Does he/she serve on any relevant committees? (In this case, that would include the Senate Foreign Relations Committee/House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House/Senate Appropriations Committees). What might engage them personally? Try to demonstrate a connection to the interests of your district/state. Who else cares about this issue? Is this issue important to your church?
• If the Member does what you’ve asked, be sure to thank them and, if possible, commend them publicly.

Things to avoid:

• Don’t stretch the truth or make anything up.
• Don’t get into partisan political conversations. We need Members and Senators from across the political spectrum to support U.S. polices to confront injustice against the poorest. Please make the issue attractive to your Member or Senator, regardless of what your own personal views might be on their political party or voting record.

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CONNECTION/INTRODUCE THE PARTICIPANTS - Have each person participating in the meeting introduce themselves. This first introduction should include the organization you are with, where you live (especially if you are in the Member’s district), a brief reason for your involvement in the issue and any other relationship building information that may be of interest to the Member.

ESTABLISH THE CONTEXT – Discuss the reason for your visit. Let them know that you are there to ask them to do something about human trafficking. Provide some context for the problem internationally and domestically and let them know why their support would make the difference.

ASK FOR A COMMITMENT – Prior to the meeting, assign one person to ask the Member/staff person to make a specific commitment. This is the most important part of the meeting. You want to be clear and ask for something specific. (“Can I count on you to…?”) Make sure the question is clear and direct. If you are unable to get a commitment during the meeting, work with the Member/staff person to develop a plan and timeline for when you will receive an answer. (See Talking Points for details).

CATAPULT — Establish a clear plan for follow up and the timeline for when you will be in touch again. Offer to be a resource moving forward. Always thank the Member/staffer for taking the time to meet with you. Let them know how to stay in touch with you. Leave a packet with more information with the Member/staffer.

Follow Up to the Meeting

Constituent meetings with Congress are very important. The information you gather could be very useful for IJM’s efforts to build support in Congress. After each meeting, take the time to fill out the Meeting Report Form while the information is still clear in your mind. Report any of the Member’s questions, comments and opinions, and be sure to include any specific follow-up that the Member/staffer requested.

Send a thank you letter and any requested or additional information.

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1. Please Support Additional Funding for the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking In Persons (G/TIP):

• The State Department G/TIP Office is one of the smallest but most effective of all US foreign assistance programs. G/TIP is the nerve center of the United States Government’s anti-trafficking and anti-slavery activities around the world.
• Last year, Congress appropriated $17.95 million for the G/TIP office to award grants to NGOs in over 43 countries. Congress also appropriated $4 million for TIP diplomacy, monitoring and reporting activities.
• IJM is one of the many human rights organizations that has benefitted from G/TIP funding. IJM has received several grants from the G/TIP Office over the past five years (less than 2% of our annual budget) for our work in the Philippines and India. We have used G/TIP funds to investigate foreign pedophiles who prey on children in poor countries, obtain official release certificates for victims of forced labor slavery, and provide counseling and other services to child victims of sex trafficking. Hundreds of other NGOs have also benefitted from G/TIP funding.

2. For House Offices: Please become a co-sponsor of the Child Protection Compact Act of 2009 (HR 2737), introduced by Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

• This legislation authorizes an additional $50 million over three years to designated focus countries to assist in the eradication of trafficking in children. If you are interested in the “Child Protection Compact Act,” please contact Allison Hollabaugh in Congressman Chris Smith’s office ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Eileen Campbell, Director of Justice Campaigns at IJM ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

3. Justification for Increase: IJM strongly supports existing G/TIP grant-making. But because the amounts are so small and spread to so many countries, it has not been possible to finance significant investments to help countries actually eradicate slavery and trafficking. In other words, G/TIP funding has been wide but not deep.

We urge that the additional funding be used to support extensive anti-trafficking operations to eliminate child sexual exploitation in selected “focus countries” that have shown the will to address child trafficking but need additional resources—and diplomatic pressure – to eliminate child trafficking, create deterrence by convicting and punishing traffickers, pedophiles, pimps, and brothel owners, and provide quality care for children who have been victimized.

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