advocacy on Capitol Hill

One of the most surprising things I learned last week on my Advocacy in Action trip was that constituents really can exert powerful influence over their elected officials in Congress - if they take the time to be advocates. Bread for the World - "a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad" - encourages citizens to write personal letters and emails to Congress. A study conducted in 2005 by the Congressional Management Foundation found that 96% of the Capitol Hill staffers surveyed reported that if their member of Congress had not reached a firm decision about an issue, individualized letters from constituents influenced the member's position. The study also confirmed that handwritten, mailed letters are the most effective way to communicate with members of Congress.

A Bread for the World staffer related a story that demonstrates how individualized letters yield results. A call came into Bread's offices from a Capitol Hill staffer who wanted to talk about Bread's position on a particular issue. This staffer commented that his office has been "flooded" with letters about the issue and recognized that Bread had been promoting this cause. After explaining Bread's position, the Bread representative asked, "By the way, just what is a flood of letters? How many did you receive?" The answer: 13. Thirteen individualized letters from constituents had been enough to get the attention of a member of Congress. Thirteen letters had spurred a Congressional staffer to make a call to find out more about an issue. Only thirteen letters.

Every year Bread for the World invites churches and groups across the country to take up a nationwide Offering of Letters to Congress on an issue that is important to hungry people. This year Bread is advocating the reform of U.S. foreign assistance programs so that they are more focused on ending hunger and poverty. You can learn more about the Offering of Letters at www.offeringofletters.org.

"And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." (Isaiah 58:10)