What is a Congressional Call? A 30-second call to your congressional leaders' offices to express support for addressing global poverty or a specific bill that addresses global poverty.
Why is The Borgen Project so passionate about individuals calling their congressional leaders? The Borgen Project has a rare level of access inside congressional offices and the organization has seen first hand the impact these calls have. Political offices tally every single call they receive and a weekly summary of calls is given to the political leader. Anyone making a
30-second congressional call can get the issues or a specific bill noticed by their congressional leader.
Do I need to be knowledgeable of politics and the issues to call? No. You're simply calling as a citizen to express your view. You won't be quizzed. At most, they might ask for your address or zipcode to verify that you live in the congressional leaders district. The job of the person answering the phone in political offices is simply to take down your information.
What do I say? "I'm a Borgen Project supporter and I would like to see funding for ending global poverty increased." - That's all there is to it. Also visit the legislation section to find specific poverty-reduction bills that you can call in favor of.
Who do I call? Call the two U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative who represent your area. Enter your zipcode on Congress.org to determine who your U.S.congressional leaders are or call the Capitol Hill switchboard and ask the operator (202) 224-3121.
How often should I call? We recommend calling every week.
What tips do you have for getting in the habit of calling every week? Put your congressional leaders in your cellphone and pick a set day and day to do it each week (ie. Monday evening while sitting in traffic on the way home).
Can I call 24/7? Yes. If you call when the office is closed leave a message. The messages are checked each morning and your call will still be tallied in the memo.
You are...
THE ADVOCATE
You fight for millions
of people you'll never meet.
Start Here to Call
1. Find the names and numbers of your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators. Click here and enter your zipcode under "My Elected Officials." When the results appear, the names on the left below Barack Obama are your Senators and Representative. Click each name for their contact info. Put the numbers in your cellphone or a safe place. You can call either the D.C. office or a local office.
2. Call all three congressional leaders each week and say, "I'm a Borgen Project supporter and I would like to see funding for ending global poverty increased."
3. Welcome to the tribe! That's all there is to it. Call weekly and visit the Legislation section of the site to find specific poverty bills that we need your help building support for.
Borgen_Project_-_Sample_Congressional_Call_Log (1).pdf
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CALL: THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE
A staffer answers your call and puts your information into a "Call Report." Once a week, the report is sent to the political leader with a tally of how many people called in favor or opposed to each issue and bill. By making one call you're instantly getting the bill noticed.
The political leader and key staff view the Call Report and use that information to gauge public opinion and determine which bills to support.
