It’s funny, we’ve been organizing meetings on Capitol Hill for a long time – helping our clients and friends tell their stories with Members of Congress. That’s what K2 does. We’ve helped a friend with Huntington’s Disease advocate for herself and her family, talking to members of Congress and recording video testimonials to make her voice go further and be heard by more people.
We’ve helped stop really bad policy by telling stories about people who would be impacted and getting them in front of elected officials.
Now Kristen and I are participants, telling our story about our small business and how Congress’s actions impact us. We never really thought about doing it ourselves, but here we are! So what does it look like? What does it mean to have a meeting on Capitol Hill? We often get questions about this when we post pictures on social media, so I thought we’d do a little Day in the Life.
The US Chamber Small Business Council gathered in Washington, D.C. for an annual fall meeting where we talked about small business priorities and took to Capitol Hill for meetings.
Scheduling
The US Chamber’s team reached out to members of Congress offices to set up meetings for each of the council members, taking into consideration geography of where we all lived and did business, any pre-existing relationships, as well as key players who lead on small business issues, like business-oriented committee members. Due to the government shutdown, our schedule was mostly with staff vs elected officials, which can sometimes be seen as a downer, but here’s a reminder – government staff are who make things happen. If you get a meeting with staff, use it!
Preparation
We were all asked to submit our personal stories around several of the US Chamber’s priorities – Tax reform, permitting reform, and the government shutdown. We then took the morning before to share our stories internally amongst the council, getting our memorable points down that we wanted to deliver in our meetings. Practice, practice, practice.
Tell Your Story
Elected officials and their staff have a handful of meetings a day, so they hear a lot of stories. Your job is to make your story stand out, which means short, to-the-point messaging with a personal connection.
For instance, on tax reform, K2 told our elected officials that the 20 percent passthrough deduction allowed us to put more money back into the business – bonuses and investment in new team members to have a growth mindset, versus having to cut.
For the government shutdown, we reinforced that our non-profit clients need certainty to stay funded. Non-profit giving is one of the first things to go when there’s economic instability.
During your meeting, be sure to introduce yourself, give any relevant information to establish a connection, and tell your story. Be respectful of everyone’s time and allow them time to ask questions of you and any other participants.
Follow Up
When you are done, be sure to get a card from the person you met with and follow up with a thank you. Elected officials and their staff need your relationship, too, give them a way to communicate with you after your meeting.
-Kirsten Kukowski, K2 Partner
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