Data shows Congress is listening – are credit unions talking?

A new study reveals that most Americans are way off the mark in a number of common beliefs in dealing with Congress. These misconceptions could have a major effect on credit unions success with Congress. The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a bipartisan, non-profit organization, has studied, analyzed and educated Congress for 30 years. A recent study released by CMF indicated surprising results in the realities of influence vs the perception of influence when engaging members of Congress. Their data shows that if you believe Congress does not care what you think, you are mistaken. If you think professional lobbyists have more clout than you, the constituent, you are selling yourself short. If you think Washington is the only place to exert influence, you are not giving home enough credit.

One of the widest gaps between perception and reality was exposed by the simple question, “Does your representative in Congress care what you think?” This question was posed to both the public and Congressional staff. If you think your representative does not care, you are pretty much dead wrong. According to the study; 16% of the public believes that, “Congress cares what I think” while an amazing 97% of Congressional staff say that, “Constituent visits have some or a lot of influence.”

So, knowing that your representative wants to hear from you, just how much impact does this contact have? The following chart shows of breakdown of how impact is perceived by Congressional staff with in-person constituent visits taking the lead.

If your Member/Senator has not already arrived at a firm decision on an issue, how much influence might the following advocacy strategies directed to the Washington office have on his/her decision

Now we see that, yes, they do want to hear from us and if we can get to them in person, we can have a significant impact on their decision-making. Of course coming to Capitol Hill en masse along side your trade group representatives and colleagues is a stark and necessary reminder of the size and scope of the industry’s grassroots reach. However we can’t all be in Washington on a daily basis so it is critical to keep the in-person contact going while representatives are at home.

According to the CMF study, this may be easier than you think. A full 95% of Members of Congress spend more than 30 weekends in their district per year. This means that, in general they are travelling back and forth on a very regular basis. As I know from years of personal experience, when at home, your representatives are out in the community available and accessible.  Call their local district office, find out what events they will be attending where you can get in front of them and carry the credit union message. Your voice will be heard.

Of critical importance to any and every grassroots effort and contact is coordination and consistency. While getting the message in-person and/or at home can have tremendous impact, getting mixed messages can have a similar amount of negative impact. This is why it is so important to work closely with your national associations and state leagues to ensure that the credit union movement is working together toward common goals.

The good news is, you can stay home and make a difference, the bad news is, if they are not getting direction from credit unions, then who is Congress getting it from? Perhaps the big banks? Perhaps the community banks? Stay engaged, stay vigilant, stay proud.

* Founded in 1977, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to helping Congress and its Members meet the evolving needs and expectations of an engaged and informed 21st century citizenry. Our work focuses on improving congressional operations and enhancing citizen engagement through research, publications, training, and management services. I am honored to currently serve as the CMF Board Chairman.