The summer and fall are valuable opportunities to connect with your state legislators while they are spending more time in their districts.
Consider inviting your legislators to visit your organization, tour a program, or attend a community event to see firsthand the impact of your work. The purpose of these visits is powerful: to build relationships, share your community’s story, and help elected officials better understand the impact of human services.
These conversations provide an opportunity to highlight your programs, the people you serve, the essential work of your workforce, and the investments needed to support strong, thriving communities.
The most meaningful conversations often come from creating space for connection and conversation. As you prepare for your legislator visit, these tips can help you plan an experience that is engaging, informative, and focused on building lasting relationships.
Tips for a meaningful legislator visit:
- Create a brief agenda to help guide the visit while leaving room for conversation.
- Stay flexible. Legislators’ schedules change quickly, so be prepared to adjust plans as needed.
- Include leadership, frontline staff, and program participants (when appropriate) to help share the story of your organization’s impact.
- Ask questions to learn about your legislator’s priorities and interests.
- Follow up with the legislator and their staff after the visit.
- Take photos (with permission) to share your organization’s story and celebrate the partnership.
How we can support
Our team is happy to provide support and ideas to help make your legislator visits meaningful. We can also share research, tools, and advocacy resources developed through our Living Wages, Thriving Communities Campaign to help you communicate the importance of investing in human services and the workforce that makes this work possible. If you need support planning a legislator visit, send a message to Adela Carlin (adela@illinoispartners.org).
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