1. April 7, 2013
National 4-H Conference
Prepared by: Christopher Anderson
Maryland 4-H Youth Development Specialist

2. ―Strong leaders and advocates
armed with information and
passion can make a huge
difference.‖

3.  Visit with federal legislators and decision makers
to observe the political process in action.
 Help Extension and 4-H build relationships with
stakeholders.
 Build political and public support for Extension
and 4-H through consistent and targeted
communication with decision‐makers.
 Broaden understanding of public policy issues
that impact Extension and Extension clientele.
 Learn how the changing political environment
affects support for Extension and 4-H.

4.  Opportunity to experience the political world
of our nation’s capitol.
 Enhance advocacy and public policy
education skills - increase your knowledge
and effectiveness in working in your local
political arena.
 Learn about the federal structure that
supports Extension and 4-H.

5.  Meet with your state’s Extension and 4-H
administration to discuss your visit to Capitol
Hill.
 Obtain permission to meet with legislators
 May have a specific message for you to carry to your
visit
 May provide useful tips or information based on
personal knowledge of your Congressional delegation
 Schedule appointments, then confirm your
appointments
 Collect or prepare briefing information (not
more than 1-2 pages) to leave with Members and
staff. Use pictures in your reports and use bullet
points rather then paragraphs.

6.  Conduct research about your Member of
Congress:
 Learn your which district your Congressman
represents within your state. Do you live in his/her
district?
 Term in Office
 Political Party
 Educational Background
 Occupational Background
 Committee Assignments
 Leadership Positions in the House or Senate
 Which issues are most important to the Member
 Familiarity with Extension and 4-H; any special
relationships, i.e. a 4-H alumna?
 Who are the Member’s aides?

7.  Prepare a Summary Sheet of Key Information
UNITED STATES Staff Office/Contact Information App. UME Contact Hill Visit - UME PHOTO
SENATE Contact Time Person Representatives
*##Cardin, Benjamin Josh Klein 509 Hart Senate Office Building, 2:30pm Chris Anderson Chuck
L. - (D - MD) – Ag Washington, DC 20510, Esther
202-224-4524
*Josh had a pretty fax: 201-224-1651
extensive visit with
Nick and Dr. Wei
*Mikulski, Barbara A. Brent 503 Hart Senate Office Building 11:00am Karen Nevin
- (D - MD) Palmer Washington, DC 20510 Reddersen Chris
Phone: 202-224-4654
Fax: 202-224-8858
UNITED STATES
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
*Andrew P. Harris Craig 506 Cannon House Office Building, 2:00pm Karen Micheal
(R), 1st Chesek Washington, DC 20515 Reddersen Nevin
Congressional (202) 225-5311
District fax: (202) 225-0254
web: http://harris.house.gov
C. A. Dutch Ann Jacobs 2453 Rayburn House Office Building, 10:30am Cynthia Warner Dwayne
Ruppersberger III Washington, DC 20515 - 2002 Chuck
(D), 2nd (202) 225-3061 Nick
Congressional 1-800-877-8339
fax: (202) 225-3094
District
web: http://dutch.house.gov
*John P. Sarbanes Jim Notter 2444 Rayburn HOB 3:30pm Dwayne Murphy Esther
(D), 3rd Washington DC 20515 Cynthia
Congressional Phone: (202) 225-4016
Fax: (202) 225-9219
District web: http://sarbanes.house.gov
Donna F. Edwards Allyson 318 Cannon House Office Building, 4:30pm Esther Mitchell Chris
(D), 4th Alvare Washington, DC 20515 Chuck
Congressional (202) 225-8699 Cynthia
District fax: (202) 225-8714
web: http://donnaedwards.house.gov/

8.  Know the basic process of how funding
decisions are made.
 Prepare a one-page account of the important
points you wish to make during your visit.
 Prepare a list of questions you would like to
ask if given the opportunity during the visit.
 Take a camera just in case you have photo
opportunities.

9.  Develop a message that is direct, concise,
and short - plan on 15 minutes total for
your group.
 Develop a 2-minute version of your
message just in case their schedule
changes – aka, the elevator speech.
 Select no more than two or three
educational programs or issues, and focus
on them.
 Don’t talk in Extension or 4-H jargon.
 Emphasize outcomes of the program and
how it makes a difference in people’s lives.

10.  Introduce yourselves.
 Describe the purpose for your visit.
 Describe how 4-H is administered by your
State Land Grant College and Extension
program; nationally administered by 4-H
National Headquarters, part of the National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 No more than two or three educational
programs or issues and focus on them.

11.  Ifyou are planning to talk about issues or
problems in your community, be prepared
to offer solutions (of course that include
the important work of Extension and 4-H).
 TELL YOUR 4-H STORY. Make it personal to
you, your family, your club, your
community
 Emphasize outcomes of the program and
how it makes a difference in people’s lives.
 Do not overwhelm the Member or staff
with materials. A large packet of
information will likely not get looked at.

12.  Childhood obesity
 Food Safety
 Food Security
 Nutrition and Health
 Renewable energy
 Rural Economic Development
 Water
 Youth Development

13.  We are often called upon to provide evidence of
our programs’ private value to program
participants, including such factors as time
saved, dollars earned or health benefits
increased.
 But, Extension also creates public value when
our programs benefit others in the community —
those who do not participate in our programs
directly.
Source: http://extension.missouri.edu/staff/publicvalue.aspx

14. Q: "When making the case for Extension funding to an elected
official, is it more effective to tell personal stories about positive
experiences with Extension, or to share statistics about the impact
of Extension programs?"
A: The answer I got from the official who visits regularly with state
legislators was, "We need a lot of both!" He said that the evidence
on program impact is crucial for showing legislators that Extension
is improving conditions in their districts. However, we make a
stronger case when we can also "put a face" on those statistics with
personal stories about Extension and, importantly, personal stories
about how the improved community conditions have positively
affected a constituent. So, it seems to me, our best case has three
components: (1) evidence of program impact, (2) testimony from
individuals whose lives were improved by their own participation in
Extension programs, and (3) testimony from individuals who benefit
from the improved conditions--environmental, social, economic,
etc.--that Extension programs helped generate.
Source: ―Are we storytellers or statisticians?‖ by Laura Kalambokidis
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/kalam002/publicvalue/public_value_messages/

15.  A national infrastructure that can support the
country – we have personnel that live and work
in their local communities committed to
providing education for youth, families,
businesses and communities to meet local needs.
 Ability to access knowledge from numerous other
individuals and institutions in the Land-Grant
system; information that is timely, credible for
decision making, problem solving, community
engagement, and public policy development.
Adapted from: Cooperative Extension: Relevant Now and Beyond, 2011 PILD Conference presentation
by Douglas O. Lantagne, Dean and Director, University of Vermont Extension

16.  Extension works to keep Americans healthier
with food safety and nutrition lessons.
 It helps parents develop confidence in their
parenting skills.
 Farmers are able to learn practical and
important information for a strong operation.
 Children and young adults develop
communication and leadership skills to make
them stronger citizens of tomorrow.
Adapted from: Cooperative Extension: Relevant Now and Beyond, 2011 PILD Conference
presentation by Douglas O. Lantagne, Dean and Director, University of Vermont Extension

17.  Practice giving your 15 minute and 2-
minute versions of your presentation.
 Determine who will take the lead to get
the conversation rolling.
 As youth, you may choose to ask questions
about how or why the Member or staffer
got into his/her role of public service, or
similar questions that will inform your
potential interest in serving.

19.  Take the ―Hill‖
 Explain relevance of Extension and 4-H
 Make sure all have a good understanding of what we do
and what impact we were having in their districts.
 Fiscally conservative solution
 We address the cause of problems, not funding for the
result of problems
 Localize
 Personalize
 Apply
 MAKE the ASK!
Adapted from: Making Your Hill Visit Count, 2011 PILD Conference presentation by Jim Richards

20.  Again, confirm your appointment the day before
your visit.
 Arrive 20 minutes before your scheduled visit.
Allow time for security checks at entrances.
Don’t be late!
 Don’t be disappointed if your legislator is late.
 Don’t be disappointed if your legislator is unable
to meet with you, the aides will be
knowledgeable about your problem’s and the
legislator’s point of view.
 Don’t overstay your welcome.
 Request to take a photo with your Congressman.

21.  Find out what they are interested in. Keep
notebook. Record when you meet and what you
learned.
 Be specific about what programming is going on
their district and what concerns they have that
aren’t being addressed.
 Learned the art of ― button-holing‖ outside the
chambers in the months prior to the budget
being approved. Meet before or after their
regular meeting. Convenient for them.

22.  Get business cards from everyone that you meet
with.
 Complete a Summary Report of your visit to
share with administrators back home. PILD
Delegates will visit on April 24. Include:
 Name of Congressional Member visited (or Aide)
 Date of visit
 Names of 4-H Team who were part of the visit
 Major talking points
 Congress Member of Aide comments, requests,
promises that require follow-up action
 Other comments/observations about the visit

23.  Upon return, send follow-up email
 Thank them for meeting
 Remind them of your key messages
 Provide answers to any unanswered questions or
additional information you promised.
 Work with your local or state office to visit your
Member of Congress back home, or invite them
to a prominent 4-H program.
 We need to communicate with them throughout
the year, not just at budget time.
 Get to know their Legislative Assistants.
 Attend county events and find ways we can help
them. Go where they are going to be.

24. Information learned during the National 4-H
Conference, during Capitol Hill visits, and
during other experiences had at Conference
should be applied back in the states, counties
and communities.

25. CONTACT INFORMATION
Christopher Anderson
4-H Youth Development Specialist, Animal Science
University of Maryland Extension
Maryland 4-H Center
8020 Greenmead Drive
College Park, MD 20740
Phone: 301-314-7187
FAX: 301-314-7146
Email: canders2@umd.edu