Question: What is the best way to communicate with my senator or representative?

Answer: An e-mail message is efficient and easy, but is not the last word in effective advocacy communication. Many in public office consider the advocates' e-mail blasts as the equivalent of preprinted postcards—impersonal communications that can be easily disregarded.

The guiding principle for contacting Congress or any other representative body is simple: personalized messages mean more. In advocacy, quality trumps quantity.

The impact of sending emails to Congress is strengthened by calls from constituents, visits to a legislator's office, and meetings with legislators at events back home. Ultimately, advocacy is transacted on a personal level.

For more on communicating with legislators, see the NASAA Advocate, E- Advocacy: On-Line Strategies for Arts Advocacy.