Independent Banker - February 2023 - 74

scheduling process on their official
website and follow every step.
Your meeting request
should cover:
 Your plan (either a tour or
a meeting)
 The subject of the meeting
and the specific topic you're
discussing
 The participants (including
zip codes)
 Background information
regarding the subject (reports,
one-pagers, etc.)
After making the request, call
the member's office to discuss and
finalize the length of the meeting
and any software preferences (such
as what virtual platform you will
use for the meeting). Wait a week
for a response and then follow up
if necessary by phone, Facebook
message and/or Twitter direct
message. Once you hear a response,
thank them and notify any bank staff
who will be involved.
Be thorough about preparation
Before the meeting, study up on
your Congress member by looking
through websites, newsletters, news
alerts and social media. Make sure
other meeting participants from
your bank do the same. You can
even rehearse among yourselves
to ensure the meeting is concise,
informative and personal.
It's also important to test out the
meeting's technical components,
including the software platform
(Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoTo
Meeting, etc.), lighting and sound.
You may want to invest in an
external light and/or microphone.
Having a high-quality setup will
guarantee that your message gets
across and could help you stand
out from the crowd.
Before the meeting, take 15
minutes to work out any of these
technical kinks and provide
everyone with a backup plan if
the software fails (such as using a
phone line).
When you join the scheduled
meeting, thank your member of
Congress using their proper title.
Give them the what, why and how:
 What do you want them to do?
(Only cover one or two issues)
 Why is this important to you?
 How will this affect the local
area, district and voters?
 Provide a clear, direct and
achievable request
Monitor your meeting's
QUICK STAT
57%
of constituents said that their
representative and/or senator
uses Facebook more since
the pandemic.
Source:
Congressional Management Foundation
runtime. Keep it concise, but don't
forget to leave time for questions.
Afterwards, draft your follow-up
and thank-you emails (see the
ICBA template on our website).
As an expert in the community
banking industry, be sure you use
a tone that represents that.
Two days after the meeting,
give yourself 30 minutes to
complete the follow-up. Only
8% of constituents follow up in
a timely, helpful way, according
to Hill staff. By following up,
you reinforce the importance of
the issue.
Stay up to date
Once you successfully meet and talk
with your Congress member, use
these methods to keep up with their
current events and updates:
 Set up Google news alerts
 Visit your officials' websites and
sign up for their newsletters
 Follow them on social media
(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
etc.)
 Attend virtual town halls
ICBA wants to hear about your
advocacy efforts, too, and can help
support you. Email John Coleman,
ICBA's director of advocacy, at
john.coleman@ICBA.org regarding
your meetings with Congress.
-Rachel Hatcher
ICBA action
resources
Find out more about
ICBA advocacy
opportunities and efforts
 Wondering about ICBA's
latest stances on banking
policy, concerns and
issues? Visit icba.org/
advocacy to learn about
recent bills and for more
information on what it
takes to do effective
advocacy work.
 For an in-person
advocacy experience, stay
tuned for more information
on the 2023 ICBA Capital
Summit this April.
icba.org/capitalsummit
independentbanker.org // 73
http://www.icba.org/ http://www.icba.org/capitalsummit http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - February 2023
