Make your voice heard through an action alert.
As a small business owner, you are an incredibly powerful voice for change. Your expertise regarding the issues that small business owners face is fundamental to NFIB’s efforts to advocate for you in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. There are many ways for you to get involved with NFIB’s advocacy efforts: acting on an alert, writing a letter to the editor, speaking with the media, hosting an event, etc. Becoming active in NFIB’s advocacy efforts can start with something small like responding to an action alert email. Action alerts are an extremely important tool to tell legislators why an issue is important. You can download NFIB’s Engage App and complete the action alert on your iPhone or Android.
According to a survey of legislative staff by Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), 46 percent of staffers stated that contact from a constituent or their representatives has a compelling impact on a legislator’s decision making. Additionally, 30 percent of staffers noted that an individualized email message is substantially more effective than a form email message. What should you include in your email action alert message? Legislators want to know:
- What actions do constituents want me to take?
- Why do constituents want me to do that?
- What are the current and potential local impacts?
- What are the constituent’s personal stories or connections to the policy?
It is always important to include the local/economic impact of the legislation: total revenue, number of employees, total wages paid, multiplier effects, and the benefit to the taxpayer. Keep in mind that you are an expert on small business issues. Use your knowledge to make legislators understand why they need to support or oppose legislation. Providing as much personalization as possible is the best way to make your message stand out.
Please check out the action alert on the Corporate Transparency Act. Tell your member of Congress how this legislation will impact your business.
