Promoting FCCLA to Government Officials

By:  Allison Kreifels, National Consultant Team

In case you hadn’t heard right now we are in the home stretches of an election year.  While you may be tired of the constant string of political commercials and signs in your neighbor’s yards, this year, more than most, provides a great opportunity to market FCCLA. The chance to meet and/or speak with a receptive political incumbent or candidate is better now than at any other time.

So here are a few things to keep in mind as you communicate with government officials:

• Keep it succinct! (In the fashion of this point, this is really all I have to say)
• Let your students and their stories do the talking.  You do what you do for the kids, so let your elected official see that as well.
• Know your officials.  Make sure that you research your official and their voting record as well as outside interests.  These can make starting a conversation much easier and you may find out some surprising facts about your official.  Always remember they are YOUR official, so you want to know as much as you can about them as well.
• Think ahead about what you are going to say.  In the same way we tell students to prepare for a job interview, think about the questions your official may ask and prepare answers in advance.
• Keep in contact.  Don’t be afraid to communicate often with your officials through email, phone calls, or mail, depending on the method of communication they prefer.  With each opportunity you have to talk to them you are able to share a little bit more about your passion and why your official should care about it as well.  Take a chance to follow them on social networking sites when available as it is a way to get up-to-the-minute information about your official and their work.  Finally, never miss a chance to send a thank-you note.
•  Invite them in.  Officials enjoy coming to schools for many reasons so why not make it your classroom that they visit?  Invite them for a day in your classroom or for an FCCLA event.  It’s a great way to showcase your students as well as your official to spend time getting to see what’s important to you.

So enjoy this election year and use it as a chance to promote a positive image of what FCCLA is all about.