Influence 101
Why me?
Members of Congress are elected to represent you in Washington, D.C. and they want to hear from their
constituents about what is most important to them. And as a college student, you can be particularly
powerful political force. Collectively, students and young people have defined social movements,
decided elections, and changed the course of history. This means that Members of Congress want to
know what students like you think, and your voice can help shape what goes into a piece of legislation,
or how your representative votes. In fact, the opinions of constituents like you are more important than
that of the experts in determining policy priorities. In the fight against extreme poverty, you have the
power to turn your voice into life-saving action.
How does my voice help?
The U.S. government is a leading donor for international development programs that tackle HIV/AIDS,
hunger and malnutrition, government transparency, and more. Thus, it is critical that Congress knows
that constituents approve of their support programs targeting extreme poverty and disease. Advocating
on behalf of the nearly 2 billion people who live on less than $2 per day is a powerful way to fight
poverty. They need your voice to ensure they are not forgotten in Congress.
What do I do?
The ONE Campus invites college students across the country to learn about global poverty and the
challenges it creates; educate their campus on the life-saving and smart investments the US is making to
save lives; advocate on behalf of the world’s poorest with our policy makers…and most importantly,
challenge each other to end extreme poverty within our lifetimes. Familiarize yourself with the ISSUES
and ACT NOW page on ONE‘s website to learn more. Then, head over to www.one.org/campus for the
latest on each month’s challenge that will help you mobilize students on your campus in the fight
against poverty and win great prizes for you school. Also, “Like” ONE Campus Challenge on Facebook
and download the ONE App if you have an iPhone. With these resources, you will get updates on the
challenges, be able to sign our petitions, and find out about the latest featured news alerts.
*Original version of this document prepared in partnership by ONE and the World Food Programme - USA
The Basics
1) What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is the promotion and support of an idea or cause. Grassroots advocacy has a distinctive
approach to promoting an idea or cause:
It is primarily conducted within your community. Everyday people—not just legislators, experts or
political professionals—help shape public policy through organized interventions in the political arena.
Advocacy is a vital tool used by ONE to influence international development policy. Every day, for any
cause that matters to you, citizens can use advocacy to impact a wide range of government officials,
including Members of Congress, executive branch officials and state and local officials. ONE is primarily
focused on influencing federal legislators and executive branch officials, such as U.S. Senators and
Representatives and the U.S President.
2) What is the role of Congress and the executive branch in addressing extreme poverty?
Congress (the legislative branch) and the President (the executive branch) form two of the three
branches of our federal government – the third being the Supreme Court (the judicial branch). Congress
passes laws that create and fund programs. Congress’ responsibility to fund government activities is
called the power of the purse.
The President and the executive branch administer the programs created and funded by Congress. For
example, under the supervision of the president, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) implement most U.S. programs to alleviate international
hunger.
In addition, the President also submits an annual federal budget proposal to Congress. While not binding
on Congress, this proposal reflects the President‘s priorities and the input of federal agencies and offices
that implement federal programs. If reducing poverty and disease is a top priority of the president, then
he or she will request high levels of funding for programs that address extreme poverty and initiate
public awareness of this grave issue. Then, the Congress will come up with a budget based on, but never
identical to, the President‘s request.
The federal budget cycle is from October 1 to September 30. We call this the ―fiscal year, which is often
abbreviated ―FY. That is the year in which the money is spent. The budget process to determine what
the budget will be for a given fiscal year begins in February of the prior year, which is when the
President submits his request to Congress. So, for FY2013’s budget, the President submitted his request
in February and Congress is currently trying to come up with the budget for FY2013. If Congress doesn’t
have a budget prepared on October 1, Congress will agree on a continuing resolution (CR). A continuing
resolution means that programs are funded at the previous fiscal year‘s levels. Congress must come up
with a budget by the date on which the CR expires. If not, there will be a government shutdown.
*Original version of this document prepared in partnership by ONE and the World Food Programme - USA
3) Who are the key people to influence?
The key people to influence are the Legislative Assistants who handle foreign affairs for each of your two
senators and district representative. Legislative Assistant might not sound like an incredibly powerful
position, but they are the chief advisors to each Congressperson. They monitor the issues they are
assigned to and voice the opinions of their constituents on those issues. Therefore, their support of
international development programs that fight poverty and disease is vital for the support of the
Congressperson. International development is the domain of the Foreign Affairs Legislative Assistants.
For specific topics like Food Aid, there is an Agriculture Legislative Assistants. So, the Foreign Affairs and
Agriculture Legislative Assistants are the people you want to influence! However, they are incredibly
busy so don‘t worry if you can‘t get a hold of them. Talk to a Staff Assistant, and make your case to
them. They will pass your message on to the LA.
4) How do I influence U.S. elected officials?
See our How-To guides for step-by-step instructions on how to write a letter and make a phone call to
your Members of Congress, how to host a letter writing/call party, and how to meet with your
representative.
*Original version of this document prepared in partnership by ONE and the World Food Programme - USA
Advocacy Glossary
Appropriations – resources (funds or commodities) allocated by the U.S. government for U.S.
programs
Bill – This is the most common piece of legislation, and it is binding if passed.
Chair – Each committee and subcommittee has a chairperson and a ranking member. The chairperson
is a member of the majority party and is traditionally the most senior member of the committee. One
cannot be the chair of more than one standing committee at the same time.
Chamber – There are two chambers of Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Committee – A small body of members that considers legislation and conducts hearings on a broad
category of issues (ex. Agriculture Committee, Foreign Relations Committee, Judiciary Committee).
Committee Jurisdiction – The subjects and functions assigned to a committee by rule, resolution,
precedent or practice, including legislative matters; oversight and investigations; and nominations of
executive officers.
Conference Committee – A committee appointed by each chamber of Congress in order to resolve
disagreements in a particular bill.
House of Representatives – The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Congress. It is
composed of 435 representatives. Members are elected for two-year terms. Each member of the
House must be at least 25 years old and must be a citizen of the United States for at least seven
years. He or she must be a resident of the district that he or she represents.
Legislation – Any bill or resolution considered by Congress. A bill that is passed by Congress and
signed by the president is considered binding and becomes the law of the land. Congress also
passes resolutions that do not require the president‘s signature. For example, each chamber of
Congress uses a resolution to set its rules before every session, and sometimes, Congress passes
resolutions to recognize the accomplishments of individuals.
Majority and Minority Leaders – These members of Congress are elected by their respective
chambers as leaders of their parties, and they direct all activities when a bill comes to the floor. They
are considered the chief spokespersons for their parties.
Ranking Member – Each committee and subcommittee has a ranking member. The ranking member
is the most senior member in the committee from the minority party.
Senate – This is the upper chamber of Congress. It has 100 senators, two for every state, without
regard to its population. Each senator is elected for a term of six years and must be at least 30 years
old. Each senator must be a resident of the state he or she represents and must have been a United
States citizen for nine years. One-third of the Senate is up for re- election every two years.
Speaker of the House – The speaker is elected by the members of the House of Representatives,
leads the House of Representatives and guides its policies.
Subcommittee – A subset of a committee that considers legislation and conducts hearings on a narrow
set of issues within the full committee‘s jurisdiction.
*Original version of this document prepared in partnership by ONE and the World Food Programme - USA