It's the time of year, after the President submits the budget and before Congress goes on Spring Break, that is perfect for fly-ins and Capitol Hill days.

Earlier this week we hosted a brown bag lunch and had a chance to discuss what works best for hosting a successful in-person advocacy event.

If you have a large group of advocates, you may want the advocates to set up their own appointments. Adding detailed, customized instructions directly to the self-service appointment form will make the process easier for you and your advocates.

You can add those instructions by clicking Customize Self-Service Form on the Appointments page of the Advocacy Event Manager. From the top down each section will display with each step of the appointment set up process. (The first box is on the first page and so on.) This will guide the advocates through the process smoothly and you focus on getting the advocates, and Hill staff they'll be seeing, ready for the day.

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Here are five more things to remember when you're planning your fly-in or Hill Day:

• Set a Goal - It can be getting the Member to vote your way, becoming a co-sponsor, or signing a letter.
• Communicate with Hill staffers - Let them know what's coming so they can be prepared.
• Prepare your advocates - Research their Member's positions ahead of time and teach them the language of Capitol Hill.
• Set up a meeting place on Capitol Hill - People can get turned around. Make sure you're nearby to help.
• Follow up - Even the most productive meeting can be wasted if we don't collect the feedback and follow up.

Remember, your Capwiz Account Manager is an expert on setting up and running Hill days. Take advantage of this experience to improve your advocacy efforts. For help implementing these ideas, click here to email {CA_AM}, your dedicated Account Manager.

For a more detailed look at putting on the ultimate fly-in, join our webinar on March, 20 2012 or watch a recorded version.

Get Out The Vote

The 2012 elections are right around the corner. What are you doing to educate your constituents and get-out-the-vote? CQ Roll Call's Voter Resources is a turnkey solution that educates and stimulates your constituents into taking action. What's more, it's a perfect and seamless fit with your existing technology.

Take a look at Voter Resources features:

• Intelligently-Filtered Dynamic Content
• Address to District Matching
• Candidate Listing and Profiles Voting
• Key Election Dates & General Voting Details

Click here if you are interested in learning more about how CQ Roll Call can help you with your GOTV and voter education initiatives.

We'll be closed in recognition of Presidents' Day on Monday, February 20, 2012.