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photos copyright 2008 Clarence Coggins

Use these Samples to Prepare Your Own Letters!

My last post offers tips and strategies to help you impact the political process in your favor. Now that you have an overview of the process, here are some sample email letters you can use to reach out to the media and your representatives in Congress.

Remember that these letters are meant to be samples and they have already been used effectively by IBN member Lisa Rodgers of Cactus & Ivy to set up a conference call meeting with a South Carolina Senator's staffer, and also by IBN member Starlene Moore of Supplies by Star so set up a conference call meeting with a Texas Congress woman. It's always a good idea to include a sentence or two that personalizes them so that they don't appear cookie-cutter to the person receiving them. While these samples are designed to address issues associated with the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, they can be used for most any political outreach you may be involved in at the federal, state or local level.

Sample Initial Email to Congressional Representative

This letter can often be easily and quickly sent through email forms that most political representatives have at their websites. Choose representatives whose websites indicate a small business-friendly commitment.

Dear Representative [or Senator] Name:

I own a small cosmetics business in [state] and I am writing to you because I am familiar with your commitment to small businesses in our state. The draft discussion of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 is now being marked up in the House Energy & Commerce Committee and I am strongly opposed to it.

The stated purposes of the draft law are to provide FDA with funding and to protect consumers. But cosmetics have a stellar safety record and there is no need to pass laws that would hurt small businesses while offering no safety benefits consumers.

If passed, the new law would impose fees on my business of from $2,000 to $12,000 per year and require me to comply with burdensome paperwork and manufacturing requirements that no small business can afford.

I write to ask you to vote against the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 when the time comes. At a time when small and family businesses like mine are dealing with increased shipping and materials costs, as well as increases in consumer prices, it is unfair and unnecessary to enact new laws that would put small businesses out of business. Please refer to a Petition that a trade group I belong to [am familiar with] has prepared to help spread the word. At the link, you can watch a short video, read the Petition and then read the comments of literally thousands of people across the nation, many in our state, who oppose this new law.

I would like to request a short telephone conference call meeting with a staffer in your office who handles important issues affecting small businesses. Please call or email to let me know who to contact about this urgent issue.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[signed]

Sample Initial Email to Media Representative

Dear Mr./Mrs. Media Person:

I have been a longtime fan of your [show/column/segment] in [name media outlet]. Thank you for using your platform to inform the community about issues affecting families and small businesses.

I own a small cosmetics business in town and I am writing to you because I think your audience [readers/listeners] should know about the draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, which is now being marked up in the House Energy & Commerce Committee. This new law, if passed, would put me and hundreds of other small cosmetics businesses in this state out of business.

The stated purposes of the draft law are to provide FDA with funding and to protect consumers. But cosmetics have a stellar safety record and there is no need to pass laws that would hurt small businesses while offering no safety benefits consumers.

If passed, the new law would impose fees on my business of from $2,000 to $12,000 per year. What small business can afford that??! It would also require me to comply with burdensome paperwork and manufacturing requirements that no small business can afford.

At a time when consumers and small and family businesses in our state are dealing with skyrocketing gas prices and the ever-increasing cost of everything from eggs and bread to back to school supplies, it is unfair and unnecessary to enact new laws that would put small businesses out of business.

I would like to provide you with more information about how this new law, if enacted, would hurt so many small businesses like mine in our community. Please refer to a Petition that a trade group I belong to [am familiar with] has prepared to help spread the word. At the link, you can watch a short video, read the Petition and then read the comments of literally thousands of people across the nation, many in our state, who oppose this new law.

I will contact you to follow up in a few days. In the meantime, if you feel that this information would be of interest to your viewers, please do not hesitate to contact me at phone/email.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[signed]

What about you?

Have you reached out to the media or your Congressional representatives about the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, or anything else for that matter? Do you have some tips and experiences to share? Please post them in the comment section below so others can follow your example. It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.