Writing a personal letter to your MOC has traditionally been regarded as one of the more effective actions you can take, in part because MOCs are aware of the greater level of effort it requires. However, some MOC offices much prefer email as easier to handle. Regular mail is also much slower, because of both usual mail delivery times and the additional time taken to irradiate all mail addressed to Congress. If action on your issue is not needed for two weeks or more, a letter may get greater attention; if action is needed sooner, an email message is a better option.
Some tips for letter writing include the following:
- Limit your letter to one issue.
- Be respectful and professional; avoid spelling and grammatical errors.
- Handwriting your letter is better than typing it, if your handwriting is legible to others; if not, typing it is better.
- Put your address at the top, so your MOC’s staff will see you’re a constituent.
- Be succinct: state your specific “ask” (e.g., to support or oppose a particular bill identified by its name and number), and give your main reasons in a paragraph or two. Use your own words, rather than merely copying text from an sample provided by an advocacy organization.
- Humanize your message: state briefly why the issue is important to you—e.g., relating it to your personal experience or faith perspective—or how the issue affects people in the MOC’s district/state.
Return to the main Advocacy page to explore other tools available for advocacy.