Advocacy Online:
How to Answer a NAIFA Action Alert
This is the first article in the series "Advocacy Online," which explains how NAIFA members can use NAIFA's Legislative Action Center for grassroots advocacy efforts.
NAIFA's 63,000 members can be a powerful force when they work together, and NAIFA Action Alerts are designed to give members an easy way to be heard on important issues that affect their businesses and the financial services industry.
When legislation or a rule change that could have an impact on the industry is proposed, NAIFA may initiate an Action Alert to urge members to get involved in the issue. Action Alerts allow NAIFA members to engage in the political and electoral process by communicating with elected officials, the media or others to support your interests.
Action Alerts are usually set up to send comments to senators and representatives on pending federal legislation, but targeted recipients may also include state officials, governing bodies such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or the Securities and Exchange Commission, or even companies. Past alerts have even included a call to thank governors who signed "Life Insurance Awareness Month" proclamations.
Here's how it works:
NAIFA begins the process by sending you an email urging you to take action, such as sending an email message or letter to an elected official. The Action Alert is also posted on the NAIFA website. The Action Alert directs you to NAIFA's Legislative Action Center website at www.capwiz.com/naifa for more information. Current Action Alerts are highlighted in the blue Action Alert box.
NAIFA's Advocacy staff provides a form message for each Action Alert, and this message is already in the Action Alert's online form. However, individualized messages are more effective than scripted ones, so you are encouraged to personalize the message by explaining how that proposed legislation may affect your business. To personalize the message, click inside the "Editable Text" box and begin adding your details. Personalization is not required but is encouraged for maximum effect.
After finalizing the message, you must complete the contact information. (The system does not allow anonymous messages.) Based on the contact information, the system looks up your specific legislators and then directs the message or messages to the appropriate recipients.
Checking the "Remember Me" will save the contact information to a "cookie" file so the form can be completed automatically on future visits to the site. Clicking on “Send Message” sends the message on its way.
After submitting the message, a confirmation screen appears. It also includes the option to "Tell A Friend" about the Action Alert. Complete the "Tell A Friend" form and click “Send Email” to inform colleagues who may also be affected by the proposed legislation or regulation. Encouraging as many people as possible to participate is the best way to see the results we want. The “Tell A Friend” feature is optional.
Additionally, you don't have to wait for an Action Alert from NAIFA to use NAIFA's Legislative Action Center to contact your elected representatives. Simply click on the links "Congress and President" or "State Officials" and follow the on-screen instructions to use the system to get contact information on all of your elected officials.
To learn more about communicating with elected officials, visit www.capwiz.com/naifa/issues/basics.
Please visit www.capwiz.com/naifa to explore the many tools available in NAIFA's Legislative Action Center.
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