Frequently Asked Questions


What types of services do you offer congressional offices?

  1. CMF provides a very popular series of free management training programs throughout the year for senior managers such as Chiefs of Staff, District/State Directors, Committee Staff Directors, and Legislative Directors. All courses are listed on the Staff Training page and Events Calendar.
  2. CMF has collected the insights and practices of the best-managed congressional offices in our comprehensive management book, Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide. This book covers topics such as strategic planning, budgeting and financial management, hiring and managing staff, and managing ethics. Each congressional office receives free hardcopies of Setting Course. If you would like additional copies, please contact us or visit our Publications section where you can also read about CMF’s other reports.
  3. CMF provides confidential management services to individual House and Senate offices. If you would like to meet with a CMF staff member to discuss a management question or problem, please contact us.
  4. Congressional staff can call or email us to receive answers to virtually any question related to the management of a House or Senate office. A CMF staff member will research and respond to all questions within 24 hours. If we cannot fully answer your question, we will try to refer you to someone who can.

Are CMF’s management training programs open to all congressional staff?

CMF's management training programs are designed to meet the needs of senior management staff such as Chiefs of Staff, District/State Directors, Committee Staff Directors, and Legislative Directors. These programs are conducted on timely topics and usually include problem-solving exercises that require work with peers, so attendance for in-person programs is usually restricted to staff in specific management positions.

However, CMF does occasionally offer training programs and webinars to non-management staff, such as programs on constituent mail management and work-life fit. For these programs, our training invitations and calendar descriptions on our website note who can attend.

For more information, please visit the Staff Training page or view our Calendar of upcoming events.


How can I sign up for an upcoming training program?

For the senior management training programs, please contact us via phone or email, whatever is most convenient for you. If possible, include your title, office, phone, and email address for confirmation notices. For more information, please visit the Staff Training page or view our Calendar of upcoming events.


Does CMF meet with individual House and Senate staff to discuss office problems or ways of improving office performance? Are these meetings confidential?

Yes. Many congressional offices arrange meetings with CMF staff to discuss and receive advice on management issues in their office. All of these meetings are strictly confidential. A list of our services for individual congressional offices can be found in the Management Services section of our website.

If you are interested in discussing a management question with CMF or would like to find out more about our management services, please contact us.


Do you offer any services for district and state offices?

Yes. CMF has a range of services for the 44% of House staff and 35% of Senate staff who are not located in Washington, DC, including:

  1. A chapter in our management book Setting Course devoted to “Establishing District and State Offices.”
  2. A publication entitled Keeping It Local: A Guide for Managing Congressional District & State Offices that covers all of the basics of managing district and state offices.
  3. Regular webinars that are open to both DC and district/state-based staff. For more information, please visit the Staff Training page or view our Calendar of upcoming events.
  4. Reference materials and handouts on in our section on district/state resources.
  5. Finally, CMF often conducts confidential management services for House and Senate offices that involve the District or State operation. If you are interested in discussing a management question with CMF or would like to find out more about our services for individual congressional offices, please contact us.

How can I order your publications and what do they cost?

All of our management guidebooks and publications are free of charge to congressional offices (there may be shipping costs to district/state offices if not delivered to DC offices). Each congressional office in the House and Senate receives complimentary hardcopies of our management guidebooks whenever CMF publishes a new edition. Staff also may contact us for additional copies and/or pick them up at CMF training programs. All of our research reports are also available free of charge in PDF on our site. These include reports produced as part of the Communicating with Congress, Gold Mouse Awards, and LIfe in Congress research projects.

All of our management guidebooks (in hardcopy) are $25 or under for non-congressional audiences. The specific prices for each book are noted on each Publications page. Again, CMF offers its smaller research reports for free download in PDF on our site.


How is CMF funded?

CMF is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit. CMF receives its funding from four sources:

  1. grants from corporations, associations, foundations and individuals with an interest in improving the overall effectiveness and management of Congress;
  2. contracts from Congress to provide various management services such as training and studies and reports;
  3. sales of its management publications; and
  4. fees for management services provided to individual House and Senate offices.

Is CMF associated with any political party?

No. CMF is strictly nonpartisan in all of its activities. CMF’s management services are open to all House and Senate offices on an equal basis. CMF takes no position on any policy matters or legislation.

Does CMF offer internships?

Yes. For more information and how to apply, please click here.