News

Curious about the Democracy Awards? What the categories are and the qualifying criteria? How are finalists and winners chosen? We have answers for you!

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) today announced the finalists for the first-ever Democracy Awards, CMF's new award recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices and by Members of Congress. Twenty House and Senate offices were honored as finalists in four categories: Constituent Service, Innovation, Transparency and Accountability, and "Life in Congress" Workplace Environment.

In-person meetings between your advocates and their lawmakers have the most impact. But is your fly-in everything you want it to be? Come to the kickoff event on March 16 of the 2018 Advocacy Leaders Network series and learn from seasoned fly-in organizers about how to optimize your program and keep the energy going once your advocates return home. This event will equip you and your organization to build influential connections and nurture the true champions of your cause.

Have you been running an advocacy program for 3+ years and looking to breathe new life into your messaging strategy and enhance outreach using real data? Join us on June 15 for this Advocacy Leaders Network workshop that will take your advocacy to the next level.

Join us Nov. 30 for an Advocacy Leaders Network event on new ways (and new approaches!) to plan for the incoming Congress and a drastically different political climate in Washington, DC. This session will discuss ways to encourage freshman legislators to take your issues on as their own. PLUS, learn how to craft a new strategic plan (in less than 45 minutes) that you can implement for your own organization.

The possible government shutdown puts significant strains not only on the executive branch but also on the legislative branch. This time of uncertainty requires certain changes in how congressional managers conduct business, serve constituents, and communicate with staff. With these concerns in mind, CMF has the following four tips for managing congressional offices throughout a government shutdown.

This has been a rough year. It marks my 31st year working with the US Congress, and I can honestly report it was the most unusual and difficult year I've ever witnessed. The uncertainty in the legislative battles and the Trump tweets caused havoc in the capital, contributed to the stressful environment, and took a toll on the public servants who tirelessly work to serve their American people: the Members and staff of the US Congress.