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• Keep messages short. 200-300 words max.
• Get to your point quickly.
• Offer evidence to support your position, if you have it.
• Be professional and polite.
• Ask for what you want.
• Say thank you.
• Not sure who to contact? Visit the for help.
• If you are a university employee who wants to contact your legislator, please do so on your personal time, such as during lunch or after work, and avoid using your university email.

The most effective advocacy is personal. Elected officials care about their constituents’

views. When advocating for the university — or any cause you support — your story is important. Before you write or call your legislator, take a minute to run through this checklist.

Step 1 — Set a goal

• What do you want your elected officials to do with the information you share with them?
• What action do you want them to take? 
• What thing do you want them to support or oppose?

Step 2 — Gather your thoughts

Ask yourself these questions:

• How are you connected to the university (student, alumni, community member)?
• How has the university affected your life, your business or your family?
• Why is the university important to the people in your community and the state?

Step 3 — Craft your message

Use this basic outline:

• Identify yourself. If you are a constituent in the legislator’s district, say so.
• Tell them why you are writing. What action do you want them to take? (See Step 1.)
• Why should they take that action? This is where you tell your story. (See Step 2.)
• Offer evidence.
• Reiterate your request for action.
• Thank them for their time.

Dear Representative Jones,

My name is Kelly Constituent, and I am a UAF alumnus who lives in your district. I am writing to encourage you to vote in support of full funding for the university.

I grew up in your district. Without the Alaska Performance Scholarship and the presence of the ҹɫ¸£Àû in my hometown, I would never have earned my engineering degree. Going to the Lower 48 for college wasn’t an option for me. Today, I am an engineer with Alaska Construction Company, thanks both to my UAF education and to my faculty advisor, who encouraged me to seek an internship with the company I now work for. 

I plan to raise my family in Fairbanks. My job has allowed me to build a house, contributing to the local tax base, and the money I earn supports my family and the local businesses we frequent.

Please consider supporting the bill to replenish the Higher Education Investment Fund. The scholarships and grants it provides will allow more people like me to get an education here at home and support Alaska’s economy.

Thank you for your time and for representing our community.

Sincerely,
Kelly Constituent