Preparing Your Message

Whether communicating in person or in writing, it is important to be prepared with your message and to be concise. Try and limit your letter to approximately 200 words. Letters that are too long may go unread.

1. Identify yourself as a constituent and provide your address.

2. Share your personal story so you can educate your elected official about vasculitis. Describe the hardships and life changes that you experienced. For example, if you suffered because of a delay in diagnosis, you can stress the importance of awareness, particularly in the medical community.

3. Consider including a picture of yourself. This help puts a face to a name. If your picture shows you experiencing the side effects of Vasculitis treatment, you may point this out in your letter and stress the need for advanced treatments.

4. Share some vasculitis facts. Help your elected official understand what Vasculitis is, the number of people in the U.S living with vasculitis and the importance of research funding to identify new treatments and ultimately a cure.

5. Be specific and ask your legislator for his or her support. Identify the bill number of any legislative initiative that requires support and briefly describe what the bill would accomplish. Ask your legislator whether you can count on support.

6. Always be polite and respectful. Always send a thank you note following a visit and always thank your legislator at the close of a letter.

Good luck! Thanks for taking the time to contact your legislators.