Congress Online Research to Continue Under New Sponsor

Capitol Advantage to Support Monthly Newsletter and Join CMF Board

WASHINGTON, D.C. Congress Online, the only newsletter providing congressional offices with information on online communications, received new support this week, allowing the research to continue for another year under a new sponsor and focus. Capitol Advantage, the largest online grassroots advocacy firm, will be funding the research and newsletter to provide Members of Congress with guidance, tips, and examples on how to improve online communications between constituents and Congress.

The conference will take place at the CSIS Conference Center at 1800 K Street NW, and will feature many of the industry's foremost thinkers and strategists, including: Scott Heiferman, Co-Founder and CEO of MeetUp.com; Serenety Hanley, Director of GOP Team Leader; and Brad Fitch, Deputy Director of the Congressional Management Foundation.

Congress Online, produced by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), is provided to congressional chiefs of staff, press secretaries, and systems administrators, as well as more than a thousand subscribers in 21 countries. Past issues have included new information on:

• how to use Web sites to help constituents during the Iraq war;
• innovative methods for providing voting records online;
• services for students and how to better engage young people in congressional activities;
• how offices could use online technologies to cope with the anthrax contamination on Capitol Hill;
• how Members of Congress could use their Web sites to help the public after the 9/11 attacks.

The newsletter had been funded under a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts. With Capitol Advantage's support, Congress Online will add new features focusing on a burgeoning area of online communications, grassroots advocacy and Congress.

"We need to continue to search for ways to improve communications between Congress and their constituents," said Bob Hansan, President of Capitol Advantage. "I hope this research and newsletter will make it easier for constituents to communicate with Congress, ease the burden on congressional staff, and improve the public's perception of interacting with democratic institutions," he said.

Congress Online is a component of the Congress Online Project, a joint venture with the George Washington University and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. During the two-year project which concluded in May 2003, CMF released reports helping Congress improve it's e-mail systems, identified best practices among Capitol Hill Web sites, and graded the best sites by awarding the Congress Online Gold, Silver, and Bronze Mouse Awards. CMF is taking over full management of the Project and is seeking funding to continue its evaluation and grading of congressional Web sites in 2004.

"Capitol Advantage is providing Congress with a vital service by continuing and expanding the Congress Online newsletter," Rick Shapiro, Executive Director of CMF said. "Technology is offering citizens new ways to reach their elected officials, and the sheer amount of communications is presenting both challenges and opportunities for congressional offices. By expanding our research into how congressional offices deal with grassroots advocacy campaigns, we'll be addressing a pressing need in Congress to help offices improve office efficiencies and enhance communications with constituents," he said.

Capitol Advantage also will be joining CMF's Board of Governors. CMF provides regular briefings to the Board on management issues related to congressional operations and hosts lunches with Members of Congress and staff. In addition, CMF often seeks input from Board members on how to improve communications between Congress and groups and individuals that interact with congressional offices.

About Capitol Advantage
Capitol Advantage is the premier innovator of Internet-based political tools, including the award-winning Capwiz™. Its products are being used on the Web sites of some of the nation's leading corporations, media outlets, portals, associations, and unions, including 80 percent of Fortune's "Washington Power 25." Through the use of Capitol Advantage's tools and services, organizations can promote their agenda, educate supporters, and empower them to become engaged in the political dialogue. Capitol Advantage also publishes a series of informational guides, including Congress At Your Fingertips, Who's Covering Washington, and A Student Guide to Washington, D.C. For more information or a product demonstration, contact Capitol Advantage at (703) 289-4670 or (800) 659-8708, or visit their Web site at www.capitoladvantage.com.

CMF is a non-profit, non-partisan organization which has provided independent management assistance and research to the Congress since 1977.

Capitol Advantage Contact:

Sherry Stanley
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Capitol Advantage, LLC
703-289-4670 x108
sherry@capitoladvantage.com