Director of Government Outreach and Constituent Communication

Chat Topic: Organization Signature
Date: March 25, 2008

Organization Signature (OrgSig) is a new Capwiz·XC feature that allows our clients to identify their organization in the messages their members send to elected officials.  It is a settings-based feature that appends a post-script to messages.  For optimal impact, OrgSig should include a link to a well-assembled “For Policy Makers” page, which staffers can use as a resource to learn about your group’s mission and issue positions.

Benefits for Your Organization

• Identifying your group gives your voice more influence.  By being able to associate letters with your group, an office will know how many of its constituents are active members of your group, and they are more likely to take your campaign seriously because Congressional offices notice numbers.  You are more likely to appear on the office’s mail report, and that is a great way to get noticed and influence policy makers. 

• Organization Signature works in conjuncture with a For Policy Makers page. Use this opportunity to educate the staffer who briefs the decision maker.  By becoming a resource, you may find staffers calling you for information and relying on your input.  Also, this link can be used by your own members as they can forward the link to their friends:

Benefits for Congressional Staff

• In addition to letting staffers know who is behind the campaigns, you are giving a website for staffers to come and visit your For Policy Maker’s page.  This will save them time by providing them a link to the information they are looking for right in the body of the message they are responding to.

• Knowing who is behind a campaign makes it easier for staffers to craft targeted responses.  Staffers will easily be able to identify that your campaign is organized and that your activists are engaged in your issue.  They will take you more seriously are likely to put more efforts into crafting a detailed response.

Your Questions and the Hill Insider’s Answers

Q: Where do I find OrgSig to turn it on?
A: In the Settings section of your Capwiz·XC admin site, under the sub-heading titled “Mail Sys”, you can turn on the Organization Signature. Make sure you save your settings.  

Q: Can I customize my post-script?
A: Yes. Also, under the “Mail Sys” sub-heading, enter your own OrgSig text.

Q: How could knowing what group is behind a campaign help a staffer write a reply?
A: The staffer is able to visit the group’s website, read its positions, gather information about the issue quicker, and can target the reply to the known audience.  Also, Congressional offices have software that can tag constituents in their database as being affiliated with certain groups.  By knowing they are with your group, the office can easily search through its database by this code and find all of your members quickly.  This is very helpful when an elected official wants to send a targeted mailing to alert your activists that he has taken an action, such as cosponsoring or introducing a bill you support of signing a letter to an agency.

Q: We promote individualized and personalized messages. Why should we use OrgSig?
A: All groups should use OrgSig because it gives your messages more influence.  Show offices just how many of their constituents are active in your group.  In addition to having that number will show up on their mail report, you are also telling the office that you are organized, and an organized campaign is more likely to be taken seriously.  Additionally, the Congressional Management Foundation has recommended in its recent findings that groups benefit by identifying their campaigns to Congress.  Since staffers have been requesting this for some time, you will be complying with best practices agreed upon by those that are receiving and reading your messages.

Q: Which offices are the hardest for Capwiz·XC to deliver messages?
A: Offices that don’t have a solid understanding of the messages that come into their office inbox or do not employ the latest mail processing tools or procedures are offices that may not be the best at handling CapwizXC messages.  We constantly monitor webforms for changes and problems to ensure that we are delivering to every Congressional office and a great majority of state elected officials.

Q: How can I create the "For Policy Makers" Page?
A: You can create the “For Policy Makers” page using the Page Builder tool found in the Content section of your Capwiz·XC admin site. You can sign up for a Page Builder training at www.capitoladvantage.com. You can also contact your Account Manager at 800-659-8708 if you need any assistance.

Q: Can I add letters, documents, etc. to the "For Policy Makers" page?
A; Yes. You can add letters and documents using the Page Builder tool.

Here are some actual quotes from actual staffers:

 “It would be more efficient if people identified the group they were with for future correspondence.  For example, if you are with the NRA, we can put a group code with the entry and send updates on legislation that deals with the NRA.  If you are with a teachers’ union, we can use an interest code and shoot them email updates on legislation we are involved in that deals with education.  I like [OrgSig because] we can be proactive in getting our message across and informing constituents of our work.”

“[Hill offices] already know which organizations are sending us mail.  It’s best to be open and honest because that will save us time since we’ll try to find your website and your position.”

“I don’t think putting an organization’s name on a letter would make an office more likely to throw away that group’s communications.  Actually, it might increase the efficacy of their mail because the legislative correspondent may see that a group is sending large amounts of mail and notify the legislative assistant who might reach out to the group and seek a meeting with them.”

 “[OrgSig] would be helpful because it leads us to their site and we can learn their position and about the campaign.  It [will] help us write better letters to our constituents.”

 “[Using OrgSig] will help [Capitol Advantage] clients with their reputation on the Hill because it shows they conduct an open and honest campaign.”

“[OrgSig] helps offices understand exactly the issue and their support.  As a staffer, if I know a group is behind a campaign, I'm more likely to take them seriously because I know they are organized.”

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