CAREERS
IN
LOBBYING

• The definition of a lobbyist is one who works to bring about the passage of laws favorable to the special interest group they represent. Lobbyists may sometimes help in the drafting of a bill. They also keep the members of their group, and the public in general, well informed on the issues that are important to their organization.

• The term lobbying came about in the 1830’s because at that time agents of business would stand in the lobbies of Congress and the state legislatures to press their cause. Today all major interests in the U.S. such as business, labor, and farmers maintain permanent lobbies at federal and state levels.

• A lobbyist's job is to sway politicians to vote on legislation in a way that favors the interest that the lobbyist represents. To do this a lobbyist has to be very adept in the art of persuasion. Also needed is a very thorough knowledge of the issue at hand.

• There are two types of lobbying-direct and indirect. Direct lobbying means actually meeting with members of Congress and providing them with information pertinent to a bill being voted on. Indirect lobbying, which is also called grassroots lobbying, enlists the help of the community.

• Methods of direct lobbying include personal meetings, telephone conversations, individually written letters or faxes, mass mailings, and petitions. The most effective techniques are personal meetings and telephone conversations.

• To help make direct lobbying more effective the lobbyist may use graphs, charts, polls and reports to get the information across to the politician. The information is used to help cast the matter in a light favorable to the interests that lobbyists represent. A member of Congress is not going to vote the way that a lobbyist wants them to just because a lobbyist says so. A member of Congress needs to be given a reason for voting a certain way.

• A lobbyist who works in Washington, whether that is on Capital Hill or at the White House, uses mostly direct lobbying techniques. However that is not always the case. When the issue is far-reaching, sometimes indirect lobbying techniques are used in conjunction with direct lobbying.

• Grassroots lobbying, which is also known as indirect lobbying, enlists the help of the community to influence politicians. Although there are many people involved in this type of lobbying, a professional lobbyist is often needed to set up and organize the different methods being used. Many of the organizations that use direct lobbying techniques also use indirect lobbying. Most of this takes place at the state and local level.

• Methods of indirect lobbying include writing and calling your member of Congress. For this to be effective a large number of people need to be involved. Ten or twenty is not enough to persuade a member to vote a certain way. The more people that participate in these methods the more the issue will be listened to, and because of this, indirect lobbying is very time consuming. Peaceful demonstrations and petitions are other methods that are used.

• The use of the media is one of the most powerful tools that can be used in grassroots lobbying. In the age that we live in, the media has a large and powerful influence over the government and their agenda. This means that the more media attention that a cause receives the more likely that Congress is going to take up the cause. Lobbyists gain media attention by writing stories for newspapers and magazines. Lobbyists also often pop up on talk shows to discuss their issue this enabling the public to obtain a greater understanding and awareness of the issue.

• In a typical day a lobbyist will meet with different members of Congress and their staff. The purpose is to persuade them to vote in a way that favors the lobbyist is position. An important part of a lobbyist's job is also to know all the information that there is on the topic for which that he/she is lobbying. This is necessary so that the lobbyist can easily convey the points needed to persuade a person to vote their way on a piece of legislation.

• For a lobbyist to be effective there are several characteristics that he or she needs to have. When it comes to direct lobbying a lobbyist needs to be on good terms with politicians and their staff. Often times a lobbyist and the organization that they work for help to raise money for the campaigns of people who support the cause. Personal charm, the ability to be persuasive and self-confidence are important in this job. Without it a lobbyist’s ability to do his/her job is drastically undermined.

• There is no specific college degree that a person must have to be a lobbyist. Most lobbyists do have at least an undergraduate degree, and some have a graduate degree.

• Areas of study for people that are interested in a career in lobbying are communications, economics, English, history, international affairs, political science, public affairs, and public relations.

• A person who is in college and interested in lobbying should think about getting an internship, either during the school year or over the summer. Types of internships that would be beneficial are in a congressional office, a government agency or with a lobbying firm.

• There are three different levels of government that a lobbying organization can lobby. They are Federal, state and local. Most lobbying organizations such as the NRA, for example, do not lobby just at the Federal level but also at the state levels. Most organizations have state and local chapters, which deal with lobbying in their area.

• At the Federal level there are many different organizations involving in lobbying. People who are targeted at the Federal level are members of Congress and the White House. Other government agencies are also targeted.The issues range from guns to the environment to the to the elderly. When looking for an employer, a person needs to keep in mind the issue that they would be working on.

• Organizations that lobby at the state level deal with issues that pertain to their state and state laws. Most of the organizations are the same as at the Federal level. A lobbyist at the state level mostly works with state politicians.

• Lobbying at the local level is most likely to be indirect lobbying. Most large organizations have local chapters that work on lobbying local politicians.

• Washington '00 (A comprehensive directory of the area's major institutions and the people who run them)
• National Trade & Professional Associations of the United States
• Congressional Quarterly's Washington Information Directory 1999-2000
• The Metropolitan Washington DC JobBank 2000

Greenpeace
1436 U Street
NW Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: 202-462-1177, Fax: 202-462-4507
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
601 East Street
NW Washington, DC 20049
Telephone: 202-434-2277, Fax: 202-434-2320
http://www.aarp.org

American Automobile Association
1440 New York., NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: 202-942-2050, Fax: 202-783-4798
www.aaa.com

American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
815 16^th Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: 202-637-5000, Fax: 202-637-5058
http://www.aflcio.org


Associations

Women in Government Relations
6232 Roudsby Lane
Alexandria, VA 22315
Telephone: 703-971-9205, Fax: 703-971-6997
http://www.wgr.org