Building Trust & Effectiveness in Congress
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  • Happy Constitution Week

    September 17-23

    On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was signed by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The Congressional Management Foundation wishes you a happy Constitution Week in celebration of the anniversary of that historic occasion.

  • Nominations Open for 2019 Democracy Awards!

    Learn more about why we created this honors program for Members of Congress and their staffs, check out photos from this year's ceremony, and nominate an office for excellence.

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  • Work-Life Webinar on Sept. 27

    The "Workflex Toolkit for Congress" is a combination of advice, research, and worksheets designed to help educate congressional managers and employees about flexibility in the workplace. Join us Sept. 27 for a webinar on how workflex can be implemented in Congress.

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  • 2018 Democracy Awards Winners Announced

    CMF congratulates the inaugural Democracy Awards recipients, and salutes your years of public service. Best practices and constituent service are often overshadowed, and the Democracy Awards shine a light on effectiveness in Congress across the political spectrum in four distinct categories.

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  • State of the Congress

    CMF's latest report offers new insight into congressional dysfunction by providing an overview and context for many of the resource and operational challenges Congress has been facing over the past few decades.

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  • Congressional Office Toolkit

    Many offices rely on outdated methods, technology, and standards to interact with constituents, but CMF has exciting new data and guidance to offer Congress for improving constituent communications and making them easier to manage!

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Recent Updates

Congressional Management Foundation

Common Characteristics of Advanced Advocacy Programs

by Bradford Fitch on September 10, 2018

Every year, the Congressional Management Foundation trains thousands of citizen-advocates to effectively engage with their Members of Congress both in Washington and back home. Through these efforts, CMF has had opportunities to work with groups who have advanced advocacy programs – the kind designed to cultivate sophisticated advocates, targeted strategies, yielding significant results in the public policy arena.

These programs run the gamut from anti-hunger nonprofits to industry associations. Because CMF works with many of these advanced-advocate programs, we've been able to identify common characteristics nearly all of them possess. For grassroots professionals working for nonprofits, associations, and companies looking to build their programs, these are some traits you should aim to develop.

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Advocacy Training
 

Upcoming Event: Webinar on Workplace Flexibility in Congress

by CMF on September 12, 2018

This webinar, hosted by CMF and SHRM as part of the "Life in Congress project," will feature the "Workflex Toolkit for Congress," a practical guide with worksheets, assessments, and tips for how to make flexible working options a reality in your office. Join us September 27 for this online briefing that also will feature congressional managers who have implemented family-friendly or more flexible policies in their office.

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congressional operations, employee engagement, job satisfaction, retention, work-life
 

Citizen Engagement: What Works and What Doesn't

on August 16, 2018

By Seth Turner and Chip Felkel

Last week, The Congressional Management Foundation and the RAP Index joined forces on a webinar, Citizen Engagement: What Works and What Doesn't, which raised questions as to whether the most common grassroots advocacy tactic – identical mass email campaigns to Congress – actually are a good return on investment.

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Advocacy Training, PMPU Events
 

Call for Nominations - 2019 Democracy Awards

by CMF on August 08, 2018

Does your office provide outstanding constituent service? Do you incorporate performance management best practices and creative work-flex policies into your office culture? Maybe your Member excels in transparency or your colleagues use innovative techniques to improve staff-constituent communication?

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CONGRESSIONAL OPERATIONS

CMF works internally with House and Senate offices to foster improved management practices. From interns to Chiefs of Staff to Members themselves, CMF provides services adapted to the unique congressional environment. Read more

Commonly Used Resources

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ABOUT CMF

Inside of Capitol Dome

CMF is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to build trust and effectiveness in Congress. We do this by enhancing the performance of the institution, legislators and their staffs through research-based education and training, and by strengthening the bridge and understanding between Congress and the People it serves.

Read more about CMF