Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week Communications Toolkit

A vital component of your visit to DC during Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week is communications. Communications allows you to expand on “the why” that drives your river protection work while educating your members, supporters, and partners. Collectively, communications from all Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition members attending Hill Week amplifies our engagements on important legislation and policy issues. Here are some recommended communications to plan into your schedule before, during, and after Hill Week to maximize your visit.

Opportunities:

Mediums:

  • Text (3-5 paragraphs)
  • Photos (1-2)
  • Short videos (2 min or less)
  • Graphics (1-2)

Recommended Tools:

  • Cell phone
  • Bluetooth microphone (recommended)
  • Cell phone tripod (optional)

 

Op-Ed

Writing a local Op-Ed allows you and your organization to share your opinions and educate people in your community. It is a helpful tool to get your message out and it typically comes at no cost to you.

Op-Eds will have word limits, so you will want to do your research before you begin writing. It is also best to submit them well in advance of when you would like to see them in print, to ensure it meets your timeline.

For Hill Week, we recommend submitting an op-ed before and/or after your meetings. Writing one before your meetings, allows you to share why you are going to DC and the importance of these meetings to your campaign or issue. Writing one after your meetings allows you to share your experience, thank the Congressional offices you met with, and hold them accountable to promises they made during your meetings.

Blog

If you have access to a blog through your organization, this is a great tool to inform your members, followers, and supporters about Hill Week, why it is important, and what issues you will be advocating for. This provides transparency to members and followers, is a concrete metric for financial supporters and grantors, and further educates those who already have an interest in the work you do.

Writing a blog after Hill Week allows you to share photos, summarize your experience, and share any positive outcomes from your meetings. This is also an opportunity to request action from your members or followers, such as signing onto a support letter or asking them to contact their Congressional members.

Social Media

Social media (FaceBook, X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) is a simple and effective tool that can be used pre, post, and during Hill Week.

Before

Social media posts before Hill Week can be created letting your audience know you are heading to the hill, what you are advocating for, and why it is important. Consider sharing a photo of a river you’re advocating for (be sure to credit the photographer). Consider the following:

  • “We are heading to Washington DC March 18-22 to advocate on behalf of _________. The meetings that take place during #WildandScenicHillWeek are critical to the work we are doing to protect the _________ river. The ___________ is important to the state of __________ because it__________. #ForTheRivers”
  • “Heading to Capitol Hill March 18-22 to tell our legislators why _______ is so important to the state of ________! This year during #WildandScenicHillWeek we will speak to what the _________ river means to us and why protecting it is critical.”
  • “Our team is hitting the hill during #WildandScenicHillWeek to have important discussions about why it is imperative we protect the ____________ river! We must protect the __________ river because ______________. We look forward to sharing with our legislators how they can help. #ProtectOurRivers”

After

Posts after Hill Week are a great opportunity to recap your Hill visit. Photos and short videos are great visuals for your post. Ensure the images are clear and if including video, ensure the sound is good quality (a blue tooth microphone is highly recommended here – Lisa will have two iphone mics for use in DC). Videos should be short and sweet, 30 seconds or less is ideal. Consider the following, and use any hashtags already in play for your issues:

  • “#WildandScenicHillWeek was a great success! We met with ## legislators advocating on behalf of ___________. The work isn’t over but this week allowed for some wonderful progress toward protecting our beloved river. #ForTheRivers”
  • “That’s a wrap for #WildandScenicHillWeek 2024! We made great progress meeting with many legislators to explain why protection for ___________ is critical. We look forward to continuing our advocacy. #ProtectOurRivers”
  • “Over the course of the week our team of ## met with ## legislators to advocate for protection of _____________. Check out the recap video of our week on The Hill!”

During

Content during Hill Week is great for sending out timely thank you messaging to Congressional offices you meet with. During your meeting, ask for a photo with the Congressional Member. Be sure to tag and thank your Congressional Members! Consider the following:

  • “Thank you ______________ for listening to us today on why protection for ________________ is so vital to our communities. We appreciate your time and support on this important issue.”
  • “Today we met with ___________________ to talk about why the __________________ deserves #WildandScenic designation. We appreciate your time ___________________!”

 

Emails

Emails are an excellent way to connect with your members, supporters, and networks directly with personalized content. Emails are useful before and after Hill Week.

Before Hill Wek, you can let your contacts know that you are attending and why. It is a good idea to give a little context behind any bills that you may be advocating for. Keeping emails short and sweet ensures recipients read through to the end. When adding additional information about bills, hyperlinks are an excellent tool! It is also helpful to insert a Call to Action (CTA).

A CTA can be as simple as saying “Follow us on our social channels to stay informed!” or as complex as “Send a letter to Rep. …. today!” CTAs give your members and supporters concrete ways they can help the cause and be part of the solution.

After Hill Week, an email can summarize your Congressional office visits, reactions to asks, and share next steps and/or key upcoming dates.

Email template:

Subject – We’re Hitting the Hill During Wild & Scenic Rivers Hill Week

As a member of the Wild and Scenic Coalition, we are excited to join our partners in Washington D.C. during Wild and Scenic Hill Week. We have a series of meetings throughout the week with Senators and Representatives from <insert state>. This year we are focusing on:

<Insert bulleted list of bills/actions with brief description and hyperlink and additional sites for more information>

Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week is an important time to talk about our beloved rivers and how we can continue to work toward protecting them. A Wild and Scenic Designation is the strongest protection we have for our rivers and all that depend on them.

You can be part of the solution too. Join us by <insert action>.

Together, we can ensure our rivers are protected so they can continue providing for us and our future generations.