Action Alert Instructions

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There are other features of our Congress Web service that you may find useful:

1. If the NRLN has activated this feature, after you have emailed your letter to your elected representatives, you will have the option to select a number of publications from a news media list to send a message to the editor. Usually, the NRLN will provide a suggested message to the editor.

1. You have the option, if you have a Facebook page, to click on a Facebook icon to post a link to the NRLN’s Action Alert on your Facebook page. After you click on the Facebook icon the link to the Action Alert will appear and the option to “Write Something”. You may want to type in something like Email the NRLN’s sample letter to your members of Congress. Click the “Share” icon to post your comment and the Action Alert link.
2. Also after emailing your letter you have the option, if you have a Twitter account, to scroll down to “Send a Tweet” and click on the “Submit” buttons to send the short message to each of your members of Congress.
3. Scroll down further to “Tell a Friend” and you will have the option to quickly email a message to your friends to ask them to access the NRLN Action Alert. Simply type or paste in their email addresses into a window. Separate the email addresses with a comma.
4. Further down the webpage is “Share on your Web Site” that is only for the use of Webmasters.

In addition to the NRLN’s Action Alert and Sample Letter capabilities you can do the following:

1. To write your own personal letter to the President and/or your members of Congress, enter your 5-digit zip code in the window inside the “Contact Your Representative” box with the photo of the U.S. Capitol on the NRLN home page. The “Compose Your Own Message” capability is also available on the Legislative Action Center webpage. Click on the Respond to Action Alert option under this Legislative Action tab.
2. A Congressional Directory or Media Directory can be accessed from the NRLN home page by clicking on the “Contact” tab and making your selection.

Action Alert Instructions

The NRLN uses Congress Web for its Action Alerts and Compose Your Own Message to elected representatives in the federal government. The service is provided by The Soft Edge, a firm that has for 5 years been rated #1 in customer satisfaction in the Public Affairs Council software survey.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Click on the “Take Action Now” headline near the top of the NRLN home page.
2. Under the Legislative Action Center heading there is the option to click on “Bills” to read information about the bill(s) in the Action Alert is in regard to a bill. The bills have a link to a list of the co-sponsors. If your Representative or Senator is a co-sponsor, you are encouraged to add a sentence to the Sample Letter to thank him or her for being a co-sponsor. Now, click on the “Take Action” button under the Action Alert.
3. Clicking on the “Take Action” button will take you directly to the NRLN’s Sample Letter. To the left of the letter are windows to type in your contact information required by members of Congress so they know they are receiving an email from constituents. You are encouraged to insert your personal comments in the letter.
4. Below the windows for your contact information are two “checked” statements. The first statement is “Remember Me”. By leaving this statement checked, the next time you access an NRLN Sample Letter your personal information will automatically appear so you do not need to type it in. In addition, in the future the names and photos of your elected representatives will automatically appear. The other statement is “I would like to receive email in the future”. Leaving this statement checked will ensure that you will continue to receive NRLN emails by updating your email address if it has changed.
5. Click on the “Preview” button and the letters addressed to your government leaders will appear. Check the letters to your elected representatives and then click “Send”.