No, the glow from the two year extension of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) still hasn’t worn off.

The most important part of this victory, as with all of them that have come before, was you—specifically, your willingness to go the extra mile to build relationships with your Members and their staff.  All of the meetings we complete during the Promise Campaign and Government Day and each successive Children’s Congress event—they all combine to make sure that when you (and all of our Advocates) call and email to ask for something that your message has an immediate impact.

The challenge from the standpoint of building an Advocacy program is that this relationship-building process really never ends.  So, we’re always working to make that process easier and more meaningful for both you and your members.

This process is also more effective the earlier we start it—hence our focus in January on meeting with newly-elected members.  We’ve got a huge crop of new members—over 100 in total across both the House and Senate.  Almost universally, members remember JDRF and our legislative priorities just because we make the effort to be one of the first organizations to reach out. Thus, the program name, the New Member Outreach Initiative (NMOI).

As always, we’ll need everyone’s help to complete all of these meetings.  I know that many of you have done these meetings in the past and I’m hoping that even more of you are interested in participating in this new member campaign.

So, I need some help.  In the comments below, let me know:

1. If you’d like to help coordinate a meeting (if you’re not sure if you have a new member, just note your interest and I can confirm it for you).
2. If you have any ideas for tools and resources that would make having these meetings easier, more fun, more rewarding, etc.

For those interested in attending a local meeting, you can also note it below or text the word NEW to 37420 using your mobile phone. We’ll also have a simple web form ready for you to note your interest in early January.

Thanks!

Hasan