When you meet with a legislator or staffer, communicating your message clearly and succinctly is critical to a successful meeting. A “one pager” helps effectively deliver your message and facilitates a productive conversation on the issues of importance to you and your organization.
Meeting with a legislator or staff person in the district office or on Capitol Hill is a great way to share your rare disease story, information about your disease and/or organization, and problems that you and/or your organization face. We recommend creating a one pager to use as a tool during a meeting and to leave behind with the legislator or staffer at the end of the meeting.
A one pager is a brief fact sheet and should be one single page. When creating a one pager, present the information clearly and use concise bullet points.
A one pager should include:
- A brief statement on the organization you represent (if applicable) and what the organization does.
- A brief summary of the problem that you are seeking help on. Use data and reference studies (when applicable) to support your position on the issue.
- A brief summary of the solution to the problem, such as legislation, and what it will do for you and/or your community.
- What your legislator can do to help, also known as the “Ask.” Examples: Cosponsor H.R. 1, vote against H.R. 2, sign onto a letter in support of X, etc.
- Include a list of supporters such as a group of other organizations that support your position or piece of legislation, the cosponsors of the legislation, and/or the other signers of the letter.
- Include your contact information so that the legislator and staff person can contact you if they have any questions.
