Hosting a Legislative “Meet and Greet”

Hosting a Legislative “Meet and Greet”
One way to increase awareness of an issue is to host a legislative reception or “meet and
greet” at your home or in your community. These “meet and greets” provide an excellent
opportunity for mental health advocates to develop or strengthen relationships with
legislators and to interact with legislators informally about a key issue or issues.
The best time to hold a “meet and greet” is May – November, when legislators are out of
legislative session. Otherwise, chances are they will be in Richmond for the legislative
session and possibly too busy to attend a “meet and greet” function.
It’s important to note that a “meet and greet” often leads to more formal discussions
about a particular issue. Discussions initiated at a reception can be followed up with a
legislative office visit.
When hosting a legislative “meet and greet”:
Determine which legislators and staff members you want to invite. Include other
NAMI members from your affiliate and mental health advocates from your
community.
Recruit people who can help with organizing the event and appoint one person as
event coordinator. Other responsibilities include obtaining refreshments, handling
invitations, and getting supplies like nametags. Ask follow NAMI members to
help fill organizing roles.
Determine the date, time and location of the event. Before you finalize the date,
check with your local legislators’ offices to determine if he/she is available. You
might need to present a couple of potential dates to increase the potential that the
legislator will be available.
Send invitations to the legislator and other invited guests at least three weeks in
advance. Request an RSVP by phone or email.
Prepare name tags for all participants. Different colors can be used for legislators
and their staff, NAMI members, community members, etc. Have blank tags on
hand for unexpected guests.
Appoint several designated greeters to welcome guests as they come to your
home. This should include the host(s) as well as other NAMI members.

The host should develop a short statement about the issue to be made at some
point during the meet and greet.
Encourage NAMI members to share their personal stories about the issue with
the legislators and their staff.
Follow up with thank you notes to special guests, volunteers and others.
Adapted from Medical Society of Virginia http://www.msv.org/MainMenuCategories/Advocacy/GettingInvolved/Grassroots-
Toolkit/Hosting-a-legislative-Meet-and-Greet.aspx