mail/e-mail management

Communicating with Congress: Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialogue — The culmination of 9 years of research that provides recommendations for all stakeholders and suggests improvements to the structure and processes for managing congressional communications. 

Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement — The results of survey research with 10,000+ citizens about their interactions with Congress and their corresponding perceptions and expectations.

Communicating with Congress: How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy — Analysis of focus groups, surveys, and interviews of congressional staff regarding their attitudes and practices with respect to constituent communications.

E-mail Overload in Congress: Managing a Communications Crisis — The obstacles to responding via e-mail, key principles for an effective system, and the steps to automating congressional e-mail.

Profile of E-mailers — Constituents who are politically active online and those who contact politicians are significantly more likely to be "Influentials" in their communities.

Common Office Objections to Technology — Answers to some common objections to technology, including answering e-mail with e-mail and upgrading the Web site.

Make Techology Work for You — 9 tips on how to maximize the benefits from constituent correspondence while minimizing the time devoted to it.

Strategies to Get E-mail Out Faster and More Effectively — A short summary of 7 strategies to improving e-mail systems in congressional offices.

Mail Management — Key components and guidelines for creating and operating an effective and efficient constituent correspondence system.

Model Mail System FAQs — Frequently asked questions about the CMF Model Mail System.

Dealing with Backlogged Mail in Congressional Offices — 5 recommendations for responding to backlogged mail.

web site management/development

2007 Gold Mouse Report: Lessons from the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill — A study of all congressional Web sites including the CMF Gold Mouse Award winners.

2006 Gold Mouse Report: Recognizing the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill — A study of all congressional Web sites including the CMF Gold Mouse Award winners.

Congress Online 2003: Turning the Corner on the Information Age — The 2003 best practices report on congressional Web sites which recognizes the 2003 Mouse Award winners.

Congress Online: Assessing and Improving Capitol Hill Web Sites — The 2002 best practices report on congressional Web sites which recognizes the 2002 Mouse Award winners.

Common Office Objections to Technology — Answers to some common objections to technology, including answering e-mail with e-mail and upgrading the Web site.

Make Technology Work for You — 9 tips on how to maximize the benefits from constituent correspondence while minimizing the time devoted to it.

e-newsletter management/development

How to Create & Manage E-Newsletters (69 KB) — 10 tips to create the best e-newsletter, how to increase subscribers, and 5 rules for managing the e-newsletter process.

cmf mail and technology services

Mail Assessments — Summaries of CMF services that assist offices with improving their mail and e-mail systems: in-depth assessments or one-day constituent mail workshops.

"Effective Constituent Correspondence" Training Programs — Beginner and advanced courses, offered periodically by CMF through a contract with the CAO, teach House staff how to write better, faster, and more effective constituent mail.