Send a written invitation 2 weeks before the event to the mayor of your community and any other local elected officials you feel would be appropriate, as well as leaders of local community organizations related to Alzheimer’s disease and aging or Alzheimer’s research organizations. The local postmaster or district manager should sign the invitations.
Follow up on the written invitation with a telephone call to the elected official’s scheduler within a week if you have not received a reply. You may need to call more than once.
Keep in touch with all elected officials who respond. If asked, provide updated information to the elected official’s staff as it becomes available (such as who else is participating, where and when to meet, what his or her role will be, etc.). Stress that remarks should be brief and limited to the unveiling of the Alzheimer’s Awareness stamp and recognition of the role the U.S. Postal Service® plays in raising public awareness of health and social issues through its stamp program.
If you create a program, include names of all participating elected officials on the program as honored guests, and mention them in all media advisories.
Send a written thank you letter to all elected officials who participated in the ceremony, expressing your appreciation.
Provide copies of any newspaper articles about the event to their offices. Even though they might see those articles on their own, you can take the opportunity to remind them of the press coverage the event received.
Provide a small supply of extra cachets or covers with the special cancellation, if applicable, to elected officials, even to those who could not attend. These make great give-aways and serve as a positive reminder of the event.
Obtain and frame a photo of the elected official posing beside the stamp image and make an appointment to present it in person, if possible. A matted, well-framed photograph stands a good chance of being hung on the wall of the official’s office, again serving as a positive reminder of the event.
Keep in touch with your elected officials. Good relationships are built over time.
