Find out who your Senators are

Everyone who lives in a US state has two Senators (sorry, DC and US territories!). To find out who your Senators are, click here, or go to www.senate.gov.

Call each of your Senators and talk to their staff who works on global AIDS

Once you have their phone number, call your Senator one at a time. You will likely be put on hold before getting to speak to a receptionist. They will say "Senator Smith's office. How can I help you?". You want to ask to speak to the staff person who works on global AIDS and foreign policy. They will transfer you to that staff person.

Explain your request

When the receptionist transfers you to the staff person who works on global AIDS and foreign policy, you will have two options.

1. Leave a message: If you don't reach the person you are trying to talk to, then you will need to leave a message. Often on the voicemail, the staffer will give you their email. Write that down! Then, the best thing to say in a message is "Hi, my name is ________ and I am from (organization, city, state, whatever you think is relevant). I am calling because I am concerned that global AIDS programs will fail if they do not see an increase in funding in 2012. The US government has done amazing things by funding the fight against AIDS, and millions of lives have been saved. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand sent a letter to the President calling for more funding for global AIDS in 2012. I am wondering if Senator ___ would be willing to follow their example and send a similar letter by the end of this week. I will email you with their letter. Again, my name is _____. You can reach me back at ___(your phone number)___. Thank you."
2. Talk to the staff person: Once you get the staff person on the phone, you want to explain why you're calling and what you want them to do. Tell them that you think it's critical that the US government continue to invest in the fight against global AIDS, and that you were impressed that Senators Schumer and Gillibrand sent a letter to the White House asking for more funding for global AIDS. Ask them directly if the Senator would be wiling to send a letter to the White House asking for an increase in funding in 2012. Tell them you can send them the letter that Schumer and Gillibrand sent, if they'd like an example. Then, ask for their email address and thank them for their time.

Follow up with an email

It is very important to follow up with an email to the staff person. You should attach the letter from Schumer and Gillibrand (which you can read and download below), and explain in your email why you want them to send the letter. You should reiterate that the letter needs to be sent this week, since the President's budget will be released next Monday. Then, make sure to give them your contact information and ask them to call or email you with any questions.

If you know the staff person's name, but not their email, then you can guess their email because all Senators' staff email addresses follow the same format - firstname.lastname@senatorsname.senate.gov (ie: john.anderson@smith.senate.gov)