Make Your Voice Heard

Skidmore Public Policy Prize 

Tips for writing effective letters and proposals

Effective letters will:

• Begin with a formal salutation and be addressed correctly. (Remember that the audience for this letter will vary depending on one’s issue.  For example, if one is writing to the United States Department of Agriculture about a state issue, it may make more sense to write to the State Director rather than the Deputy Undersecretary);
• Open with a sentence that identifies the issue/problem statement and what the student wants to be done;  
• Contain the student’s mailing address so that the elected official can confirm them as a constituent and the elected official can write back;
• Be signed and dated;
• Include citations for all primary and secondary sources used in preparing the letter and the proposal.

Tips for writing a proposal:

Adapted from A.J. Schneller's course, "US Public Lands and Oceans: Policy, Law, Management, and Current Events"

Proposals should be creative, comprehensive, and multi-faceted action plans that are meaningful, thoughtful, and complex. Don't skimp on the details.  Please make sure this section of your application is thoughtfully designed.  A detailed proposal should be something that could realistically be implemented by you, including specifics on how this plan will come to fruition and your reasoning for choosing the action plan that you propose.

Some possible actions include:

Persuasive plans
An individual or group of people try to convince others that a certain action is correct (meetings, hearings, advertisements, outreach, and education). Implement a multi-stakeholder campaign using a collaborative approach.

Consumerism
Buying or not buying something based on your philosophy, or organizing a boycott, media campaigns, advertisements, billboards, etc.

Political Action
Politicians respond to pressure! Agency officials, elected leaders, letters, letters to the editor, petitions, emails, phone calls, meetings, media. NEPA and ESA process with federal agencies, films, FOIA.

Direct Action
Protests, rallies, lawsuits, civil disobedience.