Tier 4

t - Targeting

Targeting

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Interpretations

Before executing, identify which interpretation matches the user’s input:

Interpretation 1 — Building an advocacy target database: The user is launching a policy advocacy campaign and needs to identify, tier, and build dossiers on congressional targets (legislators and staff) for outreach. Interpretation 2 — Refreshing or expanding an existing target list: The user already has a target database but needs to update it for a new legislative session, staff turnover, or expanded policy scope. Interpretation 3 — Prioritizing outreach within a known set: The user already knows who the targets are but needs help scoring, tiering, and developing personalized engagement strategies for each.

If ambiguous, ask: “I can help with building a target database from scratch, refreshing an existing list, or prioritizing outreach for known targets — which fits?” If clear from context, proceed with the matching interpretation.

Overview

Build comprehensive database of advocacy targets with personalized dossiers

Steps

Step 1: Committee mapping

Map relevant congressional committees for each selected policy:

  1. Identify primary House committee with jurisdiction
  2. Identify primary Senate committee with jurisdiction
  3. Identify relevant subcommittees
  4. Note committee chairs and ranking members
  5. Identify recent relevant hearings or markup activity
  6. Document committee staff leadership

Create committee-policy mapping matrix.

Step 2: Staff identification

Build comprehensive staff target list:

Committee Staff (from committee websites, LegiStorm):

  • Staff Director
  • Chief Counsel
  • Policy Director
  • Professional staff for relevant issue areas

Member Office Staff (from LegiStorm, office websites):

  • Legislative Directors (LDs)
  • Legislative Assistants (LAs) for relevant policy areas
  • Policy advisors

For each staff member found:

Step 3: Initial scoring and tiering

Score all targets for prioritization:

Scoring factors:

  • On relevant committee: +3 points
  • Committee chair/ranking member staff: +2 points
  • Known swing vote legislator staff: +2 points
  • Stated interest in policy area: +2 points
  • Staff (vs legislator): +1 point (accessibility)
  • Recent relevant activity: +1 point

Tier assignment:

  • Tier 1: 7+ points (highest priority)
  • Tier 2: 4-6 points (medium priority)
  • Tier 3: 1-3 points (lower priority)

Sort targets within each tier by score.

Step 4: Tier 1 dossier creation

Build comprehensive dossiers for each Tier 1 target:

Basic Information:

  • Full name, current position, organization
  • Party affiliation (if applicable), state
  • Contact: email, phone, office address, LinkedIn, Twitter

Background:

  • Education (degree, school, year)
  • Career history (previous positions)
  • Policy focus areas
  • Notable achievements or publications

Positions and Activity (for legislators):

  • Relevant votes
  • Public statements on policy area
  • Committee assignments
  • Sponsored/cosponsored bills

Influences:

  • Top donors (if legislator)
  • Key endorsements
  • Important relationships/allies

Opportunity Analysis:

  • Why they might support this policy
  • Potential objections with prepared counters
  • Best framing approach for their values
  • Timing considerations (upcoming hearings, elections)

Step 5: Tier 2 profile creation

Build basic profiles for Tier 2 targets:

Required fields:

  • Name, title, organization
  • Email and phone
  • Party (if applicable), state
  • Committee assignments
  • Brief background (2-3 sentences)
  • Policy interests
  • Initial receptivity assessment (High/Medium/Low)
  • Recommended approach (brief notes)

Skip deep research; focus on actionable contact information.

Step 6: Tier 3 contact compilation

Compile contact list for Tier 3 targets:

Required fields only:

  • Name
  • Title
  • Organization
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Brief relevance note (1 sentence)

These serve as backup targets and for volume outreach.

Step 7: Personalization development

Create personalization notes for each Tier 1 target:

Opening Hook:

  • Personalized first sentence referencing their specific work
  • Connection to their stated interests or recent activity

Key Relevance Point:

  • Why this policy matters to them specifically
  • Connection to their constituents or committee work

Value Offer:

  • What we can provide that helps them
  • Research, briefings, constituent connections

Specific Ask:

  • Tailored ask based on their position/influence
  • Appropriate for their role (staff vs legislator)

Tone:

  • Formal vs conversational based on their style
  • Political framing appropriate to their perspective

Step 8: Database population

Enter all targets into advocacy database:

For each target, populate:

  • name, title, organization, org_type
  • email, phone
  • party, state, committees
  • interests, profile_notes
  • tier, status (default: “not_contacted”)

Verify data integrity:

  • No duplicate entries
  • All required fields populated
  • Email format validated

When to Use

  • After selecting policies for advocacy campaigns
  • When building outreach target database from scratch
  • Refreshing target list for new legislative session
  • Expanding outreach to new committees or jurisdictions
  • Preparing for coordinated multi-target campaign
  • After major staff turnover in target offices

Verification

  • At least 50 targets identified across all tiers
  • All Tier 1 targets have comprehensive dossiers with opportunity analysis
  • All Tier 2 targets have verified contact information
  • Personalization notes are specific to individuals, not generic templates
  • Committee coverage is complete for all selected policies
  • Database is fully populated with validated data
  • Tier distribution matches targets (15-20 T1, 20-30 T2, 10+ T3)