___You have decided who you will write to ___The official you have chosen has the authority to make a decision about your issue ___You have begun the letter in an official manner, including the official’s full name and title ___The purpose for which you are writing is clear ___You have summarized your understanding of the issue ___The general impact that you expect to occur if a particular decision is made is stated ___You have explained your position on this issue in detail ___The positive and negative effects the decision will have on you are described ___You have identified others who may be affected by the decision ___Statistics have been included if available and appropriate ___You have told the official about appropriate actions and decisions he or she has made in the past ___The action that you want taken is stated specifically ___If your letter opposes some action, you have offered an alternative ___You have offered your help if you have available time ___You have thanked the official for their time ___The letter is signed with your full name ___Your address and phone number are listed under your name at the end of the letter ___The letter you have written is free of spelling and grammatical errors ___You communicate with all potential letter writers at the start of a letter-writing campaign to inform them about the issue and the need for the campaign. ___You provide a template for the letters to be written. ___You make sure there’s help available for those for whom letter-writing is difficult. ___You use e-mail if you can.
