Advocacy Toolkit
Thank you for advocating on behalf of the more than 3 million Americans with celiac disease.
The Celiac Disease Foundation Advocacy Toolkit contains the resources you need to meet with your Members of Congress as a Celiac Disease Foundation State Advocacy Ambassador. Our Legislative Resources will help prepare you for these meetings. Leave Behinds are for you to print and give to your Members of Congress.
By building a relationship over time – through letters, emails, phone calls, and visits – you have a much better chance of convincing your Members of Congress to support issues important to the celiac community. Use the tools below to grow your relationship year-round.
Remember to email us at [email protected] to update us on your advocacy activities and send any pictures you take with your Member of Congress.
Legislative Resources
Our resources will help you develop your advocacy skills, learn our legislative priorities, and feel comfortable sharing your story with Members of Congress, also known as legislators.
Celiac Disease Foundation Public Policy Priorities
The Celiac Disease Foundation Public Policy Priorities lists our current and future policy priorities. These include our current “asks” of Congress, as well as our future goals.
How to Set Up Meetings With Your Legislators
How to Set Up Meetings with Your Legislators includes tips to help you make the most of your Congressional meetings as well as a sample script you can use to request a meeting with your legislator.
The Essential Guide to Legislation by POLITICO Pro
POLITICO Pro’s Essential Guide to Legislation breaks down each step of the the legislative process to give you a basic understanding of how a bill becomes a law. Knowledge of this process will better equip you to advocate for the Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act.
Crafting Your Story to Affect Change
Use the prompts in Crafting Your Story to Affect Change to learn how to effectively share your (or another’s) celiac disease story to impact public policy.
Legislative Meeting Thank You Note Template
Use the Legislative Meeting Thank You Note Template to follow up with the Congressional Members or staff you met with and reiterate key points you discussed.
Find Information About Your Legislators
Use these resources to find out who your Congressional representatives are and how to contact them.
Keeping in Touch With Your Legislators
One contact, letter, or meeting may not influence your legislator’s decision on an issue. But by building a relationship with your legislators and their staff – through emails, letters, phone calls, and visits – you can make an impact. Feel free to reach out to them regularly – a phone call or email every now and then helps remind them of celiac disease issues.
You could forward emails from the Celiac Disease Foundation to show how research discoveries are improving the lives of people with celiac disease or tag your legislator in a social media re-post or re-tweet. Legislators especially like to see news about what’s happening in their state or district. You could send an article about a local scientist working in celiac disease or a person whose story illustrates why celiac disease research is needed. We will post suggestions throughout the year for ways to keep in touch with them.
By developing this relationship, you also become a trusted resource, and your legislators may come to you when they need information or the patient point of view. They are likely to want the facts when it comes time to consider a particular bill, and you can be a valuable asset. We are here to help you become your legislators’ state expert on celiac disease. Our advocacy team is always available to help prepare you for a call or meeting, and to meet with your legislators or their staff in Washington, DC.
Please contact Amanda Halligan at [email protected] and 818.716.1513, x111 for assistance.
Leave Behinds
Once you have a meeting set up with your Congressional representative or their staff, print out the leave behinds to bring with you. Leave behinds give background information about what you are asking the representative or staffer to do while also physically leaving something for them to remember you by.
We recommend printing double-sided for the documents that are longer than a page, and printing on 28 lb color copy paper for a professional look.
H.R. 2074-The Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019 (House Version)
The Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act will make it easier to identify gluten in prescription drugs. This legislation would require drug manufacturers to label medications intended for human use with the list of ingredients, their source, and whether gluten is present.
The Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act has different bill numbers in the House and Senate, so make sure you bring the appropriate leave behind when meeting with your House Representative, U.S. Senator, or their staff. Download the House version below.
S. 3021- The Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019 (Senate Version)
This is the Senate version of the Gluten in Medicine leave behind- bring it to meetings with your U.S. Senators, or their staff.
About the Celiac Disease Foundation and Celiac Disease Facts and Figures
The Celiac Disease Facts and Figures leave behind contains compelling statistics about celiac disease to illustrate why better treatments and a cure are desperately needed.
Our About the Celiac Disease Foundation leave behind provides background information about the Celiac Disease Foundation and lists our top two public policy asks.
Social Media
Raise awareness about celiac disease using our Social Media Toolkit. The Social Media Toolkit provides materials and sample posts to educate your social media network about celiac disease. Part of being an advocate is using all available channels to educate about celiac disease- social media is one of the most effective ways to build and inform your advocacy network.
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