Each day we have the choice of undertaking many different actions. Each action has a different impact, each requires different amounts of time and energy. This page looks at several actions from the ACLU's Action Checklist and the impact they could have.

In general, the more time an action takes, the more attention the Member of Congress will pay. For example, a handwritten letter carries much more weight than an email. And a personal visit to the Member's office carries more weight than a phone call.

Join the ACLU Action Alert Mailing List
The weekly Action Update provides you with timely information on a breaking issue. It not only informs you about the issue, but also gives you the opportunity to send a free fax or email to your Member of Congress. When you choose to send this fax, you are providing valuable feedback to your elected representative about key civil liberties issues. Your members of Congress consider this feedback when deciding on legislation and policy. Thousands of people act on our Action Alerts each week! >Join >Checklist

Support the ACLU
With extra support from donors, the ACLU can continue to grow and do more to defend our Constitution and the principles embedded in it. If you are not already a member, join the more than 330,000 people who are. As our membership gets stronger, it helps to strengthen our voice in Congress, state legislatures and town councils around the country. >Support >Checklist

Write your Elected Officials and Members of the Administration
Members of Congress are elected to represent us. They cannot represent you unless they know what you think. Even if your Member of Congress disagrees, s/he has to listen to you because you are a constituent and you can vote them out of office. By writing our Members of Congress, we can directly impact which way they will vote or what issues they choose to focus on. Writing our elected representatives is a direct way to influence what they do while in office. >Action Alerts >Checklist

Get Informed
The only way to influence our government is to first know what it's doing. If we know what our elected representatives are doing, we can tell them what we think about their particular actions. Also, writing to your Member of Congress to tell them you support equal protection and want them to do the same does not have the same impact as writing to them and asking them to support or co-sponsor a particular bill (thereby clearly defining your expectations for them).

Being informed also keeps us from being taken by surprise when we learn, for instance, that the government has been collecting our private data and has a record of all our credit card purchases. If we are informed, we can stop invasive programs like Total Information Awareness Program before they start, rather than trying to undo a program already in operation. >ACLU.org >Checklist

Tell a Friend (or ten)
Friends have a great impact on other friends. If you educate and motivate one of your friends, that person may become passionate about some of the same issues you are, and this will allow you both to work towards protecting our civil liberties. The more people who take action to secure their rights, and who remain vigilant about what our government is doing, the easier protecting our rights will be. >"Tell a Friend" >Checklist

Discuss the issues with other interested people
By meeting with like-minded people to discuss civil liberties topics you learn more about the issues. It is also inspiring to see that other people care about these issues. You might find that your discussion leads to a collaboration on a project or the creation of something exciting. >Community >Checklist

Link to the ACLU
By linking to the ACLU's website, you are sharing the different resources available on that site. You are also demonstrating your support for the issues. In this way you are raising the awareness of people who visit your site. >add the ACLU >Checklist

Write a Letter to the Editor
Writing your opinion in your local paper is a way to share and magnify your thoughts. One letter to the editor often generates more letters to the editor and a full discussion of a key issue. This is important because your representatives read closely what is said in their local papers; it also serves to educate other people about various issues and to give them perspectives on those issues they may not have heard before. This can get more people involved in your cause, and working toward the same thing you are! > Writing Letters to the Editor >Checklist

Write your Member of Congress
By writing a personal, hand-written letter you are demonstrating to the Member that you are truly interested in this issue and that they should listen to your concerns. >Tips on Writing your Members of Congress >Checklist

Distribute Flyers and other Materials
The more we educate people about civil liberties issues, the more passionate they become and the more likely to join us in our fight. Furthermore, an informed public is a public that will make informed decisions. Even if only a few people read the information you distribute, you have probably given at least one of them something to think about and might have motivated them to take action. >Flyers >Checklist

Purchase t-shirts and other promotional materials
By wearing/displaying ACLU materials you are showing your support for our work, and you might get a chance to educate someone else about the ACLU. Furthermore, this helps fund our work while allowing you to exercise your First Amendment right to freedom of speech. >Store >Checklist

Get Trained
When you get training, you become more effective and efficient. You will therefore be better able to undertake activities and people will be more willing to participate since they can see that you are effective. Consequently, your chances of success on any venture will be improved. You owe it to your issue to get trained. >Training >Checklist

Calling Your Elected Representatives
Although it is unlikely that you will get to talk to the Member of Congress directly, you will be able to communicate your displeasure (or pleasure) with their policy on a given issue. The Member's staff will take note of your concern and often convey it in some form to the Member or their Chief of Staff. If the Member of Congress finds that their position is unpopular and untenable, your call may contribute to their changing their position. You can contact your Members of Congress through the Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121). >Checklist

Become Involved with an Affiliate of the ACLU
By becoming involved with an affiliate of the ACLU, you can take actions, raise money, and raise consciousness on local and national civil liberties issues. You also will meet other like-minded people and by working together you can make a greater difference! >ACLU affiliates >Checklist

Join a Demonstration
When you join a demonstration you are showing that you care about important issues. Elected officials and members of the public are able to see that this is a significant issue and worthy of their attention. In this way you are not only putting pressure on the elected official, you are also raising public awareness. >Checklist

Table at Events
Tabling at events will give greater exposure to your issue(s). Also, if you choose events where you might meet many like-minded people, you could recruit many new people to the cause of civil liberties! >Flyers >Checklist

Meet with your Member of Congress
An effective way to show your elected representative how much you care about a given issue is to meet with them. You should come with a good background in your issue, and with a specific request--such as to support or oppose a bill. This way, you can also learn your Member of Congress's view on the issue, and build a relationship with him or her for future contact. >Tips on Meeting with your Members of Congress >Checklist

Start a letter-writing campaign
The more letters a Member of Congress gets from their constituents, the more s/he has to sit up and take notice of what those letters are saying. If a Member of Congress does not know what her or his constituents think about a particular issue, s/he might be inclined to vote in a different way from what you want. >Checklist

Organize a public event
Public events are sometimes the best ways to get the message out. Speakers or performers can attract the media to cover your event and this would translate to covering your issue. Also, the people who come to these events will become educated about civil liberties and may join us in our cause! >Checklist

Volunteer
Many ACLU affiliates rely on volunteers. By volunteering at an affiliate you give the ACLU the gift of your time. It's a rewarding way to give, and it will help us do our jobs more effectively. >Volunteer >Checklist

Tell us your success stories
By telling us your success stories, we can tell others about your accomplishments. Such stories can inspire others to organize and become more dedicated to our cause! >Success stories >Checklist

Pass a Resolution in your Community
Communities all over the country have passed resolutions in defense of their civil liberties. These resolutions not only lay out certain actions required by local officials and government employees, they also raise awareness about the issues facing communities. >Resolutions >Checklist

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