Five Things You Can Do Today!

Contribute to a cause: There are over 147,000 associations in the United States. One of them, at least, is likely working on the causes you care about.. Use your favorite search engine to search on some key words about your issue and the word "association." You can also check out John Oliver's List

Know Who Your Legislators Are: Go to the House "Write Your Rep" site to find your specific legislators. While you can let off some steam by signing petitions and writing to members of the Congressional leadership, know that members of Congress listen to the people they represent. Writing to people who don't represent you is not a good use of time.

Learn About Your Legislators: Go to Vote Smart to learn more about your legislators. Review their bios, recent speeches and ratings from associations to get a better feel for their politics.

Follow Your Legislators on Social Media: Most legislators, both incumbent and newly-elected, are on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Start following them and comment (positively) on their current activities. Yes, even if you're incredibly frustrated, try to be positive in your comments. That's far more likely to capture attention than rants.

Learn About the Process: You don't need to be an expert, but it would be good for your outreach efforts if you knew a little more about government than you can learn in Schoolhouse Rock (don't get me wrong. I loved it). Got to the Library of Congress site to learn more about how a bill becomes a law--or doesn't.