Knowlegis – Frequently Asked Questions

The Knowlegis FAQ provides quick, short answers to our most common questions. But if you’re looking for more in-depth information, please try our main Help Index page.

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Knowlegis Data

Q: How do I find a legislator?

A: You can search for a legislator by typing the legislator’s last name in the ‘Search Legislator’ field, located on the top right of the Knowlegis site. There is also a legislator search found in first column on the Knowlegis page, along with other types of searches you can conduct.

Q: What is on a legislator’s profile page?

A: The legislator’s Profile Page is a comprehensive source for information about a particular legislator.  The page includes:

  • A biographical profile
  • Contact information
  • A listing of the legislator’s staff
  • Committees and caucuses
  • Recent press releases
  • Upcoming town hall meetings

Legislator or Staff Lists

Q: How do I make a mailing list of staffers?

A: To create and save a list of legislators (and staff):

  1. Click Create Legislator or Staff List, located under the Lists section of Knowlegis.
  2. Choose Federal or State and click Go.
  3. Choose your criteria (chamber, party, state, party, etc.) from the drop down menu.
  4. To include staff, click the Staff Option box and select the desired position(s). Click Next Step.
  5. Select the specific criteria (California, Democrat, etc.) you want to sort for from the drop down menu. Click Next Step.
  6. Save the list by clicking Save List. Enter a title and click Submit.

There are different options for searching the reports, such as narrowing the date range or filtering by note and connection type. When displayed, the report can be exported into PDF or Microsoft Excel.

Q: How do I make a mailing list of committee staffers?

A: To Create a Committee or Ad Hoc Staff List:

  1. Click Create Committee/Ad Hoc Staff List in the Lists area
  2. Click Create New List
  3. From the drop down that appears select the committee you need to add staff from or enter a Member name into the box below the drop down.
  4. Select the staff and then click Add to move the names from the left to the right
  5. Click Preview List
  6. If the list is complete click Save List
  7. Name the list and click Submit

When displayed, the report can be exported into PDF or Microsoft Excel.  You can also go back and edit these lists. NOTE: All Committee and Ad Hoc Staff Lists are static by their nature.

Q: I need to make a list of LAs for a particular political party and House. How do I do this?

A:Once you have made your 2 base lists (I.E., one for all House and one for all members of a Party), create a Combined List by following these steps:

  1. Click Create Legislator or Staff List, located under the Lists section of Knowlegis
  2. Click Go next to “Combine two lists.’
  3. Choose the desired lists from the drop down menus and the desired combination operation.
  4. Include any desired staff. Click Next Step.
  5. Save the list by clicking Save List. Enter a title and click Submit.

Q: I don’t want to email everyone in a list. Can I remove some staffers or offices from a list?

A:Yes, by converting an Active List to a Static List

  1. Click Create Legislator or Staff List, located under Communications in the Legislator Relations section of Knowlegis.
  2. Click the green arrow icon next to the Active List you want to convert.
  3. Click OK in the pop up box.

Click the notepad icon next to a Static List to include or exclude specific legislators or staff members from a list. Click Update to save your changes.

Q: How can I download a list?

A: To download a list of elected officials or staff:

  1. Click Download Data Files, located under Communications in the Legislator Relations section of Knowlegis.
  2. Choose “Create a new list”, or choose an existing list from the drop down menu. Click Next.
  3. Choose your download format from the drop down list and agree to the License Agreement.
  4. Click Download.

You can also click on the name of any Legislator or Staff list, or Ad Hoc list, and select the Download button from the results page as well

Emails to Staff

Q: How do I send an email to Congress or Hill staffers?

A: Follow these steps:

  1. Click Create/Send Message to Staff under the “Communications” section of Knowlegis.
  2. Choose ‘Create a new list’, or choose an existing list from the drop down menu. Only existing lists with a staff position(s) included will be listed. Click Next.
  3. Choose ‘Plain text format only’ or ‘HTML and plain text formats concurrently’. The HTML Format allows you options similar to those found in a word processor, such as control of the font and the ability to insert pictures. The Plain Text Format does not.
  4. Fill in the From Name, From Email, Reply-To? Email, and Delivery Date. Click set to current time to send the message as soon as possible.
  5. The Subject field can be personalized by clicking personalize subject line. Selecting ‘Chamber’ from the drop down list, for example, will fill in the recipient official’s chamber (either House or Senate). Arrange the Mail Merge tags to appear how you want them in the subject.
  6. Choose your desired Tracking Options.
  7. Write and format your HTML message. To import text, click Paste As Plain Text and then format. Select from the Mail Merge drop down list to include personalized terms.
  8. Write your Text Only message.
  9. Click Preview.
  10. To have a sample of the email sent to your own email address, enter it in the ‘E-mail preview to:’ field and click Send.
  11. Preview the message content for both the HMTL and Text Only versions. Select ‘Sample Recipient’ and click next and prev to view how the message will appear for different recipients. Select Highlight Fields to see how merge tags are being used in your message. Click Edit to go back and make changes.
  12. Click Save and Send.

Once a message has been sent, you can click on the blue grid to see reports on open/click-thru rates. If you need to recreate/re-send emails via the curled arrow beside a sent message.

Knowlegis Notes

Q: Where do my legislator notes go?

A: Legislator notes appear on a legislator profile page, under Elected Official or Lobbyist/Liaison notes.  You can read more about notes below.

Q: How do I connect someone to a Legislator’s profile page?

A: You can connect your influential contacts to legislators by creating a grassroots user (a.k.a. grassroots connection). To connect a grassroots user with a legislator:

  1. Click Connect a User directly underneath ‘Connected Users’.
  2. Search for an existing user by last name, first name or email address for the user.
  3. Or add a new user by clicking Add New User.
  4. Click the connect link to the far right of the user’s name.
  5. Fill in the Connection Type, Subject and Note fields.
  6. Click Save.

To view a Grassroots Connection, click the magnifying glass icon to the right of the user’s name. To edit a connection, click the pencil and paper icon, and to delete, click the red X icon.

Grassroots Connections can also be accessed through the link on the navigation bar, and through the Grassroots Relations section, underneath Meetings/Interactions.

Q: I made a Grassroots Connection, but I don’t have the correct “Connection Type” to describe their relationship to a legislator. How do I make a Connection Type?

A: Manage Note, Issue, And Connection Types, located in Admin, allows you to create custom Note and Connection Types, and to create Issue Types. You can also click on one of the Note, Connection or Issue Types listed to see all notes/connections assigned to that type. Follow these steps to Create a Custom Connection Type:

  1. Click Admin on the navigation bar
  2. Click Manage Note, Issue, And Connection Types
  3. Add your custom type in the field

Q: I need a new Note Type to describe a legislator meeting. How do I make a new Note Type?

A: Manage Note, Issue, And Connection Types, located in Admin, allows you to create custom Note and Connection Types, and to create Issue Types.

You can also click on one of the Note, Connection or Issue Types listed to see all notes/connections assigned to that type. Follow these steps to create a custom Note Type

  1. Click Admin on the navigation bar
  2. Click Manage Note, Issue, And Connection Types
  3. Add your custom type in the field.

Q: How do I create an Elected Official Note?

A:To create an Elected Official Note, follow the steps below:

  1. Click Add New Note underneath the Elected Official Notes in the Interactions module of the legislator’s profile page.
  2. By default, today’s date will automatically be included with the note record. To change the date, click in the ‘Date Occurred’ field and find the date you prefer in the calendar.
  3. Fill in the Subject and Note fields, in addition to any other relevant fields.
  4. To save an attachment with the note, click in the ‘Attachment’ field.
  5. Click Add Note.

To view an Elected Official Note, click the magnifying glass icon to the right of the subject’s name. To edit a note, click the pencil and note icon, and to delete, click the red X icon.

Elected Official Notes can also be created from the Knowlegis homepage by clicking Add Note, in the Notes box. Click Search Notes to search for notes based on Keywords, Note Type, Issue Type, and/or Note Category. They can also be accessed through the Reports link on the navigation bar.

Q: How do I create a Staff Note?

A: To create a Staff Note, follow the steps below:

  1. Click Add New Note directly underneath ‘Staff Notes’.
  2. By default, today’s date will automatically be included with the note record. To change the date, click in the ‘Date Occurred’ field and find the date you prefer in the calendar.
  3. Fill in the Subject and Note fields, in addition to any other relevant fields.
  4. To save an attachment with the note, click in the ‘Attachment’ field.
  5. Click Add Note.

To view a Staff Note, click the magnifying glass icon to the right of the subject’s name. To edit a note, click the pencil and note icon, and to delete, click the red X icon.

Q: How do I create a New Committee Note?

A: To create a Committee Note, follow the steps below from the individual committee pages:

  1. Click Add New Note directly underneath ‘Committee Notes’.
  2. By default, today’s date will automatically be included with the note record. To change the date, click in the ‘Date Occurred’ field and find the date you prefer in the calendar.
  3. Fill in the Subject and Note fields, in addition to any other relevant fields.
  4. To save an attachment with the note, click in the ‘Attachment’ field.
  5. Click Add Note.

To view a Committee Note, click the magnifying glass icon to the right of the subject’s name. To edit a note, click the pencil and note icon, and to delete, click the red X icon.

Q: How do I make a report on my Official, Staff, or Committee Notes?

A: The Notes Report will recall all of the notes for Legislators, Staff (Member or Committee), and/or Committees. To create a Note Report, follow the steps below:

  1. Click Reports, located in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
  2. Select a Start Date and/or End Date, or leave the fields blank to recall everything.
  3. Select a Note or Connection Type from the drop down list.
  4. Fill in any Keywords you want to search for.
  5. Select an Issue Type from the drop down list.
  6. Select from the drop down list how you want the Notes or Users to be sorted, and select Ascending or Descending.
  7. Click Go.

There are different options for searching the reports, such as narrowing the date range or filtering by note and connection type. When displayed, the report can be exported into PDF or Microsoft Excel.

Event Management

Q: How do I manage my Hill Event?

A: Use the Event Manager in Knowlegis to create a new advocacy day event. Follow these steps:

  1. Click Add New “Advocacy Day” Event.
  2. Name the event, select the start and end date, select the officials involved, and click Submit Event Details.

Edit/Review “Advocacy Day” Event will take you to existing events. Click the magnifying glass icon next to the event you want to review.

Q: How do I schedule meetings with legislators’ offices?

A: You can either schedule the meetings yourself and enter them into Knowlegis’s Event Manager:

  1. Click View/Edit Appointments from the event’s page.
  2. Click Create Appointment, located under New Appointments.
  3. Select Elected Official or Committee based on the meeting type.
  4. For Elected Officials: Enter the elected official’s last name, the date and time, the name of the person the advocate will be meeting with, and the meeting location. The elected official’s staff and office locations will be listed in drop down menus to the right.
  5. For Committees: Select the Committee from the drop down menu. The committee staff and office locations will be listed in drop down menu to the right. Enter the date and time, the name of the person the advocate will be meeting with, and the meeting location.
  6. Indicate whether or not the meeting has been confirmed.
  7. Click Save.

Q: Do I have to set up the appointments myself?

A: No, you can send your attendee a link to the self-service appointment form. You can customize the form by following these steps:

  1. Click View/Edit Appointments from the event’s page.
  2. Click Customize Self-Service? Form, located under new appointments.
  3. Customize the text that will appear on the web form and click Submit Form Details.
  4. The URL appears below New Appointments.
  5. Distribute the Self-Service? Form to your advocates/members to collect their appointment information.

 

Q: I want to give my attendees meeting forms so they can fill in their notes from the meeting. I also want to have the attendees get answers to specific questions. How do I do this?

A: By creating Appointment Feedback Forms you can add specific Issue Questions and provide these forms as PDFs to your attendees. You can also make an online web form for feedback entry. Follow these steps:

  1. Click Add Issue Question, located underneath Issue Questions.
  2. Fill in the Question, your position, and the Description and click Submit Issue.

If you need to customize the feedback form, you can do so by following these steps:

    1. Click Customize, to under Event Feedback and to the right of Feedback Form.
    2. Customize the text that will appear on the web form and click Submit Form Details.
    3. The URL appears under Event Feedback and to the right of Feedback Form.

Q: How do I enter in feedback I’ve collected?

A: There are two ways to have feedback entered. You can enter feedback internally, after having received completed feedback forms, or you can allow your advocates to enter feedback themselves, using the Feedback Form URL, located under Event Feedback.

To manually enter feedback:

  1. Click Enter Feedback, located under Event Feedback.
  2. Click the clipboard icon to the right of the scheduled appointment.
  3. Proceed to fill out the feedback form.

Previously approved or rejected feedback can be edited by clicking View/Edit.

To review new feedback:

  1. Click View/Approve, located under Event Feedback.
  2. Click the notepad icon to the right of the scheduled appointment.
  3. Click Approve, Reject, or Save Only to just save changes.

Approved feedback will be added as a new Grassroots Connection.

Q: Now that my Hill Event is over, how do I collect the attendees’ notes about their meetings with staffers and Members?

A: You can collect meetings notes using the reports feature in the event

  1. Go to View Event
  2. By the Event Details, click on Reports
  3. From here, you can run an Attendee report, a Feedback report, and a Position report
  4. Once the reports are run, they can be downloaded into PDF or Excel

NOTE: All feedback is stored as an advocate note in the Legislator Profile Pages