Hero Calls FAQ's
What's a Hero Call? A 30-second call to
your congressional leaders office to
express support for global poverty or a
specific bill that addresses global poverty.

Why is The Borgen Project so
passionate about individuals calling
their congressional leaders? The Borgen
Project has a rare level of access inside
congressional offices and the organization
has seen first hand the impact these calls
have. Political offices tally every single call
they receive and a weekly summary of
calls is given to the political leader. Anyone
making a 30-second, Hero Call can get the
issues or a specific bill noticed by their
congressional leader.

Do I need to be knowledgeable of
politics and the issues to call? No.
You're simply calling as a citizen to express
your view. You won't be quizzed. At most
they might ask for your address or zipcode
to verify that you live in the congressional
leaders district. The job of the person
answering the phone in political offices is
simply to take down your information.

What do I say? "I'm a Borgen Project
supporter and I would like to see funding
for ending global poverty increased." -
That's all there is to it. Also visit the
poverty alarm section to find specific
poverty-reduction bills that you can call in
favor of.

Who do I call? Call the two U.S. Senators
and one U.S. Representative who represent
your area. Enter your zipcode on
Congress.org to determine who your
U.S.congressional leaders are or call the
Capitol Hill switchboard and ask the
operator (202) 224-3121.

What tips do you have for getting in the
habit of calling every week? Put your
congressional leaders in your cellphone.
Anytime your bored or sitting in traffic do
a quick Hero Call.

Can I call 24/7? Yes. If you call when the
office is closed leave a message. The
messages are checked each morning and
your call will still be tallied in the memo.

What happens when I call? A staffer will
add the issue or bill you called about to a
weekly report that is sent to the political
leader. The report lists every issue and bill
voters called in support of and how many
people called for each item. Anyone
making the call can instantly get the issues
noticed by their political leader.
Start Here
1. Find the names and numbers of your
U.S. Representative and two U.S.
Senators. Click here and enter your
zipcode under "My Elected Officials."
When the results appear, the names on the
left below Barack Obama are your
Senators and Representative. Click each
name for their contact info. Put the
numbers in your cellphone or a safe place.
You can call either the D.C. office or a
local office.

2. Call all three congressional leaders
each week and say, "I'm a Borgen Project
supporter and I would like to see funding
for ending global poverty increased."

3. Welcome to the tribe! That's all there
is to it: speed dial and utter one sentence.
Call weekly and visit the Poverty Alarm
section of the site to find specific bills we
need your help building support for.
Call Your Congressional Leaders
Sample Call Log
Every call you make is tallied
and gets noticed by the political
leader. View a sample call
report as seen by the senator.
A staffer answers your call and
puts your information into a "call
log." Once a week, the staffer
sends the political leader a memo
detailing the issues and bills that
people have called about. View a
sample.
The political leader views the
memo and uses that information
to gauge public opinion and to
decide what bills to support.
The other end of the phone:
What happens when you call
The Call Log
How to Call
Senate Phone Numbers
AK      D         Mark Begich                1-202-224-3004
AK      R          Lisa Murkowski           1-202-224-6665

AL       R          Jeff Sessions                 1-202-224-4124
AL       R          Richard Shelby             1-202-224-5744

AR       D         Blanche Lincoln            1-202-224-4843
AR       D         Mark Pryor                  1-202-224-2353

AZ       R          Jon Kyl                        1-202-224-4521
AZ       R          John McCain                1-202-224-2235

CA       D         Barbara Boxer              1-202-224-3553
CA       D         Dianne Feinstein           1-202-224-3841

CO      D         Michael Bennet           1-202-224-5852
CO      D         Mark Udall                   1-202-224-5941

CT       D         Christopher Dodd         1-202-224-2823
CT       I           Joseph Lieberman         1-202-224-4041

DE       D         Thomas Carper            1-202-224-2441
DE       D         Ted Kaufman               1-202-224-5042

FL        R          Mel Martinez                1-202-224-3041
FL        D         Bill Nelson                    1-202-224-5274

GA       R          Saxby Chambliss          1-202-224-3521
GA       R          Johnny Isakson             1-202-224-3643

HI        D         Daniel Akaka               1-202-224-6361
HI        D         Daniel Inouye               1-202-224-3934

IA        R          Charles Grassley           1-202-224-3744
IA        D         Tom Harkin                  1-202-224-3254

ID        R          Mike Crapo                 1-202-224-6142
ID        R          James Risch                  1-202-224-2752

IL         D         Roland Burris               1-202-224-2854
IL         D         Richard Durbin             1-202-224-2152

IN        D         Evan Bayh                    1-202-224-5623
IN        R          Richard Lugar              1-202-224-4814

KS       R          Sam Brownback           1-202-224-6521
KS       R          Pat Roberts                  1-202-224-4774

KY      R          Jim Bunning                  1-202-224-4343
KY      R          Mitch McConnell          1-202-224-2541

LA       D         Mary Landrieu             1-202-224-5824
LA       R          David Vitter                  1-202-224-4623

MA      D         Edward Kennedy         1-202-224-4543
MA      D         John Kerry                   1-202-224-2742

MD      D         Benjamin Cardin           1-202-224-4524
MD      D         Barbara Mikulski          1-202-224-4654

ME      R          Susan Collins                1-202-224-2523
ME      R          Olympia Snowe            1-202-224-5344

MI       D         Carl Levin                    1-202-224-6221
MI       D         Debbie Stabenow         1-202-224-4822

MN      D         Amy Klobuchar            1-202-224-3244
MN                 TBA

MO      R          Christopher Bond         1-202-224-5721
MO      D         Claire McCaskill           1-202-224-6154

MS      R          Thad Cochran              1-202-224-5054
MS      R          Roger Wicker               1-202-224-6253

MT      D         Max Baucus                 1-202-224-2651
MT      D         Jon Tester                    1-202-224-2644

NC      R          Richard Burr                 1-202-224-3154
NC      D         Kay Hagan                   1-202-224-6342

ND      D         Kent Conrad                1-202-224-2043
ND      D         Byron Dorgan               1-202-224-2551

NE       R          Mike Johanns               1-202-224-4224
NE       D         Ben Nelson                  1-202-224-6551

NH      R          Judd Gregg                   1-202-224-3324
NH      D         Jeanne Shaheen            1-202-224-2841

NJ        D         Frank Lautenberg         1-202-224-3224
NJ        D         Robert Menendez         1-202-224-4744

NM      D         Jeff Bingaman               1-202-224-5521
NM      D         Tom Udall                    1-202-224-6621

NV      R          John Ensign                  1-202-224-6244
NV      D         Harry Reid                   1-202-224-3542

NY      D         Kirsten Gillibrand          1-202-224-4451
NY      D         Charles Schumer          1-202-224-6542

OH      D         Sherrod Brown             1-202-224-2315
OH      R          George Voinovich         1-202-224-3353

OK      R          Tom Coburn                 1-202-224-5754
OK      R          James Inhofe                1-202-224-4721

OR       D         Jeff Merkley                 1-202-224-3753
OR       D         Ron Wyden                  1-202-224-5244

PA       D         Robert Casey               1-202-224-6324
PA       R          Arlen Specter               1-202-224-4254

RI        D         Jack Reed                    1-202-224-4642
RI        D         Sheldon Whitehouse   1-202-224-2921

SC       R          Jim DeMint                   1-202-224-6121
SC       R          Lindsey Graham           1-202-224-5972

SD       D         Tim Johnson                 1-202-224-5842
SD       R          John Thune                   1-202-224-2321

TN       R          Lamar Alexander          1-202-224-4944
TN       R          Bob Corker                  1-202-224-3344

TX       R          John Cornyn                 1-202-224-2934
TX       R          Kay Bailey Hutchison 1-202-224-5922

UT       R          Robert Bennett             1-202-224-5444
UT       R          Orrin Hatch                  1-202-224-5251

VA       R          Mark Warner               1-202-224-2023
VA       D         Jim Webb                     1-202-224-4024

VT       D         Patrick Leahy               1-202-224-4242
VT       I           Bernard Sanders           1-202-224-5141

WA      D         Maria Cantwell             1-202-224-3441
WA      D         Patty Murray                1-202-224-2621

WI       D         Russ Feingold               1-202-224-5323
WI       D         Herbert Kohl                1-202-224-5653

WV      D         Robert Byrd                 1-202-224-3954
WV      D         John Rockefeller           1-202-224-6472

WY      R          John Barrasso               1-202-224-6441
WY      R          Michael Enzi                 1-202-224-3424