AI Summer Camp: Chiefs of Staff & District Directors
GenAI tools can streamline your oversight of multiple office functions by summarizing daily priorities, helping brainstorm ways to address staff workloads, and drafting strategic communications and legislative frameworks. AI has the ability to help you cut through information overload so you can focus on high-level decision-making and office coordination that moves your Member's agenda forward.
Get started with five “quests” designed to support policymakers and their teams in getting to know and understanding this technology in an approachable way:
Safety First: Like any good adventure, using AI involves well-marked paths to follow—and a few areas best avoided. Stay safe and be responsible by keeping these AI safety tips in mind.
Bring a Buddy: See tips and sample prompts for every member of your team, including Staff Assistants, Legislative Staff, Communications Staff, Caseworkers, Schedulers, Legislative Directors, Field Representatives & Outreach Directors, and even the Member!
Quest 1: Summarization
Ranger Tip
AI summarization can transform your ability to maintain strategic oversight across all office operations by quickly processing diverse information streams from policy updates to political intelligence to administrative reports. This bird's-eye view enables you to make faster, better-informed decisions while ensuring nothing critical slips through the cracks.
Quest Directive
Use an institution-approved LLM to:
Provide a daily executive overview - Compile summaries of overnight news developments, staff reports, and priority issues into a comprehensive daily briefing that covers legislative, political, and administrative priorities
Conduct strategy planning and risk assessment - Synthesize publicly available polling data, news coverage, and staff analyses to identify strategic opportunities and potential challenges for upcoming decisions
Sample Prompts
“Create my daily executive briefing from these attached inputs: 3 news clips, 3 committee hearing schedules (if applicable), 2 email newsletters, the available House Floor schedule, and my schedule today. Organize by: Immediate decisions needed, strategic opportunities, and items to monitor. Keep each section under 75 words.”
“Analyze potential risks and opportunities for the Member's supporting position on the upcoming vote on [HR X]. Synthesize: any available polling data, editorial board positions, stakeholder feedback, Congressional debate transcripts, and Congressional leadership preferences. Provide 3 strategic options with trade-offs.”
Letters from Camp: Have a particularly good (or wild) experience with this quest? Tell us all about it!
Quest 2: Brainstorming
Ranger Tip
AI can help you think strategically across all office operations and assist in brainstorming creative new approaches to leadership challenges and potential solutions to complex delegation needs. This high-level strategic brainstorming can help you see connections and opportunities that might be missed when you're focused on daily crisis management.
Quest Directive
Use an institution-approved LLM to:
Strategize new office operations - Generate comprehensive approaches to improve office efficiency, staff development and communication, team morale, or long-term strategic planning
Provide crisis management and opportunity development - Brainstorm multiple response strategies to potential challenges or ways to address immediate crises in delegation issues
Sample Prompts
“We are a [DC/District]-based Congressional office for a US Representative. Our office needs to improve efficiency while both maintaining high constituent service standards and control over messaging, branding, and language use. Brainstorm 7 comprehensive approaches to improve our constituent mail program: technology solutions, workflow changes, staff development, and resource reallocation. Consider both immediate and 6-month implementation timelines.”
“A major economic development opportunity just emerged in our district, but it's politically complicated. [Provide additional context.] Generate 5 different strategic approaches for the Member's involvement: ranging from strong support to cautious engagement. Include stakeholder management and risk mitigation for each.”
Letters from Camp: Have a particularly good (or wild) experience with this quest? Tell us all about it!
Quest 3: Content Creation
Ranger Tip
AI can help you create high-level strategic communications, comprehensive planning documents, and executive summaries that keep all aspects of your office operation aligned and moving forward efficiently. This executive-level content creation ensures clear communication of priorities and decisions across your entire team and external stakeholders.
Quest Directive
Use an institution-approved LLM to:
Create Member-level communication - Draft strategic communications, decision memos, or high-level briefing materials for the Member, leadership, or key stakeholders
Organizational management content - Create initial drafts of planning documents, staff guidance materials, or operational frameworks that improve office effectiveness
Sample Prompts
“Create an executive brief for the Member on our office's Q3 priorities and performance. Include: legislative achievements, constituent service metrics, political positioning wins, regional engagement wins, upcoming challenges, and resource needs. Executive summary format, under 500 words. See attached outlined report.”
“Draft a comprehensive staff guidance memo on best practices for staffing a Member of Congress during in-district events. Include: a day-before checklist, an approval timeline for materials that may be needed for events, and considerations on travel time. Include 3 scenario examples. Professional tone appropriate for all staff levels.”
Letters from Camp: Have a particularly good (or wild) experience with this quest? Tell us all about it!
Quest 4: Strategizing
Ranger Tip
AI can help you develop comprehensive political and organizational strategies that position your Member for maximum effectiveness while building your own profile as a strategic leader capable of managing complex political operations. This strategic perspective helps you balance immediate tactical needs with long-term political positioning.
Quest Directive
Use an institution-approved LLM to:
Brainstorm comprehensive political strategies - Develop strategies that align legislative priorities, political positioning, constituent services, and media operations to advance your Member's overall effectiveness and political standing
Explore executive leadership development - Create strategic approaches to demonstrating high-level political judgment, crisis management capabilities, and strategic vision that position you for senior political appointments or campaign roles
Sample Prompts
“Develop a comprehensive 6-month political strategy for positioning our Member as a key player on economic policy. Include: ideas for legislative initiatives to lead, coalition relationships to build, a media positioning strategy, and coordination with committee work. Consider both policy advancement and political capital building.”
“I want to position myself for a senior Administration role after the next election. Create a strategic plan including: political wins to deliver, crisis management opportunities to lead, strategic relationships to build, and leadership capabilities to demonstrate through specific high-visibility projects.”
Letters from Camp: Have a particularly good (or wild) experience with this quest? Tell us all about it!
Quest 5: Predicting the Future
Ranger Tip
AI capabilities are advancing toward systems that could integrate political intelligence, operational management, and strategic planning in unprecedented ways. The future of political leadership may be defined by those who can harness these capabilities and coordination functions while maintaining the human judgment and relationship building that defines effective governance.
Quest Directive
Use an institution-approved LLM to:
Explore integrated political operations - Experiment with AI's ability to coordinate complex political operations across multiple dimensions simultaneously, envisioning future executive-level capabilities
Investigate predictive political intelligence - Use AI tools to simulate how advanced systems might anticipate political developments and optimize strategic responses across all office functions
Sample Prompts
“Imagine being a chief of staff using AI tools in 2030 that integrate political intelligence, legislative strategy, communications, scheduling, and constituency operations in real time. Describe how these tools might manage a complex political crisis, coordinating immediate response while maintaining long-term strategic positioning across all office functions simultaneously.”
“Envision AI that can predict political opportunities through oversight. Walk me through how AI might identify an emerging political opportunity that requires coordinated action across policy, communications, and stakeholder management.”
Letters from Camp: Have a particularly good (or wild) experience with this quest? Tell us all about it!
Letters from Camp
Have a particularly good (or wild) experience with this quest? Tell us all about it!
