Helping State and Local Consumer Organizations
Maintaining and strengthening the consumer movement through the development of state and local organizations is a CFA priority. CFA’s State and Local Resource Center provides training and technical assistance on governance and resource development. It reinforces this capacity building effort by awarding organizational development and equipment grants as well as providing funding for small, one-time emergency needs. The Center convenes an annual caucus for state and local consumer organizations and serves as a clearinghouse for information among the groups. The CFA website provides information about state and local members and the issues they cover, consumer information, and publications.
Providing Consumer Information
Through major projects on health, children’s safety, financial education, firearms, and environmental issues, CFA develops material to educate individual consumers and to teach them how to advocate on their own behalf for community change. There is a consumer help-line to help consumers directly, and several issue-specific web sites to support and enhance other communication strategies. CFA uses public service advertising to impart consumer information, to encourage consumer action, and to motivate changes in consumer behavior on key issues.
Conducting Consumer Research
Consumer research, including surveys, polling, focus groups, and literature reviews, is the basis of several projects. The findings of such projects are published to assist consumer advocates, policy makers, and individual consumers. Research supported by CFA provides the basis for new consumer initiatives, public service advertising, and consumer information and education efforts.
The Consumer Action Handbook, updated each year, is a free resource guide that provides general information on shopping for goods and services and tips about your consumer rights.
The Handbook has information to help you file a complaint about a purchase and includes a sample complaint letter that you can use and send to a company. It also includes a consumer assistance directory, with contact information for consumer protection offices in government agencies, and customer service departments at many national corporations.
Provided by the Federal Citizen Information Center of the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, General Services Administration
