I was on a conference call yesterday with a bunch of limited government community organizers discussing next steps for the tea party protest movement. We talked about how to keep the pressure on lawmakers, and how this movement can be successful in the long term. I wanted to take a minute to share my thoughts on this, and encourage all of you to post your ideas in the comments section below.

1. Stay active and organized. Don't let the momentum fade away by becoming dormant. Keep the fire lit with regular meetings, regular communications using Yahoo groups or facebook. Keep your volunteers active, and always give them something productive to do.

2. Get some political training. Take advantage of institutions like FreedomWorks, Campaign for Liberty and The Leadership Institute that offer grassroots leadership training. Read books about organizing, and apply the best practices to your own group.

3. Recruit new people to the cause. Take advantage of the national media attention and find people that want to get involved in the movement. Focus on getting all of your volunteers to bring new people to each meeting, and motivate the new members to get involved in specific activities right away.

4. Plan a tea party outside your congressman's district office. Locations can easily be found on the House of Representatives website. Let's direct our focus to individual congressmen who need to hear from us. If they vote correctly, have a positive tea party, thanking them. If they vote incorrectly, punish them with bad publicity.

5. Get in touch with the other community organizers around your state and start planning a Day at the State Capitol, which should consist of a rally, press conference and grassroots visits with legislators. Hold these during session when legislators are present. Focus on three important issues and hammer your points home to legislators and the media.

These are just some practical ideas for turning the tea party movement into a constructive, influential and growing movement. There are plenty of other great ways to stay active, but always keep in mind that you should constantly be thinking about ways to recruit new members, train your leadership and stay active with regular meetings and events.

People must be given productive things to do, or they may lose interest in your group. There are plenty of ways to stay involved with FreedomWorks and a host of other great organizations. Please check our website frequently and sign up to our email list to ensure that you are aware of opportunities to make a difference in the fight for lower taxes, less government and more freedom.