How to Contact Jimmy Carter

Crafting Your Message

Introduce yourself. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and explain why you wanted to reach out to President Carter. This doesn’t have to be an extensive introduction. Your name, where you’re from, and whether you’re a student or a professional should all be included. In an email, you have less space for introductions so you can keep it short. If you are a student who is contacting President Carter because of a school project you could say something like, "Hello President Carter, My name is Sarah and I am a 6th grade student at Monroe Elementary. We learned about you during class and I was really interested in the work that you have done to receive the Nobel Peace Prize."

Be specific. Once you’ve introduced yourself, you can get to the main point of your message. This section should describe why you’re reaching out to President Carter and for what reason. This makes your letter more personal and gives you an opportunity to connect with your reader. It can also help to increase your chances of receiving a response. Some reasons you might reach out would be to congratulate him on a recent achievement, to thank him for his work, to share how his work has impacted your life, or to request an interview or meeting. If you’ve ever attended any event where President Carter spoke, or you’ve met him before, include that information. For example, you could say "I attended a lecture at Emory University on July 16th where you spoke about your work with the Carter Center. I wasn't able to attend the meet and greet session after the lecture so I wanted to reach out to you via letter." Making your letter personal also helps to reduce the possibility that a staffer thinks it is spam. Since President Carter receives fan mail frequently, his staff have to filter out spam messages and you don't want that to happen to your thoughtful letter.

Ask questions. Asking a specific question that you would like President Carter to answer is one way that you could receive a personalized response in return. Your questions should be relevant to the rest of your letter. For example, if you are writing to thank him for his work with the Carter Center in establishing health care delivery systems in Africa you could ask him about how the Center plans to expand the program in the next year.

Include your contact information. Whether you reach out through email or in a letter, you should include your address and contact information. Since President Carter does not respond by email, he will need your postal address to be able to respond to you. You can include either your home or business address, as long as you’re able to receive mail there. Include a return envelope that has your address on it along with the appropriate postage. This will help to increase your chances of receiving a reply and is a courteous gesture.

Proofread. Once you have written your letter, you should take some time to read through it again to check for any grammatical errors and to make sure your message is clear. Even though your letter is personal, you should treat it as a piece of professional communication. You don't want to have any spelling or grammatical errors that would distract from your message to the President. Double check that you have correctly written the address on the envelope and that your contact information is accurate.

Reaching Out to President Carter

Contact the Carter Center. The Carter Center is a global foundation that President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, operate with Emory University. Contacting President Carter through the Carter Center is your best option to receive a response. Their address is “The Carter Center, 432 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30307” Their email address is [email protected]. President and Mrs. Carter do not respond by email. If you would like to receive a response from the Carters, please include your full postal address. If you have scheduling or interview requests you can mail a formal request to the Center’s address.

Contact the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum. The Presidential Library is adjacent to the Carter Center and is part of the Presidential Library system. Staffers at the library may be able to direct your communication to President Carter personally. Their address is “441 Freedom Parkway Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307” You can send a message through their website. You will receive a response from a staffer who can then help direct you to President Carter.

Contact Emory University. President Carter has been teaching at Emory University since 1982, after he finished his term as President. He currently hosts an annual town hall meeting with first year students at Emory. If you attend Emory, this is a great opportunity to meet President Carter. President Carter’s Emory email is [email protected]. It is unclear how frequently this email is checked by President Carter himself but it is likely checked by staffers.

Contact the Carter House. The Carter House is the first and only home the Carters have ever owned and has been the family’s permanent residence since 1961. However, they do not receive mail at this address. The address is “209 Woodland Drive, Plains, Sumter County GA 31780."