SNYDER STRATEGIES

A recent NPR story highlights how associations can speak up when individual organizations cannot. For nonprofits and foundations, this underscores the critical role of membership networks and coalitions in advancing policy, protecting missions, and ensuring the sector’s collective voice is heard.

Advocacy without communications is like driving on empty—you won’t get far. Policy may be the what, but advocacy is the how—and it only works if you’re telling your story, keeping supporters engaged, and building pressure along the way. Here’s why strong communications is the secret fuel behind every successful advocacy effort.

In today’s political climate, blasting out letters can seem inadequate. Smart advocacy means more strategy: relationships, coalitions, tailored messages, and even the media—to cut through the noise. When lawmakers know you, when allies coordinate, and when your story hits headlines, your voice becomes impossible to ignore.