What My Time as a Senate Staffer Taught Me About Advocacy

Lately, I’ve been hearing a familiar question come up more and more from nonprofit leaders: Does advocacy really matter?

And honestly? I get it. Because the asks have been nonstop.

Email your legislators. Testify at the Capitol. Sign the letter. Join the coalition call. Submit a comment. Meet with your member of Congress. Again.

All of this on top of the core work of running your organization, serving your community, managing staff, balancing budgets, and responding to urgent needs on the ground. It’s a lot. And when the policy threats keep coming—especially when wins are slow or invisible—it’s easy to wonder: Is this worth it? Is anyone listening?

Let me say clearly: It’s okay to feel that way. It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to be frustrated. It’s okay to wonder whether all this effort is making a difference.

But I’ve been in this work a long time—on the outside as a strategist and organizer, and on the inside as a U.S. Senate staffer. I’ve seen how change really happens. And I’ve seen the power of nonprofit voices, even when it’s not always obvious in the moment.

So here’s where I land, every time I hear that question: Yes, advocacy matters. It always has. And it always will.

The Wins You Don’t Always See Coming

I say this not just as an advocate, but as someone who once worked deep inside the system.

When I was a U.S. Senate staffer, I watched how decisions got made—and how they didn’t. I saw how a single constituent story could shift a conversation in a hearing prep. I watched how organized pressure campaigns moved members from “lean no” to “open to it.” It’s not always fast. But it’s real.

I’ve been fortunate to work on campaigns that did change things. Some were headline-grabbing. Others, you’d only know about if you were in the trenches. But all of them had one thing in common: they took years. And people kept showing up anyway.

• We won expanded access to diabetes prevention programs after years of research and groundwork.

• We built momentum for children's mental health access by lifting up community voices long before policymakers caught up.

• We passed smoke-free air laws in places that once bowed to Big Tobacco.

• We achieved marriage equality not by magic, but by organizing, storytelling, and relentless advocacy that spanned decades.

  
  

None of those happened because a brilliant strategist dropped in for one legislative session and changed hearts and minds in 90 days. They happened because nonprofits, coalitions, advocates, and everyday people refused to give up.

What You’re Doing Matters—Even If You Don’t Feel It Yet

Here’s something I wish more nonprofit leaders understood: you don’t need to see immediate results to be doing meaningful work.

We often frame advocacy in binary terms—win or lose. But that’s not how change works.

Some days you're planting seeds. Some days you're watering them. Some days you're just making sure the damn pot doesn't get knocked over. And then, one day, something blooms.

The email you sent to a lawmaker this month might be the reason they pause before voting next year. The testimony you gave that no one commented on might be the quote that shapes the media narrative later. The young staffer you met with last week might be a legislative director in two years, still remembering your story.

This is why I always say: advocacy is not just about the bill. It’s about building power.

You Might Be Tired. That’s Okay.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “That sounds great, but I’m exhausted”—you’re not wrong. This work is exhausting. It’s personal. It’s often under-resourced. And in the nonprofit world, we’re being asked to advocate on top of everything else we’re already doing.

So here’s your permission slip: You can take a break. You can hand the baton to someone else. You can rest.

But don’t confuse that need for rest with hopelessness. Burnout is real. But so is progress. So is power-building. And so is your impact.

We don’t need every nonprofit leader to be at the Capitol every day. But we do need a sector that knows it deserves to be heard. That its voice matters. That what we do isn’t charity—it’s civic leadership.

The Truth About Policy Change

Policy change doesn’t happen because one person gets inspired. It happens because networks of people—inside and outside government—start shifting the narrative, creating pressure, and offering real solutions. That work often starts with nonprofits. It starts with you.

So if you’ve been wondering whether all those calls to action are worth it…If you’ve signed one too many letters or filled out one too many action alerts…If you’ve started to doubt whether anything will ever really change...

Please let me be the voice that says: It’s working. You’re not alone. And it matters more than you know.

We can’t stop advocating. Not now. Not when so much is on the line.

And if you need someone to remind you why advocacy works—or help you build the strategy that makes it sustainable—I’m here for that too.

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