The Reality Check Every New Advocate Needs
It’s Not Glamorous. It’s Not Instant. But It Works.
Advocacy looks glamorous from a distance.
Social media makes it look like a highlight reel: meetings with lawmakers, Capitol Hill photos, powerful speeches, and the occasional “look at me pretending I know which building I’m in” hallway selfie.
But anyone who has actually done advocacy — especially legislative advocacy — knows the truth:
This work is less “West Wing” and more “organized chaos with a dash of stubborn optimism.”
So if you’re new to advocacy or thinking about stepping into the arena, consider this your gentle reality check wrapped in humor and honesty. No sugarcoating. No false promises. Just the truth you wish someone had told you on day one.
Reality #1: Advocacy Is Mostly Boring… Until It’s Not
Let’s get this one out of the way.
Advocacy is not a constant adrenaline rush. It is not daily excitement. It is not “change the world before lunch, grab a latte after.”
It’s:
Emails
Follow-up emails
Phone calls
More follow-up emails
Scheduling
Rescheduling
Wondering why Congress cannot use a normal calendar like everyone else
You will spend far more time waiting than doing — and then, suddenly, everything happens at once, and you’re juggling three legislative updates, two urgent calls, and a hearing livestream that froze right when someone finally said something interesting.
It’s not thrilling every minute.
But it matters every minute.
Reality #2: You Don’t Need to Know Everything — You Just Need to Know Your Story
New advocates often panic because they don’t know:
The bill number
The amendment code
The regulatory citation
The last three congressional sessions
The entire U.S. budget structure
Which subcommittee handles what (honestly, most members don’t know either)
Here’s the truth:
Your lived experience is the expertise.
Lawmakers and staffers have data.
What they don’t have is your story, your perspective, or your example of how a policy hurts or helps real families.
You don’t need to be a walking encyclopedia.
You just need to be honest, factual, and willing to speak up.
Reality #3: You Will Repeat Yourself. A Lot.
You will tell your story so many times that you will start hearing it narrated in your sleep.
Different offices.
Different staffers.
Different meetings.
Different committees.
And every time you will think, “Why am I repeating myself? Don’t they already know this?”
Sometimes they don’t.
Sometimes they do, but they need to hear it again.
Sometimes they need to hear it from thirty people before they act.
Advocacy is consistent pressure, not a single grand performance.
Think less mic drop and more slow drip.
Reality #4: Staffers Are the Real Powerhouses - Treat Them Accordingly
New advocates often walk into a congressional office expecting a lawmaker and instead meet someone who looks barely old enough to rent a car.
Here’s your reminder:
That young staffer is one of the most influential people you’ll ever talk to.
They:
Write the briefs
Draft the recommendations
Decide what gets prioritized
Shape the member’s understanding
Control follow-up
Know the legislative calendar better than anyone
If you want your issue to move, build a relationship with staffers. Respect their time. Acknowledge their role. Be professional — and human.
They’re the ones who carry your message into the rooms you can’t enter.
Reality #5: You Will Not See Change Overnight - But You Will See Change
New advocates often expect results after one meeting.
And who can blame them? In any other part of life, if you bring someone a clear problem and a solution, things usually move.
But Congress is… a different species.
Change here is:
Slow
Incremental
Bureaucratic
Sometimes illogical
And almost always a test of your patience
But when change happens?
It’s lasting.
It’s meaningful.
It impacts thousands - sometimes millions - of people.
And the day a bill passes, or a policy shifts, or a long-ignored issue finally gets attention, you realize every email, call, meeting, and piece of testimony was worth it.
Reality #6: Advocacy Works Best When You Bring Others With You
This is where true power lives.
One voice starts a conversation.
Many voices start a movement.
Don’t just act - organize.
Don’t just speak - empower.
Don’t just advocate - teach someone else how to advocate.
The issues affecting veterans, surviving spouses, caregivers, and military families are systemic. That means solutions must be collective.
Your story can open a door.
Your group can walk through it together.
Reality #7: Advocacy Requires Courage - But Not Perfection
You will show up on days you’re tired, grieving, frustrated, or unsure.
You will speak when your voice shakes.
You will send emails when your heart is heavy.
You will push forward even when you feel like collapsing.
That isn’t a weakness.
That is courage in its most honest form.
Advocacy isn’t about being the loudest or the most polished.
It’s about being willing.
Willing to speak.
Willing to persist.
Willing to be the one who refuses to let the system forget what it owes.
So, Here’s the Truth Every New Advocate Needs:
It’s not glamorous.
It’s not fast.
It’s not easy.
But it works.
Not because the system is smooth - it’s not.
Not because lawmakers always listen - they don’t.
Not because change is guaranteed - it isn’t.
It works because people like you show up anyway.
When you bring your story, your strength, your persistence, and your truth into a space built on politics and procedure, you change it - slowly, steadily, undeniably.
If you’re a new advocate, welcome.
You’re stepping into a long fight, yes.
But you’re also stepping into a community, a purpose, and a legacy that matters.
And trust me - when the system finally shifts because of the pressure you helped build, there is no better feeling.
