Advocacy Teams

This was the question FCNL faced nearly two decades ago. The “War is Not the Answer” movement had sparked widespread energy, and members of FCNL’s General Committee and staff were ready to build on that momentum.

Among them was Jim Cason, former associate general secretary for policy and advocacy, who came to FCNL with a leading to engage more people in the political process. When Diane Randall became general secretary, she shared a vision to deepen FCNL’s advocacy. By then, Annual Meeting already included lobbying, with many arriving early to participate.  

That question was put to the test in June 2015, when FCNL launched seven Advocacy Teams to lobby for the Iran Nuclear Deal. In two months, these teams held dozens of lobby visits and published numerous letters to the editor. Their efforts contributed to the deal’s success.

Dropping by the offices of your senators and representatives to have a face-to-face visit is the most powerful thing you can do right now.

Just follow these steps:

There was no “spring break” for FCNL advocates this year. From April 14-28, the recent congressional recess, hundreds of citizen advocates carried out more than 100 lobby visits with over 80 different congressional offices across 35 states on several of the most urgent issues before Congress. If you recently visited a congressional office, please file a lobby report! 

Dropping by the offices of your senators and representatives to have a face-to-face visit is the most powerful thing you can do right now.

Just follow these steps:

Advocacy Teams have historically worked on only one legislative campaign every year, which allows the program to be both strategic and effective as 135+ teams in 48 states all coordinate their efforts. However, as the program celebrates its 10th anniversary, and our network has grown in size, expertise, and capacity, we’ve seen an opportunity to expand our work.

2025 is a special year for FCNL’s Advocacy Teams as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, FCNL has grown its Advocacy Teams network to 135 teams across 48 states and D.C. Each year, Advocacy Teams work on one foreign policy issue and, this year for the first time, a domestic issue as well. In 2025, Advocacy Teams will advocate under the theme, Aid, Not Arms: Opening the Way to Peace in the Middle East.  

Tomorrow, January 11, 2002, 23 years ago, Guantánamo was opened as a prison for the War on Terror. Its history has been marked by abuse, torture, and indefinite detention.

This year, 675 Advocacy Team members lobbied 342 times and published 103 times in the media, urging Congress to rein in wasteful Pentagon spending. We also launched new Advocacy Teams in Maryland, Virginia, and Oklahoma, expanding our power to 48 states plus D.C.