A Decade of Strategic Advocacy Campaigns

Ten years ago, FCNL embraced an idea that turned out to be transformative: What if people across the country had access to expert lobbying advice and training from our Washington, D.C. staff? With training and support from FCNL staff, could volunteer advocates lobby consistently and effectively?

By Tim Heishman | September 1, 2025

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.

Even when teams did not achieve an immediate policy win, they built long-term influence. The Waterloo (IA) Advocacy Team, for example, could not sway Senator Grassley (IA) on the Iran deal, but they earned the trust of his staff and met with him personally. He told them, “We weren’t on the same side on this issue, but I hope we are on the next.”

His words were prescient. The following year, the team worked with Sen. Grassley on criminal justice reform. They helped ensure that his Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 (S. 2123) included provisions addressing the influx of Black men into the prison system. Their advocacy helped cement Sen. Grassley’s determination to make sentencing reform non-negotiable. When the First Step Act (P.L. 115- 391) became law in 2018, it bore the imprint of their local advocacy on the national stage.

  • Group of advocates smiling behind an Advocacy Teams banner
  • Advocacy Team tabling with information
  • Advocacy Team walking down a crosswalk
  • Advocacy Team with Sen Ben Cardin
  • Tucson Advocacy Team with Rep Raul Grijalvas' office
  • Advocacy Team members, Richard Peterson, Margaret Nielsen, William Root, Susan Waltz, and Erick Williams
  • Group of advocates smiling behind an Advocacy Teams banner
  • Advocacy Team tabling with information
  • Advocacy Team walking down a crosswalk
  • Advocacy Team with Sen Ben Cardin
  • Tucson Advocacy Team with Rep Raul Grijalvas' office
  • Advocacy Team members, Richard Peterson, Margaret Nielsen, William Root, Susan Waltz, and Erick Williams

Over ten years, Advocacy Teams worked on nine legislative issues. While the teams found early success lobbying on both foreign and domestic policies, they have since focused on foreign policy. Teams advocated to repeal outdated war authorizations, prevent wars with North Korea and Iran, rein in wasteful Pentagon spending, invest in peacebuilding funding, and end U.S. support for wars in Yemen and Gaza.

This consistent focus has led to an outsized impact. Teams have developed deep expertise in foreign policy issues, and because most other constituents lobby on domestic issues, their voices on foreign policy often carry greater weight on Capitol Hill.

Advocacy Teams have made measurable progress in shaping U.S. foreign policy. They worked for several years to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force in Iraq. Repeal measures passed the House in 2019 and 2021, and the Senate in 2023—each time with bipartisan support.  

Woman dressed as an Angel with a sign reading "Heaven Knows we should End U.S. Support for the War in Yemen"

In 2022, as Yemen faced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, Teams played a key role in securing co-sponsors for the Yemen War Powers Resolution. Although the resolution did not pass, their advocacy increased the pressure for policy changes that led to an eventual ceasefire and greater regional stability.  

Among all the issues Advocacy Teams have taken on, reining in Pentagon spending has proven the most challenging. Runaway military spending fuels global conflict and diverts resources from pressing human needs. As with the long-term effort to repeal the Iraq and Afghanistan war authorizations—a campaign that spans decades—teams are now laying the groundwork for change. We hope to build a bipartisan consensus that a $1 trillion Pentagon budget does not serve our security, our economy, or our values.

While continuing the time-tested model of organizing around one central legislative campaign, Teams have shown they are ready to take on more issues at the same time. This year, Advocacy Teams launched a secondary campaign to confront the climate crisis. In just six months, they conducted 35 lobby visits on climate.  

Their advocacy prevented some of the most harmful effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21).

In a time of deep polarization and accelerating crises, the FCNL Advocacy Teams’ witness is more vital than ever. Rooted in faith and grounded in relationship-building, Teams continue to speak truth to power, call for justice, and sow the seeds of peace across all 50 states and on Capitol Hill.  

To join or start an Advocacy Team, visit our website here.

Tim Heishman

Tim Heishman
(he/him)

Senior Advocacy Teams Manager

As the Senior Advocacy Teams Manager, Tim Heishman leads FCNL’s network of Advocacy Teams across the country. He develops strategic grassroots advocacy campaigns to support a network of over 135 teams in 50 states and D.C. in building congressional champions for peace and justice.

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