Bridging the Gap Between Community Work and Policy Impact

Policy advocacy has become a crucial part of our communications work, bridging the gap between frontline stories and policymakers, and making sure constituents are heard and honored, with their stories driving change where it matters most.

Before we became The Bridge Sisters, we spent over a decade advocating alongside immigrant survivors of gender-based violence who faced life-threatening situations while trying to rebuild their lives in a new country, speaking a new language, and navigating systems that often worked against them. We carry those experiences with us today. They shape how we approach storytelling, policy, and advocacy, as they understand firsthand what’s at stake when those stories are left out of the conversation.

We did this work across mission-driven organizations in the U.S., the U.K., and Latin America, doing whatever was needed—casework, program design, program management, research, community organizing, communications, grant writing, and operations. Like many of you, we wore many hats to stretch limited resources to meet the urgent needs of the people we served.

The efforts of advocates and organizations, while critical, aren’t enough on their own to solve social issues that require deep, structural change. We need policies that not only prevent harm in the first place but also provide support when harm occurs, ensure reparations for those impacted, and build safeguards to prevent the harm from happening again.

And while we celebrated many success stories, we also saw many people and their families fall through the cracks of broken immigration and social support systems. That’s because the efforts of advocates and organizations, while critical, aren’t enough on their own to solve social issues that require deep, structural change. We need policies that not only prevent harm in the first place but also provide support when harm occurs, ensure reparations for those impacted, and build safeguards to prevent the harm from happening again.

Nonprofits are often the ones closest to the issues, but too far from the rooms where decisions are made. They see the gaps in real time, support people through crisis, and know what works for those affected. Still, their insights don’t always reach the policymakers writing the laws and budgets that impact their communities. That’s why policy advocacy has become a crucial part of our communications work, bridging the gap between frontline stories and policymakers, and making sure constituents are heard and honored, with their stories driving change where it matters most.

We know that engaging with policymakers can feel overwhelming, especially when you're already stretched thin doing the real work on the ground. Many nonprofit and community leaders don’t know where to start, how to prepare, or how to contact their elected representatives. And that’s where we come in!

This work is about making sure the lived realities of the people you serve shape the policies that affect them.

Because we’ve been in those shoes, we approach advocacy support in a way that’s practical and collaborative. We help you prepare to speak at hearings, craft clear messages for different audiences, and build relationships that can move your goals forward. We’ve worked across local, state, and federal levels on issues like immigration, domestic violence, adult and early childhood education, reproductive health, and healthcare access, making the policy process more accessible.

Beyond that, we support organizations in building strong coalitions, strengthening partnerships, and engaging their communities in ways that feel true to who they are. At the heart of it, this work is about making sure the lived realities of the people you serve shape the policies that affect them. We’re here to support that process, whether it means building new partnerships, strengthening coalitions, or helping your team connect across programs and priorities.

We do this work because we’ve seen what happens when voices are left out of the conversation. And we believe that with the right support, those voices can not only be heard, they can lead.