In 2002, I started a new job as the Manager of Policy and Advocacy for the National Youth Employment Coalition. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which had revamped the nation's job training system, was nearing its five-year expiration. So it was an exciting time to be a workforce development advocate.

The tea leaves indicated that the process would be bipartisan and fairly short. Fast forward to 2014, 11 years and six Congresses since the law had expired – workforce system advocates finally celebrated the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act's long-overdue enactment.

When Congress is slow to advance legislation or when issues are technical, it creates challenges for professional advocates.

• How do you keep your grassroots supporters motivated to urge Congress to do the same thing year after year? (No joke! At the end of my time working for Goodwill Industries International, local Goodwill representatives had asked Congress to "reauthorize WIA" during eight consecutive annual fly-in events.)
• How do you manage advocacy messaging when the issues are highly technical or sensitive?
• How do you demonstrate impact when Congress won't advance your legislative priorities?

Last month, the Advocacy Leaders Network considered these and other questions. Here are some of my take aways.

Ask Yourself "Why" (Repeat)

Washington is a wonky town and wonks love to get lost in the weeds surrounding their issues. While it's important to understand potential implications of small details, professional advocates don't want to lose their citizen-advocates in the weeds. When a detail is important, ask yourself WHY it's important, then ask why the answer is important, then repeat that process until the reason is simple. For example, the American Heart Association asked itself why funding for research about heart disease is important. After several cycles of asking itself, "why?", the answer became clear and simple. "Life is why."

It's Your Job to Make People Care

Convincing people to take action is key to any advocacy leader's success. While data can be convincing, research shows that stories have the power to evoke an emotional response for listeners, and compel them to take action. Advocacy leaders who use relevant personal stories to illustrate how policies can have real-world impact are better equipped to keep their networks motivated. Advocacy leaders are advised to collect stories (story banks) that can communicate to your audience how proposals can affect real people just like them.

Make Data Work for You

In this data-driven world we live in, advocacy leaders need to demonstrate that they are building momentum even if their issues aren't being advanced in Congress. Unfortunately, data that shows digital reach (open rates, click-through rates, number of form letters sent) rarely illustrates actual impact. Yet impact measures are difficult to collect, so advocacy leaders better collect the data that is most valuable and invest resources toward achieving goals. Examples might include the following.

• Number of supporters represented by key lawmakers
• Number of supporters who have participated in advocacy training
• Number of effective advocacy stories

Final Thought

Many advocacy leaders spend years working to push Congress to pass legislative priorities. Much of that success is out of their control. While building and maintaining a motivated and effective grassroots/grasstops network can be a challenge, focus on what you can do to compel people to care about your cause, and effectively illustrate why.