Advocacy in 2026: What Changed in 2025 (and What Teams Are Doing Next)
Ada's TL;DR digest
Five major shifts reshaped advocacy in 2025: federal public comment access changed when the GSA ended public API access to Regulations.gov; the longest federal shutdown pushed teams toward storytelling; mass email became a deliverability and compliance issue; corporate advocacy went mainstream; and form emails kept declining in influence. Teams heading into 2026 are prioritizing authentic voices, consistent sending practices, and trust-building programs.
Advocacy organizations faced significant transitions in 2025. Here are five major shifts reshaping how advocacy teams operate heading into 2026.
Shift #1: A Major Change to Public Comment Access
In August, the General Services Administration ended public API access to Regulations.gov, disrupting how advocacy organizations submit federal comments. Organizations previously relied on this tool to discover regulatory actions and collect public input.
As a result, teams shifted to:
- Sending comments via email directly to agency staff
- Mailing hand-signed letters to official dockets
While advocacy tech platforms created workarounds bypassing CAPTCHA requirements, these approaches require careful monitoring to avoid agency rejection or blacklisting.
Shift #2: The Longest Federal Shutdown and How Advocates Responded
When Congress ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on November 12, advocacy teams redirected energy toward storytelling and public education. Limited lawmaker access pushed organizations toward media engagement, data refinement, and supporter narratives.
Organizations like the National Parks Conservation Association documented real-world impacts through field stories and photography. America's Credit Unions transformed member services into engagement opportunities through digital educational assets.
Shift #3: Email Sending Became a Compliance Issue
High-volume senders of mass action alerts faced new compliance pressures. Major inbox providers—Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo—implemented stricter sender requirements in 2025. The VoterVoice 2025 Advocacy Benchmark Report documented declining open rates.
Recommended practices for 2026 inbox visibility:
- Maintain bounce rates below 0.1% through quarterly list cleaning
- Send consistently rather than sporadically to establish sender legitimacy
- Suppress disengaged users after 90 days with separate re-engagement efforts
- Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication standards
Shift #4: Corporate Advocacy Went Mainstream
Businesses increasingly adopted advocacy as a tool to align public positions with organizational values. Sprout Social survey data shows consumers favor companies that publicly engage on issues, creating partnership opportunities between nonprofits and corporations.
Examples included healthcare brands forming coalitions around vaccine safety and business-backed climate coalitions calling for fossil fuel phase-outs.
Shift #5: Form Emails Are (Still) Dying
Despite a decade-old Congressional Management Foundation finding that fewer than 5% of congressional staff believe form emails influence lawmakers, the practice persisted—with mounting risks.
Exposure of fraudulent grassroots campaigns damaged credibility across the sector. In Idaho, a lawmaker received an email listing himself as sender. Wyoming lawmakers formed a subcommittee addressing inbox overload from low-value messages.
"This is not the time for robocalls or mass email campaigns that policymakers can easily dismiss."
Jen Daulby
CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation
She emphasized prioritizing authentic voices—doctors explaining policy health impacts, federal employees discussing diplomacy outcomes—over automated outreach.
Founders' Personal Note
Co-founders Bree and Tom reflected on 2025 growth:
- 46,190 miles traveled (Bree based in Japan)
- 9 conference appearances
- 5 webinars hosted
- Blog and resource hub launched
Notable events included the Public Affairs Advocacy Conference first booth, 100+ partner kickoff, Cool AI Summit presentation, and Nonprofit Technology Conference participation.
Standout 2025 Campaigns
Surfrider Foundation sent 5,000+ hand-signed letters opposing offshore drilling rules, delivering physical documents to the Bureau of Ocean Management.
Mesabi Metallics formed a 400+ member Building Trades coalition supporting Minnesota green steel production, using QR-coded materials directing customers to advocacy resources. Governor Walz praised the project.
Opportunity DC and DCBIA coordinated targeted city council outreach supporting major DC housing reforms addressing tenant protections and eviction procedures.
Stand Up America blocked gerrymandered redistricting in Indiana, Kansas, and Maryland through combined on-ground organizing and digital engagement, with the Indiana Senate rejecting the proposed plan.
Product Launches (2025)
AdvocacyAI shipped 14 major features through 310 code deployments, with 35% of new customers arriving through existing user referrals.
New capabilities:
- Meta Instant Form Actions: Supporters take action directly from Facebook/Instagram
- Video Stories: Supporters record testimonials rather than typing text
- Hand-Signed Letters: Organizations collect physical letters while maintaining digital data tracking
- Enhanced Integrations: Deeper Salesforce, NGP VAN, and Mailchimp connections
Planned 2026 priorities include automation expansion, lawmaker engagement insights, and advocacy metric integration with existing data systems.
Team Additions
Eric Jamous, Account Executive – Guides organizations through advocacy workflows and technology implementation.
Pam Oliva, Director of Customer Experience – Provides hands-on platform guidance and strategy support.
Build a 2026 advocacy program designed for consistency and trust.