When most people think about influencing policy, they picture the elected officials — the ones whose names are on the door. But behind those doors are the people who keep the trains running: staffers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legislative aides, agency staff, the governor\u2019s policy team, and even staff in your local congressional district office all play a critical role in shaping priorities, drafting language, and deciding which calls get returned. In many cases, they know more about the details than their boss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re serious about advocacy, you need to see staffers as essential partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why staffers matter:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I still remember one woman who insisted on a meeting with a legislator about a appointed position when I was a staffer at the Statehouse. She was especially dismissive of me, but her opponent was respectful and kind. Guess who got the meeting? It wasn’t necessarily because I was miffed, but my boss didn’t want to meet with someone who was so dismissive. At BridgePSG, we know the value of these relationships. We help clients identify the right staff, understand their priorities, and build credibility that lasts beyond one bill or budget cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Takeaway:<\/strong> When most people think about influencing policy, they picture the elected officials — the ones whose names are on the door. But behind those doors are the people who keep…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[121,164],"tags":[139,170,179,177,178],"class_list":["post-1313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy-tips","category-political-intelligence","tag-advocacy","tag-government-affairs-strategy","tag-legislative-staff","tag-policy-intelligence","tag-political-advocacy"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Ignore staffers, and you\u2019re flying blind. Build trust with them, and you gain a guide inside the process. BridgePSG can help you make those connections strategically — turning staffers from gatekeepers into allies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"