Finding Our Voice: Chapters as Engines of Strategic Advocacy | eNews Leadership Update | Oct. 9, 2026

Last month we focused on the first pillar of our 2026 chapter vision, Chapters as Leadership Development Catalysts and how local strategic alignment strengthens leaders at every stage. This month, we build on that foundation with the second pillar: Chapters as Engines of Strategic Advocacy.

Advocacy is not a spectator sport, and it does not happen only in Washington, D.C. The policies that shape nursing practice, including workforce funding, workplace violence prevention, scope of practice and educational pathways, are debated and decided in every state across the nation. That is precisely where our chapters live and elevate the voice of nursing at the state level. This focus drives our second 2026 commitment: positioning chapters as engines of strategic advocacy.

This year, Chapter Town Hall agendas include dedicated space for AONL and state policy priorities. Every gathering of chapter members becomes an opportunity to stay current on the legislative and regulatory issues affecting nurse leaders, to align local voices with national priorities and to identify where state-level action is needed most. Advocacy becomes a standing conversation, not an occasional one.

Earlier this year, chapter leaders shared how they build advocacy days. Teresa Stanfill and the Nurse Leaders of Idaho partner with their state nurses association; Melissa Fritz and the Minnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing host a stand-alone advocacy day; and Christine Young of the Ohio Organization for Nursing Leadership collaborates with her state hospital association. When a chapter hosts a leadership program or convenes members around advocacy, the spotlight makes that connection explicit. Local work and national vision are one body of work, advancing our goal of being one voice advancing health for all.

We are also developing and sharing practical advocacy tools designed specifically for chapters. These resources will help chapter leaders prepare members to engage with elected officials, craft compelling messages that pair data with the power of nurse stories and build relationships with policymakers before a crisis demands them.

Why does this matter? Because nurse leaders offer a perspective no one else can. We see firsthand how policy lands at the bedside, in the ambulatory clinic, in the community and across the care continuum. When more than 100,000 voices speak through their chapters with shared purpose, policymakers listen.

Your chapter is your advocacy home. And in 2026, we are making it a powerful one. Next month, we will complete the series by looking at how Regional Board Directors help carry both leadership development and advocacy into every chapter. 

Stuart Downs, DNP, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN

President-Elect, American Organization for Nursing Leadership