“Effective Lobbyism: Lessons from 5 years of practice” by ++Johnny Stengel++

by Johnny Stengel – Political Advisor, Lobbyist, and Member of Effective Altruism Germany e.V. Introduction When people in the Effective Altruism community talk about “policy impact,” lobbying often comes up as one of the highest-leverage activities. But the practice of lobbying is rarely demystified. What does it actually look like? Who can do it effectively? How do you measure whether your hours in Brussels or Berlin truly shifted anything? I want to share my experience — as someone who built a volunteer-based lobbying network from scratch, moved into federal and then EU-level policy engagement, and who now works across climate, AI, and governance issues. My aim here is not to glorify “influence” but to make the practice tangible, to outline what skills and strategies matter, and to highlight the systemic levers where lobbying may make the most difference for future generations. How I Found Myself in Lobbying In [...] ---Outline:(00:20) Introduction(01:10) How I Found Myself in Lobbying(02:54) What Lobbying really looks like(04:35) Skills, Characters, and Misconceptions(05:53) Collective Impact, Not Ego(06:43) Windows of Opportunity(07:31) Big Levers Beyond Traditional Lobbying(08:22) Where the Biggest Impact Might Lie(09:26) What Kind of People We Need(09:59) Concluding Thoughts--- First published: September 23rd, 2025 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/RvMTKY73J3c2aWD8T/effective-lobbyism-lessons-from-5-years-of-practice --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.