Rachel Clark discovered something that changes how we think about political influence: it only takes about 10 letters for legislators to notice an issue. As Executive Director of the Broker Action Coalition (BAC), she’s coordinated over 250 meetings with lawmakers and 25,000 letters to Congress during their three-year trigger leads campaign.
“We’ve heard from representatives that it only takes about 10 letters sometimes for them to take notice of an issue,” Clark explains. “So when we’re looking at 25,000 letters, how much difference are we making if only 10 is what they need to look at a problem?”
The difference between effective advocacy and digital activism comes down to targeting and messaging. Clark sees the contrast daily: “In this day and age of social media, there’s a lot of people who just go on social media and say things whether it’s right or whether it’s wrong. They’re just saying things that they feel are true.”
BAC’s approach transforms scattered complaints into coordinated political pressure. Their system enables mortgage brokers to send professionally crafted letters directly to representatives with just a few clicks. This bridges the gap between individual frustration and collective action.
“To make effective advocacy, we have to take those voices off of social media, make sure the message is right, and get them to their correct person,” she says.
Rather than leading with complaints, BAC focuses on bringing solutions to lawmakers. “We all know people want to complain about what’s going on, but the real change comes when people actually come forth with a solution and are willing to help make it happen,” Clark notes.
This approach proved essential during coalition building. When many brokers initially wanted complete prohibition of trigger leads, BAC worked with industry partners to find “common ground that still makes everybody happy, but we still all win.”
One unexpected challenge involved basic civic education. When the trigger leads bill had to be reintroduced in a new congressional session, many members thought the effort had failed.
“A lot of people went through government class in high school, but I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t listen,” Clark acknowledges. “So we had to remind people of some of the basics and that every two years, there’s a new session.”
Managing expectations proved crucial for maintaining momentum. “Three years was not slow for government time,” she emphasizes. “We should really be saying, hey, it only took us three years. Look what we did.”
BAC frames advocacy investment as business protection rather than political activity. “The BAC is like an insurance policy for your business,” Clark tells potential supporters. “We are here fighting for you, for things that you might not care about, might not know, but will affect your business.”
This analogy addresses the immediate ROI question that challenges advocacy fundraising. Like traditional insurance, the value becomes apparent when protection is needed, making ongoing investment seem discretionary until crisis moments demonstrate necessity.
BAC’s effectiveness stems from their members’ community connections. “Mortgage brokers typically do loans in the place that they live. So we’re in this community. We know the people, we know the challenges that they’re facing,” Clark explains.
This local credibility provides advantages when meeting with policymakers. Unlike larger institutions with corporate headquarters removed from local markets, brokers can speak directly about constituent impact rather than relying on theoretical projections.
Looking ahead, Clark envisions expanded infrastructure: “Success for the BAC looks like a strong state captain program with individuals in every state shouting the message the BAC has put out there.”
The mortgage broker experience demonstrates that sustained, strategic engagement can achieve meaningful policy influence even for relatively small industry segments. The key lies in converting individual professional frustrations into organized political pressure through education, infrastructure, and persistent engagement.
Rachel Clark serves as Executive Director of the Broker Action Coalition, where she has led federal advocacy efforts including the successful three-year campaign for trigger leads reform.
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