The Fundamentals
Rachel Cahill
Why Red States?

To succeed in red states, there are two core principles to keep in mind: 

  1. We must take seriously the amount of time, resources, and expertise required to beat back attacks on SNAP that are rooted in racism, classism, and misogyny. Advocates must be able to coordinate and sustain high-quality policymaker education, community and media engagement, and strategic coalition-building. 

  2. Defeat is not inevitable. No matter how big of a veto-proof majority a legislature may have or how many favors the bill sponsor can cash in, attacks on SNAP built upon misinformation and stereotypes about low-income people can be beaten. Just ask the savvy advocates in states like Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio – all of whom have recently successfully stopped harmful SNAP legislation from becoming law.

Why Red States?
The Fundamentals
Rachel Cahill
Why Consulting?

“Why consulting? Why not just be a conventional advocate and build a team at a 501(c)3 non-profit organization?”

This is one of the most common questions I receive from other anti-hunger advocates, especially when they are new to the field. Here’s what I tell them.

After 10 years of working in small, medium, and large non-profit organizations — first as a SNAP Outreach Coordinator and later as a Policy Director — I needed a change.

Why Consulting?
The Fundamentals
Rachel Cahill
Why Administrative Advocacy?

At Rachel Cahill Consulting (RCC), my team and I support and train state-level anti-hunger advocates to make the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) the most accessible and equitable program it can be in every community. While we support both legislative and administrative advocacy campaigns, for most of the year our focus is administrative advocacy. Here’s why.  


First, some definitions. Administrative advocacy is any effort to improve government policies or practices by directly or indirectly engaging with agency decision-makers outside of the legislative process. The core goal of administrative advocacy is to improve the implementation of existing policies and programs. Because what’s the point of great policy if it doesn’t get implemented well - or at all - in the real world?

Why Administrative Advocacy?
The Fundamentals
Rachel Cahill
Why Legislative Advocacy?

“Welcome to state legislative advocacy season, folks. In many states, this is the limited window of time (often just a few short months) when major state policy changes can happen - for better or for worse. 

Unfortunately, there are anti-SNAP lobbying forces in state capitals who spend significant resources to convince states to adopt the most restrictive (and sometimes cruel) SNAP state options. Oftentimes these lobbyists manipulate state legislators who don’t actually know much about SNAP, but are convinced that there is a political upside to picking on the poor. When anti-SNAP bills are introduced, state SNAP advocates are often forced to drop other important work they are doing to stop these harmful provisions from making it into state law.

Why Legislative Advocacy?
The Fundamentals
Rachel Cahill
What are we trying to accomplish at Rachel ...

Two things the anti-hunger advocacy space desperately needs more of: resources and capacity, especially at the state and local levels. Sadly, we don’t currently have the level of staffing and depth of expertise necessary in every state and U.S. territory to advocate for high-impact policy changes. Local organizations are starved for resources, and when one experienced advocate leaves, years of accumulated knowledge disappears.

As consultants, we step in to help organizations accomplish ambitious goals when existing advocacy teams do not yet exist or are over-capacity. In every project, our goal is to help support and grow local policy advocates so they are well-equipped to lead SNAP policy advocacy efforts for years to come.

What are we trying to accomplish at Rachel Cahill Consulting?

Why Red States?

Why Red States?

To succeed in red states, there are two core principles to keep in mind: 

  1. We must take seriously the amount of time, resources, and expertise required to beat back attacks on SNAP that are rooted in racism, classism, and misogyny. Advocates must be able to coordinate and sustain high-quality policymaker education, community and media engagement, and strategic coalition-building. 

  2. Defeat is not inevitable. No matter how big of a veto-proof majority a legislature may have or how many favors the bill sponsor can cash in, attacks on SNAP built upon misinformation and stereotypes about low-income people can be beaten. Just ask the savvy advocates in states like Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio – all of whom have recently successfully stopped harmful SNAP legislation from becoming law.

Why Consulting?

Why Consulting?

“Why consulting? Why not just be a conventional advocate and build a team at a 501(c)3 non-profit organization?”

This is one of the most common questions I receive from other anti-hunger advocates, especially when they are new to the field. Here’s what I tell them.

After 10 years of working in small, medium, and large non-profit organizations — first as a SNAP Outreach Coordinator and later as a Policy Director — I needed a change.

Why Administrative Advocacy?

Why Administrative Advocacy?

At Rachel Cahill Consulting (RCC), my team and I support and train state-level anti-hunger advocates to make the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) the most accessible and equitable program it can be in every community. While we support both legislative and administrative advocacy campaigns, for most of the year our focus is administrative advocacy. Here’s why.  


First, some definitions. Administrative advocacy is any effort to improve government policies or practices by directly or indirectly engaging with agency decision-makers outside of the legislative process. The core goal of administrative advocacy is to improve the implementation of existing policies and programs. Because what’s the point of great policy if it doesn’t get implemented well - or at all - in the real world?

Why Legislative Advocacy?

Why Legislative Advocacy?

“Welcome to state legislative advocacy season, folks. In many states, this is the limited window of time (often just a few short months) when major state policy changes can happen - for better or for worse. 

Unfortunately, there are anti-SNAP lobbying forces in state capitals who spend significant resources to convince states to adopt the most restrictive (and sometimes cruel) SNAP state options. Oftentimes these lobbyists manipulate state legislators who don’t actually know much about SNAP, but are convinced that there is a political upside to picking on the poor. When anti-SNAP bills are introduced, state SNAP advocates are often forced to drop other important work they are doing to stop these harmful provisions from making it into state law.

What are we trying to accomplish at Rachel Cahill Consulting?

What are we trying to accomplish at Rachel Cahill Consulting?

Two things the anti-hunger advocacy space desperately needs more of: resources and capacity, especially at the state and local levels. Sadly, we don’t currently have the level of staffing and depth of expertise necessary in every state and U.S. territory to advocate for high-impact policy changes. Local organizations are starved for resources, and when one experienced advocate leaves, years of accumulated knowledge disappears.

As consultants, we step in to help organizations accomplish ambitious goals when existing advocacy teams do not yet exist or are over-capacity. In every project, our goal is to help support and grow local policy advocates so they are well-equipped to lead SNAP policy advocacy efforts for years to come.