From the Hill to the Heart of Policy: How Bethany Snyder Turns Passion into Power

Bethany Snyder isn’t your average consultant—she’s a one-woman advocacy powerhouse. As the founder and sole force behind Snyder Strategies, Bethany has built a boutique consulting firm that’s laser-focused on helping nonprofits transform passion into policy. In a sector that often underestimates its influence, Bethany is the voice reminding nonprofits of just how much power they already hold—and showing them exactly how to use it.

Bethany’s path to founding Snyder Strategies is as unconventional as it is inspiring. With over two decades of experience in nonprofit advocacy, she has always been drawn to the intersection of community engagement and policy change. But it was her time in the U.S. Senate—specifically as a healthcare advisor for Senator Al Franken during the battle over the Affordable Care Act—that proved pivotal.

“I had come from the nonprofit world, so I knew the sector,” Bethany says. “But watching the ACA unfold from the inside? I was appalled. It was the biggest healthcare reform in fifty years, and nonprofits were largely absent from the policymaking table.”

When Bethany left Capitol Hill, she brought with her a clear vision: nonprofits needed a guide, a coach, and a strategist—someone who could help them navigate policy spaces, build influence, and advocate effectively for the communities they serve. And so, Snyder Strategies was born.

Bethany works with a variety of mission-driven organizations, but she has carved out a deep niche in health and human services. She frequently partners with state-based membership associations such as primary care organizations and public health networks.

“I love working with membership organizations because advocacy is often central to their mission,” Bethany says. “They represent entire ecosystems of care [...] multiple groups and individuals united under one cause. That kind of collective power is exciting to work with.”

Though she occasionally branches out into other sectors, Bethany’s expertise in health and human services runs deep. She brings not only policy fluency but also a real respect for the complexity of that work and the people doing it. For Bethany, the most pressing challenge in her work isn’t technical—it’s cultural.

“Nonprofits are in an existential crisis,” Bethany says. “They’re under attack in policy making spaces. And too often, they don’t even realize there’s someone like me out here who can help them fight back strategically.”

In her view, one of the biggest hurdles nonprofits face is their own reluctance to communicate their impact. 

“Nonprofits do incredible work, but they don’t always tell their story well—to lawmakers, to funders, to the public,” Bethany says. “That lack of visibility is costing them.”

What sets Bethany apart isn’t just her résumé—it’s her approach. With firsthand experience as a grassroots director, a lobbyist, and a Senate staffer, she’s seen every angle of the advocacy process. That multifaceted perspective allows her to offer real-world, battle-tested strategies to her clients. But perhaps her greatest gift is how she reframes perceived weaknesses as strengths.

“Too small? Too local? Not statewide?” Bethany says. “Let’s flip that. Those are assets. Intimacy with your community, hyper-local insight, the trust you’ve built—that’s your power. My job is to help you leverage it.”

This strengths-based lens is woven into everything she does. Whether it’s designing a campaign, facilitating a training, or helping a client reimagine their identity as an advocacy organization, Bethany is always looking for what’s already working—and how to amplify it.

Bethany has developed what she calls the “Four Advocacy Superpowers” of nonprofits—unique assets that no other sector can claim all at once:

• Subject Matter Expertise – Deep knowledge of the issues affecting their communities.
• Access to Local Data – Insights rooted in lived experience and frontline service.
• Lived Expertise – Direct connections to the people most impacted by policy decisions.
• Motivated Communities – Networks of passionate, engaged individuals who care and are ready to act.

“These aren’t just nice-to-haves,” Bethany insists. “These are the exact ingredients needed for successful advocacy. Nonprofits have them in abundance—they just need the confidence and strategy to use them.”

One of Bethany’s most urgent messages is directed not just at nonprofits, but at their funders.

“We need funders to be braver,” she says. “Funders need to invest in advocacy, not just direct services. If you want systemic change, advocacy is the lever.”

She’s hopeful that more organizations are beginning to understand this, especially in a time of political volatility. But there’s still a long way to go—and Bethany is committed to leading the charge.

At the end of the day, Bethany wants nonprofits to know that they’re not alone. “If you think you don’t have a thought partner in this process—you do,” she says. “You have me.”

In a sector hungry for leadership, clarity, and courage, Bethany Snyder is all three. With Snyder Strategies, she’s not just consulting—she’s cultivating a movement. One where nonprofits step boldly into their power, claim their seat at the table, and rewrite the rules of engagement in policy spaces. Because as Bethany puts it: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”