In a recent VoterVoice webinar, Make Your Fly-In Matter — A Strategic Reset, advocacy experts Sathya Mandjiny, Senior Director at Penta, and Kathy Orellana, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at RXN, shared lessons from their experience working with policymakers and advocacy teams across the country.
The conversation served as a reminder that many of the practices advocacy teams already know still matter — and that revisiting them can be one of the most effective ways to strengthen a fly-in program.
Listen to the full webinar or catch the highlights below.
Our Panelists
Sathya Mandjiny
Senior Director, Penta
Sathya Mandjinyis a Senior Director at Penta, where she leads external affairs and outreach to senior policymakers across the legislative and executive branches. A former Political Director for U.S. Senator Ed Markey, she brings firsthand experience managing relationships with over 150 elected officials and designing statewide legislative advocacy campaigns.
Kathy Orellana
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, RXN
Kathy Orellana is a Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at RXN with 15 years of experience in government relations, coalition building, and campaign management at the federal and state levels. She previously oversaw state advocacy across 17 states at the American Psychiatric Association and has consulted with nonprofit and corporate clients on stakeholder engagement and advocacy training.
Watch key moments from the webinar
Preparation mistakes that quietly derail fly-ins
What experienced advocates do differently in the first five minutes of a meeting
Why policymakers respond more to lived experience than policy expertise
Messaging approaches that don’t land the way teams expect
What strong advocacy follow-up actually looks like today
How to tell if your fly-in worked — even without policy movement
Fly-In Preparation: What single preparation step had the biggest downstream impact once you corrected it?
Preparation for a fly-in often focuses on policy materials, but small logistical decisions can have an outsized effect on how smoothly the day unfolds.
”One time, I failed to organize meeting schedules based on how someone would physically navigate a building, which meant that there was a lot of unnecessary back and forth.
Sathya MandjinySenior Director at Penta
When advocates are rushed or distracted by logistics, it becomes harder for them to focus on their message.
“I found it really helpful to host a virtual prep session before your advocates get to D.C,” added Kathy.
It’s a great chance to review materials, talking points, personal stories, and address last-minute questions before meetings begin.
Advocacy Meetings: What should happen in the first five minutes with a policymaker?
The opening minutes of a meeting often determine whether advocates make the most of the time they have with policymakers.
”“Now that I'm at RXN, we've made it a point to ensure that every single group has a meeting guide.”
Kathy OrellanaSenior Director at Penta
These guides are the ones that begin each meeting with the core ask, helping ensure that the conversation quickly moves to advocates’ personal stories.
Early in her career, Sathya shared that during fly-ins, she blurred the line between building rapport with policymakers and using the meeting time effectively.
“Now I try my best to really separate the two, because I can always ask someone for coffee later.”
Policymakers often appreciate clarity. Relationship building remains essential, but dedicating meeting time to a clear purpose helps ensure advocates use those moments effectively.
Advocacy Messaging: What messaging tactics stopped working?
”Earlier in my career, I assumed that demonstrating expertise up front was what was going to be the most persuasive. But what I've learned is that policymakers really just resonate most with lived experience. They really want to hear from people who are going to be impacted by policy.
Sathya MandjinySenior Director at Penta
Kathy added that assumptions about an audience can also undermine a conversation.
“We brought in a few advocates working in the AI space. We thought it was helpful to open up the conversation by asking staffers, ‘Are you using AI?’” Instead of creating a point of connection, this opener put Kathy’s team on the defensive after staffers shared their skepticism of AI.
“Each office is really different and has different perspectives. They’re coming to issues with their own preconceived notions or their own understanding. So even within one day, you can have radically different meetings” Kathy added.
Measuring Advocacy Impact: How can you tell if a fly-in worked?
One of the challenges advocacy teams face is measuring success when policy outcomes take time.
“I just want to acknowledge that measuring impact can be really difficult because policy outcomes are shaped by a broader ecosystem,” said Sathya.
“But I think what we can look for are indicators that are within our control when it comes to fly-ins. What were the number of meetings that were secured? Did advocates clearly deliver their personal stories? Were meetings cut short? Were [advocates] able to actually talk to [staffers or memebers]? How many specific follow-up requests came in from offices?”
For Kathy, one of the strongest signals of success comes from advocate engagement.
”The biggest win for us is getting folks excited about advocacy.
Kathy OrellanaSenior Director at Penta
“If anyone has ever worked in advocacy, you know how hard it is to get folks to participate.” She emphasized the importance of engaging advocates between meetings, “building that relationship with them, and having them trust you.”
When advocates stay engaged after the event, organizations build a stronger community they can mobilize for future advocacy efforts.
