Policy + Campaign Strategist
Policy Analysis + Campaign Strategy for Social Justice Organizations
Whether you’re a nonprofit director, philanthropic program officer, public official, or another social sector leader, you’re working hard to defend and advance progressive change during a time of upheaval.
The need for transformative solutions is more acute than ever. You feel accountable to your constituents and communities. But money, staff, and attention are stretched thin, leaving you striving to maintain or do more with less. You could use extra support—but only from someone you can trust, someone efficient, effective, and aligned with your values.
Some consultants excel at rigorous research. Others at political strategy. You need someone who can do both—whose work is solid enough to use with confidence and strategic enough to help you achieve your goals. Otherwise, managing them and translating their work to your context drains more capacity than it adds. You need someone with not just the right expertise, but also the right touch.
There are a lot of people who are smart about policy. But they don’t always get the human dimension of our work. They don’t get that policy matters because it impacts the lives of real people. Or that you need a human touch to build a coalition to support your campaign. Alex brings a rare mix of policy rigor and skill when it comes to managing political coalitions and relationships.
—Gloria Bruce, Program Director, Crankstart Foundation
Hello! I'm Alex Werth, PhD (he/him).
I share your commitment to social change and understand the strategic considerations and practical constraints you face.
As a trained academic, I bring rigorous research, technical tools, and a strong eye for detail to my work. As an advocate, I bring real experience working with diverse teams and coalitions to connect the people, ideas, and progressive values needed to win campaigns. I’m passionate about projects that bridge groups and sectors to move policy forward.
If you’re driving change with your community, I’d love to help you develop the policy and campaign strategy to advance your vision—even in these uncertain times.
You can learn more about my background and experience here.
One of Alex's many gifts is the clarity and consistency of his policy analysis. If he's in the room, I trust he's going to understand the nuts and bolts of the policy, break it down into digestible language, and make a plan to move our work forward. His ability to toggle between the micro and the macro—the details of the policy and the wider ecosystem in which it's made—is rare.
—Mariana Moore, Senior Director, Ensuring Opportunity
I help clients advance transformative policies through four key services.
1. Thought Partnership for Organizational Leaders
Leaders often feel bogged down by how much they have in their heads and on their plates. They need a trusted sounding board to make decisions and become unstuck.
I help clients talk through strategic questions, organize priorities, and identify action steps. And where appropriate, I follow through with tasks to free up their capacity.
2. Policy Analysis + Development
Community organizations juggle many tasks and concerns, often making it difficult to get into the nuts and bolts of policy.
I help clients analyze and develop policies—breaking them down into terms people can understand and shape. Through literature reviews and expert interviews, I recommend the most impactful components of new policies and propose fixes to existing ones.
3. Research + Narrative Strategy
To pass policies, you need to bring the right people to your side.
I help clients build the case—effectively addressing community members’ questions and opponents’ objections. Using statistics, surveys, interviews, case studies, and maps, I craft compelling and accessible reports, memos, talking points, social media posts, webinars, and letters to the editor—anything that builds the public and political will needed to win campaigns.
4. Organizing, Advocacy + Lobbying
No matter how compelling the policy or the case, you need to convince policymakers to support your vision by building relationships and power.
I help clients power map, broaden coalitions, and bring more people into the fold to strengthen collective action. Holding one-on-ones with stakeholders, facilitating meetings, guiding coalition work, and building relationships with government staff, I connect and coordinate people across interests to build power toward campaign goals.
How I work with clients:
Some clients only need one or two of these components, while others want a more comprehensive approach. I’m flexible and committed to designing a support plan that meets you where you’re at and helps you get where you want to go.
My standard rate is between $150 and $200 per hour, depending on the size of the client and the project. If that feels prohibitive, please reach out. I understand the challenges facing smaller-budget social justice organizations, especially now. I’m committed to finding arrangements that allow me to support values-aligned projects while still meeting my needs.
I love working with Alex because he’s aligned with our values and approach. He strikes the right balance between technical expertise and commitment to community voice and power.
If you’re doing research or policy advocacy, you need to have him at the table.
—rhea elina laughlin, Executive Director, Rising Juntos
If you're ready to explore working together, please reach out to
schedule an informational call.
Let's discuss your specific challenges and needs and explore how my services can help keep your work moving forward—in a way that's research-driven, collaborative, and effective.
Please email me at contact@alexwerth.me to set up a free call.
Select Clients +
Work Samples
Some of my past clients include the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority, PolicyLink, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Just Cities, and the City of Oakland's Cultural Affairs Division.
Alex is among the most strategic, thoughtful, and talented researchers and writers that I have ever encountered in my 25 years of movement work. One of his superpowers is the ability to translate and communicate data, research, and analysis in clear and compelling ways for advocates and decision-makers. He has had a profound impact on advancing our policy campaigns for tenant protections at the city and county levels. His contributions have helped us secure wins that otherwise would not have been possible.
I cannot recommend Alex highly enough if you want to up your game and bring added depth to your advocacy through ground-breaking research. He brings warmth, integrity, and intelligence to all that he does.
—Kristi Laughlin, Deputy Director for Contra Costa, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
Alex's work as a researcher and planning team member for the Oakland Cultural Plan, “Belonging in Oakland,” was exemplary. It illuminated his talent as an excellent writer and outstanding problem solver—one who knows how to work with both limits and openings. His ability to produce quantitative and qualitative research about the city's complex cultural assets has contributed much to subsequent policy arguments for equity and belonging. As a team member, he engaged with our multiple and diverse community stakeholders with principled leadership. He is a gem.
—Roberto Bedoya, former Cultural Affairs Manager, City of Oakland