5 Ways To Be an Advocate With AARP

A passion for issues that matter to Americans 50-plus is all you need to join our fight

Miriam Cross,

AARP

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Published March 12, 2026

AARP (Zelman Studios; Getty Images,1)

AARP is on the front lines in your community, in state capitols and on Capitol Hill working on issues like protecting and strengthening Social Security, keeping health care costs in check and shielding people from scammers, all to ensure older Americans can thrive as they age.

Helping to power that work is a nationwide corps of everyday activists who join with us. Ana Tris is one of these activists. She had to dig deep to find financial and caregiving assistance after she left her 38-year career to look after her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. “It took me — a corporate executive managing over $100 million with 300 associates — a year and a half to figure this all out,” she says. “What about the people that don’t have that experience?”

Tris, 67, of Miami, became one of AARP’s “storytellers” — someone who shines a light on the issues we speak up for by sharing their personal experiences with lawmakers and the public. That’s one powerful way to help advocate for people 50-plus with AARP, but there are plenty more.

“We don’t have a PAC, we don’t donate money,” says Reshma Mehta, vice president of advocacy outreach and mobilization. “All of our power stems from the fact we have these millions of activists who raise their voices and vote.”

Here are five ways to help AARP support the priorities of Americans 50-plus

1. Become an online or mobile activist

Enter your contact information to join our efforts online to advocate on topics that range from Social Security and Medicare to support for family caregivers. Then watch your inbox. AARP sends out alerts to let you know when your actions can make a difference. That could include writing to your representatives to explain why prescription drug prices are too high or why caregivers need financial support. You can also sign up for advocacy alerts by text message. At the same time, spread the word about our efforts by following AARP’s advocacy channels on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube and reposting or sharing our content.

Join Our Fight to Protect Older Americans

Here’s what you can do to help:

Sign up to become an AARP activist for the latest news and alerts on issues you care about.
Find out more about how we’re fighting for you every day in Congress and across the country.
AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Become a member or renew your membership today

The impact:

When advocates flood lawmakers’ inboxes with messages or sign petitions, it shows people in power how much these issues matter. It also helps us call attention to legislation important to Americans 50 and older in a distinctly nonpartisan way. Reposting our content on social media can also be an effective way to build awareness of issues that impact older adults. Viewers are more likely to trust the content shared by individuals than large organizations.

By the numbers:

Our advocates sent 2.6 million messages to Congress in 2025 urging their representatives to protect Social Security. This helped AARP achieve significant victories, such as reversing a plan to restrict service via phone for Social Security applicants.

Our most popular social media post of 2025 was this video about the importance of Social Security income, with 1.1 million views and more than 600,000 engagements including likes, comments and shares.

2. Tell your story

Everyday Americans sharing their own stories bring to life the issues that impact people 50-plus for decision-makers, like state and local lawmakers and those in Congress.

To tell your story and help AARP raise awareness on a variety of topics, fill out this form or answer one of our calls for storytellers sent out by email (sign up here to get the emails). We’ll schedule a phone call to learn more about your experiences with issues that matter to adults 50 and older. With your permission, we may provide a platform to share your story more broadly. AARP’s storytellers might record a video, speak to reporters or meet with members of Congress.

The impact:

“You think of advocates as picking up the phone and calling their senator,” says Jen Beam, director of social digital storytelling at AARP. “But to share your story to help others is the heart of our campaigns and one of the most powerful acts of advocacy you can take.” For example, when a real-life caregiver speaks openly about the challenges they’ve faced, or when a fraud victim who has lost thousands in retirement savings describes the impact, it puts a human face on policies AARP is fighting for.

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Real-life example:

Ana Tris has opened her home to television crews and welcomed AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan for on-camera interviews about the emotional and financial toll of caregiving and the need for resources and policy reform, such as a caregiver tax credit. Tris participated in a Spanish-language Facebook event highlighting AARP’s federal advocacy work and will film a national television commercial about voter engagement this year.

“Storytellers transform federal and state policy priorities into deeply human narratives,” says Craig Davis, senior storyteller manager at AARP.

Tris’s mother died in October. “The whole purpose has been to have my mother’s illness and death mean something,” Tris says.

Lisa Rodriguez (left, front) and Ismael Herrera (center, front) of AARP Texas lead a team of volunteers down the steps of the San Antonio City Hall.

Bill Zelman

3. Show strength in numbers

Put on a bright-red AARP shirt and join a sea of our volunteers to catch legislators’ attention at hearings, rallies, press conferences and meetings in your city or state. If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, email grassroots@aarp.org to get more information about joining the Capitol Hill Strike Force, our team of federal advocacy volunteers who make regular trips to Congress.

Otherwise, contact your state or local AARP office, visit our AARP volunteer site or fill out a volunteer interest form (you’ll need to create or sign into your AARP account).

“Each state has some local agenda they need people to help with,” says Brad Anderson, vice president of community engagement for AARP. “If you want to be plugged into that existing agenda you will be met with arms wide open.”

There are lots of jobs to do. Volunteers might leave “palm cards,” or information about how a specific issue impacts older adults at the state capitol building or walk the streets of their city looking for perilous roads as part of a walk audit.

The impact:

When decision-makers see a backdrop of red behind one of our experts testifying at a hearing, they understand the magnitude of support behind our lobbying efforts. In a February 2024 hearing about retirement savings, a U.S. house representative even joked that he needed his own red jacket to fit in.

This raises our profile and ensures the AARP presence, always working on behalf of older adults, is felt. “It puts [lawmakers] on notice that we’re watching,” Mehta says.

Local AARP volunteers often see tangible and immediate results.

“You can meet with that council member one day and six months later you see the sidewalk gap has been fixed,” Anderson says.

Real-life success story:

Public transit users in Kenner, Louisiana, were frustrated by wait times of up to an hour for the local buses, and a lack of seating and signage at bus stops. AARP Louisiana conducted a transit system survey and deployed volunteers to ride buses alongside Kenner’s mayor. The city later added buses, upgraded routes (including one to the Social Security office) and posted clear signage.

4. Step into the spotlight

If you have personal experience or skills related to an issue AARP is working on (for instance, you investigated fraud in a previous life as a police officer, or have a health care background), we may tap you to testify at a hearing, ask you to join a local board or commission or speak on a panel to share your expertise. If you’re simply passionate about a particular issue and willing to talk about it with legislators, let us know when you sign up to volunteer — we’ll provide training and support.

“No matter what your interest is, AARP can find a way to use that passion and purpose to improve the life of older adults,” says Paula Cunningham, who deploys advocacy volunteers as state director of AARP Michigan.

The impact:

“Nothing moves the needle more than lived experiences,” Cunningham says. Discussing the benefits of a caregiver tax credit is one thing. But the issue hits home when a caregiver reveals they missed a promotion at work and lost the pay bump that would have come with it, after stepping back to take care of a parent.

Real-life success story:

A friend connected Donna Mimikos, 69, with the AARP Michigan office in 2022 to join a panel with U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and discuss the rising cost of insulin. Mimikos, who had recently retired from a nursing career, has diabetes and plenty of experience managing diabetic patients.

“It was powerful because she lived that work,” Cunningham says.

Mimikos has volunteered with AARP Michigan ever since, attending monthly virtual advocacy meetings to stay on top of the legislative agenda and sharing updates with older adults in her network. “I like to be informed of what’s going on,” Mimikos says. “I think my primary impact is educating the community.”

5. Become a member

Join AARP or renew your membership to help support our social mission and easily learn about ways to get involved.

Membership includes a subscription to AARP The Magazine, exclusive discounts and services, access to our insurance offerings and a rewards program. Although AARP’s advocacy focuses on people 50-plus, anyone 18 and older can join AARP.

The impact:

AARP advocates for the 125 million people in the U.S. over age 50. Membership is a key part of our collective voice nationwide. Our top priorities this year include protecting and strengthening Social Security, ensuring access to health care, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, supporting our nation’s 63 million family caregivers, protecting the life savings of older adults from fraud and helping more Americans save for retirement.

By the numbers:

Ninety-one percent of the advocacy actions taken with AARP are by members, and two-thirds of AARP volunteers are also members.

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