Research & PolicyFree
Policy Brief Writer for Nonprofits
Share your issue, evidence and recommendation. Get a short policy brief for lawmakers and agency staff, with every claim tied to a source.
River's policy brief writer turns your organisation's research, data and position into a short brief that busy policymakers will actually read. Share the issue, your recommendation and the evidence you have, as notes or attached reports. River writes a brief that leads with the recommendation, states the problem in a sentence, sets out the evidence with sources, weighs the main options, and ends with a specific ask. Claims are tied to your sources, and unsupported ones are flagged.
Many policy brief templates are academic in shape, opening with background and saving the recommendation for the end. Legislative staff often read only the first paragraph. This draft puts the ask and the reason first, keeps the main brief to about two pages, and sends detail to an appendix. When you need deeper analysis, River's comparative policy analysis shows how other places handled the issue, and stakeholder mapping shows who supports or opposes it.
This is for nonprofit policy staff, executive directors and coalition leads who brief legislators, agency officials or city councils. Use it before committee hearings, budget seasons, meetings with legislative staff, or the public release of a new report. A brief that states a position on a specific bill can count as lobbying for a charity, so River labels it as such. For the cost side of a proposal, a regulatory impact and cost analysis estimates who pays and how much.
What makes a policy brief work
A policy brief is written for a reader who decides things and has little time. Put the recommendation and the reason in the first two or three sentences, then support them. Keep the main brief to one or two pages, use headings a reader can scan, and move methods and detailed tables to an appendix. Write for an intelligent non-specialist, define any term the reader might not know, and keep to one idea per paragraph so each can be quoted on its own.
Evidence carries the argument, so be careful with it. Use the strongest sources you have, say where each figure comes from, and prefer local data to national averages when the decision is local. Describe the options a policymaker could choose, including doing nothing, with the main tradeoff of each, before arguing for one. A brief that admits a cost or a limitation is more persuasive to staff than one that claims a free solution.
For 501(c)(3) organisations, the line between education and lobbying matters. The IRS allows charities some lobbying, but not as a substantial part of their activities, and educational materials on public policy are treated differently from attempts to influence specific legislation. A brief urging a vote on a particular bill is generally lobbying, while a balanced analysis of an issue usually is not. Track the time and costs, and check with counsel when a brief sits near the line.
How it works
Share the issue
Describe the problem and your recommendation, and attach research, data, testimony or past briefs you have.
Name the reader
Optionally say who will read it, such as a committee, an agency or a city council.
River writes the brief
You get a two-page brief with the ask first, sourced evidence, options and an appendix.
Adapt in chat
Make a one-page leave-behind, testimony remarks, or a version for a different committee or agency.
What you get
- A two-page policy brief that opens with your recommendation and the single strongest reason for it
- A plain statement of the problem using local figures from your research, each with its source
- Two to four policy options, including no change, with the main tradeoff of each
- A specific ask for this reader, such as an amendment, a budget line or a hearing
- A source list, with any claim your material does not support flagged rather than kept
- A note on whether the brief may count as lobbying, so you can track it
Common questions
How long should a policy brief be?
Usually one to two pages for the main brief, with an appendix for methods and detail. Many readers will only see the first paragraph, so it must carry the recommendation and the reason on its own. River writes to about two pages and can produce a one-page leave-behind version for meetings.
Can a charity write a policy brief?
Yes. Charities regularly publish research and educational materials on public policy. If a brief urges lawmakers to support or oppose specific legislation, it is generally lobbying, which 501(c)(3) organisations may do within limits. River notes when a draft looks like lobbying so you can track it, but it does not give legal advice.
Will it find sources for me?
It works mainly from the research and data you provide, and can add public sources it checks, naming each one in the text. It never cites a study it has not read or invents a statistic. Where a claim in your notes has no source, the draft flags it so you can find one or soften the wording.
Should a policy brief include options we do not support?
Yes, briefly. Staff need to see the realistic choices, including doing nothing, and the tradeoffs of each. Showing that you have weighed alternatives makes your recommendation more credible. River lays out two to four options with their main costs and benefits, then explains why yours is the strongest.
Can it write testimony too?
Yes. Once the brief is done, ask River in chat to turn it into spoken testimony of a set length, usually three to five minutes. Spoken remarks need shorter sentences, a personal opening and one or two memorable figures. If you need plain wording for a public audience, run the acronym and jargon checker over the draft.
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.
Policy Brief Writer for Nonprofits
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.