Citizen lobbying is incredibly effective. A lot less people contact their congress person than people envision. If you can get a few hundred people to call or write your representative about something it absolutely can change a vote. Money isn't the only thing that talks, politicians ultimately just want to get reelected.
The key is who you're lobbying. If you're in a hard right or hard left district with a rep that is inflexible your lobbying will be ineffective. But every vote has a handful of politicians that have no strong opinions or ideological grounds on that vote and are movable. With proper organizing one can target those districts and call citizens of those districts to then call their representative.
But as citizens who haven't organized, if everyone contacts their representative at least some of those communications will be with the politicians that can be moved.
I've done the former and the latter and been part of bills getting passed that otherwise probably wouldn't have. Cynicism is the strongest barrier to progress. It doesn't mean it will work every time, but it absolutely works.
Politicians love free liquor. Of course, to maximize their pleasure it should be delivered with haste. When moving liquor hastily, you will spill some, so it should come with a cloth to clean up the spills. The fastest way to dispose of liquor soaked cloths is with a lighter.
Thankfully Russians already developed a cocktail that incorporates all these techniques.