As David Magnani stood before about 200 key players within Western Mass. nonprofit organizations, he had one overriding message: legislators, believe it or not, are human.

“The first lesson is that legislators are people,” said Magnani, a former state lawmaker and now executive director of the Mass. Nonprofit Network, which builds awareness of the Commonwealth’s nonprofit sector. “They have lives. They have likes, dislikes, relatives, friends, hobbies — or they used to have hobbies.