Defining and Planning Your Advocacy Strategy

Advocacy is the process of strategically managing and sharing knowledge to change and/or influence policies and practices that affect people’s lives

What is Advocacy? 

• Is a deliberate process
• Aims to inform and influence decision-makers
• Seeks to changes that are evidence-based
• Advocacy is the practical use of knowledge for purposes of social changes directed to government policies, laws, and procedures.
• Advocacy supports an issue and persuades the decision- makers on how to act in order to support that issue.
• Advocacy is a process, not a one-way activity.
• Advocacy is about motivating and mobilizing the community. It starts with a small group of people who share concerns about a specific problem and are willing to devote time, their experience and resources available to reach the desired change.

Advocacy approaches include but not limited to: 

• Lobbying
• Campaigns
• Meetings with government officials
• Translation of research
• Education/influencing events
• Consensus building and/or
• Creating champions

Lobbying: 

Lobbying is a form of advocacy that involves directly engaging with decision-makers, particularly a politician or public official who has control or significant influence over a policy, piece of legislation or regulation.

Examples of Lobbying: 

• Asking your Member of Parliament or representative to introduce, amend or vote for or against particular legislation
• Direct citizen outreach to parliamentarians, representatives or other government officials asking them support or oppose specific legislation or regulations
• Online or written petitions asking for legislators to support or oppose particular legislation

Advocacy Strategies: 

• Differences between ad hoc and formal advocacy
• Advantages of collective voice
• Cohesive messaging to inform policy and practice
• Building strong grassroots movements
• Changes in policies and budgets
• Implementation of policies and laws

Below we share:

PART 1: Advocacy Issue, Root Causes and Identifying your Evidence Base

PART 2: Advocacy Goals and Objectives

PART 3: Decision-makers and Influencers

PART 4: Opposition and Obstacles

PART 5: Advocacy Strengths, Limitations and Partnerships

PART 6: Advocacy Approaches and Activities

PART 7: Advocacy Messages

PART 8: Measuring Progress and Adaptive Management

Sample assignment used to interview senior executive in a Global Advocacy position recruitment