Screen 1 of 27 Collaboration and Advocacy techniques Advocacy LEARNING OBJECTIVES Understand the...

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Collaboration and Advocacy techniques

Advocacy

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Understand the concept of advocacy.

Identify the main steps of the advocacy process.

Recognize a realistic advocacy goal.

Identify different techniques and skills required to influence different audiences.

Understand the criteria to evaluate an advocacy effort.

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INTRODUCTION

There are many factors that influence the decisions of policy makers.

This presentation will explore these factors and ways to use an understanding of these factors to create desired change in policy outcomes.

The focus will be on how to achieve specific goals, educating or advising policy makers with no particular outcome in mind.

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• Actions to change the policies, programmes, or actions of an institution or individual within an institution.

WHAT ADVOCACY IS

There is no one definition of advocacy. Some have described it as:

• Strategies and activities to persuade a decision-maker to do whatever it is you would like them to do.

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WHAT ADVOCACY IS

To be effective, advocacy must have these characteristics:

There is a clear goal.

The advocates have identified exactly who can deliver that goal.

There is a sound strategy and specific set of activities that will persuade the decision-maker(s).The right people with the right skills and contacts are involved.

The resources match the real level of effort that is necessary to achieve the goal.

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WHAT ADVOCACY IS

Audience reactions to effective advocacy and communication:Effective Communication Effective Advocacy

•Your message has been heard clearly.

•People have a better understanding of the topic.

•Your audience understood your message.

Advocacy vs Communication

• goal of communication -> to effectively convey your message or information;

• goal of advocacy -> to create specific action or change.

•Your message will be acted upon.

•People know exactly what to do next with the information.

•Your audience understood and was inspired to take action as a result of your message .

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THE ADVOCACY PROCESS

Advocacy processes generally include these fundamental steps:

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Let’s consider the following hypothetical example of a food security advocacy challenge...

Example: The Landia story

A recent military coup has destabilized the government and the normal ministry officials dealing with agriculture and food production have fled the country. It is unclear whom the decision-makers are and what the current process is to get a decision. Non-governmental organizations, both locally based and international, are noticing the warning signs of an impending famine.

The goal is to get the government of Landia to make a request to international agencies and others for immediate food aid.

The country of Landia has experienced food insecurity in the past, but has never had a full-blown famine. The government has always been able to ask for, receive and distribute food aid in advance of famine conditions taking hold.

LANDIA

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Planning for success

Getting the issue on the agenda

Selecting a viable solution

Building political will

Getting the issue on the agenda again Building political will to act

Success


Let’s look at the steps followed by the advocates of the Landia story:

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SETTING REALISTIC ADVOCACY GOALS

Advocacy efforts often succeed or fail based on how realistic (or not) the goal is. What is realistic for advocacy depends on many factors, such as:• The level of understanding the decision-makers already have about the issue at hand.

• How much they already care about it.

• How much popular support there is to act on the issue.

• How much benefit the decision-makers will get for addressing the issue.

• What will happen to the decision-makers if they do not address the issue.

• How much you can do to increase the benefits and/or costs for the decision-makers.

• What resources you have to bring to the advocacy effort.

• The level of understanding the decision-makers already have about the issue at hand.

• How much they already care about it.

• How much popular support there is to act on the issue.

• How much benefit the decision-makers will get for addressing the issue.

• What will happen to the decision-makers if they do not address the issue.

• How much you can do to increase the benefits and/or costs for the decision-makers.

• What resources you have to bring to the advocacy effort.

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Let’s consider a hypothetical example from Food Security:

Example: Maizeland’s National Food Security Policy

needs to increase exports even more to get additional foreign currency to make debt payments. The country also imports milk products, which are the population’s main source of protein.

The Agriculture Ministry staff have a high degree of understanding, caring, and desire to develop an ambitious policy with the assistance of the FAO. However, the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Trade and Commerce, and Minister of Finance, who are the ultimate decision-makers, do not share the same degree of understanding, care or desire.

The government of Maizeland has started to work with the FAO of the UN to develop a coordinated national policy to create long-term food security for its people.

It is a country that has been a net exporter of maize, but


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What is realistic for Maizeland?

The following are three hypothetical advocacy goals:

Option A: Target the Ministers

Get the Ministers of Agriculture, Trade and Commerce, and Finance to agree that developing a national food security policy is an important priority for this government and establish a commission to develop that policy.

Option A: Target the Ministers

Get the Ministers of Agriculture, Trade and Commerce, and Finance to agree that developing a national food security policy is an important priority for this government and establish a commission to develop that policy.

Option B: Target the Parliament

Work with an MP that is a former Minister of Agriculture to get the parliament to pressure the government to develop a proactive food security policy.

Option B: Target the Parliament

Work with an MP that is a former Minister of Agriculture to get the parliament to pressure the government to develop a proactive food security policy.

Option C: Target the Prime Minister

Use FAO’s model national food security policy, which is based on the best practices in the field, and take it straight to the Prime Minister to get her support and action.

Option C: Target the Prime Minister

Use FAO’s model national food security policy, which is based on the best practices in the field, and take it straight to the Prime Minister to get her support and action.

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INFLUENCING YOUR AUDIENCE

The best advocates mix and match tactics to achieve the best results in the shortest period of time. DECISION

MAKERS

DIRECT INFLUENCERS

GENERAL PUBLIC

OPINION LEADERS

MEDIA

These are some common advocacy techniques for a variety of audiences.

There is no set combination of strategies that will create policy change.

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DECISION MAKERS

Going directly to the person who can make the decision is the fastest way to create desired change.

The following steps should be applied to persuade decision-makers to act:

Follow up

Craft the message

Select the messengers

Hone the “ask”

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DIRECT INFLUENCERSDirect influencers are

people close to the decision-maker, such as advisers, staff, or even family members.

Influencing them involves the same four steps required to persuade decision-makers.

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GENERAL PUBLIC

If a decision-maker is attuned to public opinion, advocates will often activate the general public to deliver the message to that decision-maker.

Delivery can take many forms:

Polls

Lobby-days

Letters/emails/calls

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OPINION-LEADERS

Opinion-leaders are individuals that others look to for guidance on a topic. The decision-maker may or may not personally know the opinion-leader or other target audience.

Advocates commonly tap opinion-leaders to:

• sign on to letters to decision-makers;

• make media appearances;

• “ghost” author reports or articles;

• provide quotes or testimonials; or

• attend meetings or public events.

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MEDIAMedia advocacy can be extremely time-consuming and expensive. Advocates should only do media advocacy when it is necessary to create political will.

Pros and cons of media advocacy

PROS CONS

• Can reach large numbers of decision- makers at once or Can be targeted to reach a single decision-maker• Can reach multiple audiences at once• Can be highly persuasive to decision- makers• Raising visibility can assist in raising funds for advocacy

• Impact of the story or coverage can be short-lived• Can be very expensive and time consuming• Does not lend itself to issues that are chronic in nature• Cannot control the message that comes out in the press

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Techniques to reach the media include:

Press releasesPress releases

Press briefingsPress briefings

“Pitching” stories“Pitching” stories

Opinion-editorialsOpinion-editorials

Letters to the editorLetters to the editor

Press conferencesPress conferences

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THE TEAM

What are the skill sets needed to conduct effective advocacy?

What kind of team should be assembled for an advocacy campaign?

Advocacy teams should have people who: • Know the decision-making process intimately.

• Know the topic and the policy process in order to develop viable solutions.

• Understand and/or know the target decision-makers.

• Can manage the overall strategy or campaign. • Understand and can work with the media. • Are technical specialists in the topic.

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EVALUATING THE ADVOCACY EFFORT

It is imperative to constantly monitor and adapt your advocacy to ensure success.

The key is to measure progress towards the goal, not the number of activities conducted to reach the goal.

The focus of advocacy should be to reach the goal with as little effort as possible, zeroing in on the activities that most directly create political will for action.

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Do Measure

• Actual policy changes that represent positive movement toward your goal.

• Amount of discussion about your issue and proposed solution in policy-making circles, the media, etc. (e.g. number of press articles in a given period).

• Number of statements made by target decision-makers expressing support for your goal (both formally and informally).

Examples of things to measure and not measure:

Do Not Measure

• How non-decision-making audiences evaluate coalition meetings, briefings, events, etc.

• Number of meetings held with decision-makers.

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If progress is not being made based on things you should be measuring, you should change your strategy.

The two most important words of advice to advocates:

If it is not working, stop doing it.

Keep your eyes on the prize, let your goals guide you, not your activity plans.

Advocates should keep plans very flexible, both in terms of timing and activities. The nature of advocacy is that what works is sometimes unpredictable.

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Let’s consider the Maizeland case study to evaluate their advocacy effort…

• How was this advocacy effort successful?

• How did the coalition misread their success?

• What should they have measured that they did not?

• What opportunities did they miss?

• What should they do next?Let’s compare your answers with the Analysis of “Success” developed by an expert…

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Analysis of “Success” for the Food Security Coalition

What they thought was successful, but was not:

• Getting government ministers to meet with MPs and donor officials

• Media coverage

• Meeting with 35 MPs

What they thought was successful, and it was:

• Getting key ministers to agree to come to a meeting with the group

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Finally, how can we define “success”?

Good advocacy will land somewhere between the acceptable and the perfect.

(where you started)

(what you wanted)(what you got)(what was the minimum)

Evaluation should identify what policy change is acceptable, not acceptable and ideal.

Evaluate your efforts fairly. Anything achieved beyond the minimum is a success that can be built upon towards the ultimate goal.

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SUMMARY

The goal of advocacy is to create specific action or change by influencing the decisions of policy makers.

Even if the advocacy process is highly dynamic and fluid, it generally includes some fundamental steps, such as planning, getting the problem on the agenda, providing decision makers with a feasible solution, creating a political will and evaluating the effort.

Advocacy efforts often succeed or fail based on how realistic (or not) the goal is.

The best advocates mix and match different tactics to achieve the best results in the shortest period of time.

The first and most important audience is the decision-makers. The next layer of targets are those who influence the decision-makers most.

Constant evaluation and alteration are what separates successful advocates from the rest. It is imperative to constantly monitor and adapt your advocacy to ensure success.

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IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE...

RESOURCES

• An Introduction to Advocacy: A Training Guide by Ritu Sharma (www.aed.org/Publications/upload/PNABZ919.pdf)

• New Weave of Power, People & Politics: The Action Guide for Advocacy and Citizen Participation by Lisa VeneKlasen with Valerie Miller (http://www.justassociates.org/ActionGuide.htm)

• The Jossey-Bass Guide to Strategic Communications for Nonprofits by Kathy Bonk, Henry Griggs, and Emily Tynes (http://www.ccmc.org/book.htm)

• Advocacy for Social Justice: A Global Action and Reflection Guide by David Cohen, Rosa de la Vega, and Gabrielle Watson (http://www.kpbooks.com)

• The Communications Consortium Media Center (CCMC) (http://www.ccmc.org/mediatools.htm)

• The Advocacy Institute (www.advocacy.org)

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