Advocacy Introduction

An Introduction to Advocacy TRAINING GUIDE

Ritu R. Sharma

Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA)

Health and Human Resources Analysis in Africa (HHRAA)

USAID, Africa Bureau, Office of Sustainable Development

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide

An Introduction to Advocacy

Training Guide

By Ritu R. Sharma

Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA)Health and Human Resources Analysis for Africa (HHRAA)

U.S. Agency for International Development, Africa Bureau, Office of Sustainable Development

SARA /AED Advocacy Training Guide

The SARA Project is operated by the Academy forEducational Development with subcontractorsTulane University, JHPIEGO, Macro International,Morehouse School of Medicine, PopulationReference Bureau, and Porter/Novelli. SARA isfunded by the U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment (AFR/SD/HHR) under ContractAOT-0483-C-2178-00 (Project number 698-0483).

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide References

Acknowledgments

This guide would not have been possible without the invaluable insights,feedback, guidance and patience of Suzanne Prysor-Jones, Judy Brace,Lalla Touré, Barky Diallo, Lillian Baer, Ellen Piwoz, Dana Faulkner,Rhonda Smith, Renuka Bery and Lisa VeneKlasen. I am particularlygrateful to Renuka Bery for her outstanding layout design. Thanks arealso due to Anne MacArthur, Kim Hemphill and Cindy Arciaga for theirassistance throughout the development and production of this advocacyguide. Special thanks to InterAction, the Center for Development andPopulation Activities, Population Reference Bureau, and the AdvocacyInstitute for sharing their ground-breaking work on advocacy.

SARA /AED Advocacy Training GuideReferences

ForewordWhy an Advocacy Training Guide?

Over the past few years, the SARA Project has worked with several African institu-tions and partners to generate research findings and present information to decisionmakers in appropriate forms. Recognizing that this has not been enough to changepolicies and programs, a SARA study, Knowledge Utilization and the Process ofPolicy Formation, reviewed the process of policy change, and identified the threeactivities that converge to produce changes in policies and programs: identifying prob-lems, finding solutions, and advocacy. While defining problems and exploring alterna-tive solutions have long been used to promote change, the need for systematic anditerative advocacy in this process has been less well understood. The diagram showsthat the advocacy process is critical in precipitating changes in policies and programs.

i

Recently, researchers, managers, NGO personnel, and other concerned groups andindividuals have found it necessary to become advocates, but they often have littleknowledge of or training in the subject. As we and our collegues in Africa recognizedmore fully the need for advocacy, we looked for introductory materials that could beeasily adapted and used at low cost in different local settings, but found few.

Changes in policies and programs

Advocacy

IdentifyingProblems

FindingSolutions


usingusing

This Introduction to Advocacy Training Guide provides the tools for people to startengaging in the advocacy process, and is thus designed to:

✦ inform a diverse audience of potential advocates about advocacy and its methods;

✦ build some basic skills in advocacy;

✦ increase the use of available data to inform the advocacy process;

✦ give confidence to those who are embarking on advocacy efforts;

✦ encourage the democratic process by providing people with the skills to make theirvoices heard.

Who will find the Guide useful?

The Guide should be useful to people in all sectors who wish to improve policies andprograms through advocacy. Potential users may be:

✦ professional institutions, associations and networks;

✦ researchers interested in promoting their findings;

✦ program managers who wish to influence their agencies and/or the public;

✦ NGOs or community organizations;

✦ ad hoc groups that may form to address particular issues;

✦ training institutions or groups that work with potential advocates.

ii

SARA /AED Advocacy Training Guide

How can the Guide be used and adapted?

Although the Guide is written primarily for use in training sessions, it can also be usedby potential advocates as a tool to help them start their own advocacy work.

✦ Selected chapters can be used for one or two-day sessions that can be added tomeetings or conferences to give a general orientation on advocacy.

✦ Institutions, networks, or associations can use it with their staff and members asa guide to help plan particular advocacy campaigns.

✦ Researchers can use it to plan the dissemination of findings on particular issues.

✦ It can be used for pre-service training, using simulated issues for advocacy.

✦ Any or all examples in the Guide can be replaced by examples from othersectors.

We hope that this Introduction to Advocacy Training Guide will enable diversegroups in Africa and elsewhere to participate more effectively in the challenge ofmaking policies and programs more responsive to the changing needs of individuals,families and communities.

Suzanne Prysor-JonesSARA Project Director

iii


Table of Contents

Foreword...........................................................................i

Module 1: What is Advocacy? .......................................................... 1

Module 2: Identifying Policy Issues. ............................................... 13

Module 3: Selecting an Advocacy Objective ................................... 21

Module 4: Researching Audiences .................................................. 39

Module 5: Developing and Delivering Advocacy Messages ............ 51

Module 6: Understanding the Decision-Making Process ................ 65

Module 7: Building Alliances .......................................................... 81

Module 8: Making Effective Presentations ..................................... 95

Module 9: Fundraising for Advocacy ........................................... 101

Module 10: Improving your Advocacy .......................................... 113

Glossary....................................................................... 123

References.....................................................................125

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 1

1 What is Advocacy?

Africa is a changing continent with much promise for the future. Newsystems of government and new organizations are evolving. People havemore opportunities than ever before to become involved in the decision-making processes which affect their lives. Although it may not be possibleto practice every aspect of advocacy discussed in this guide, the act ofadvocating itself can open new spaces for participation in thedevelopment process.

This training guide aims to present advocacy in a broad sense. Althoughthere are many different ways to conceptualize advocacy, this guide willfocus on advocacy directed at changing the policies, positions orprograms of any type of institution�a small NGO, a council of elders,a ministry of health, a national parliament, an international agency or anyother kind of organization.

Policy advocacy is not limited to decisions that are made through open,organized and formal systems of governance. The tools presented in thisguide can be applied to situations in which decision-making is informal,adaptive, opaque or even secluded.

Wherever change needs to occur, advocacy has a role to play. Whetheryou want more funding for a family planning clinic, new programs toaddress child malnutrition, laws to make primary schooling accessible orincreased attention to a health program within your organization,advocacy can help you accomplish your goals.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide2What is Advocacy?

1

In this module, we will:

A. explore the concept of advocacy as it applies toprofessionals working in Africa;

B. discuss which basic elements of advocacy wecurrently use;

C. consider a conceptual framework for advocacy.

The following case study is presented to help youanswer the question, �What it Advocacy?�

Case Study

Kenyan Advocates Succeed in PromotingAdolescent Health1

One in four Kenyans is an adolescent and teensrepresent an ever-growing proportion of thepopulation. Hospital treatment of teenagers for theconsequences of unsafe abortion accounts for

Objectives

A. Concept of Advocacy

between 20 and 50 percent of all such cases.2 Teensaged 15-19 years also constitute approximately 35percent of all reported HIV/AIDS cases in Kenya.3

Still, the government of Kenya prohibits thedistribution of contraceptives to adolescents.

In early 1990, the Center for the Study ofAdolescence (CSA) was established to conductresearch on adolescent health issues and to advocatefor policies that promote the well-being of youngpeople._______________1 Adapted from After Cairo: A Handbook on Advocacy for Women Leaders, 1994.2 The Center for the Study of Adolescence, 1995.3 The Center for the Study of Adolescence, 1995.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 3 What is Advocacy?

1usingusing

CSA encountered opposition to their advocacyefforts early on, but used this opposition to build astronger and more creative force for adolsecentreproductive health. Religious organizations thathad attended several conferences on adolsecentreproductive health in Kenya opposed CSA�s work.They were so effective in their opposition to familylife education in schools that the Ministry ofEducation threatened to eliminate the family lifeprogram from the curriculum.

Against this backdrop, youth-serving organizationsincluding CSA decided to develop a coalition tosupport adolescent reproductive health. In 1994,they established the Kenyan Association for thePromotion of Adolescent Health (KAPAH),conducted advocacy trainings and developed anadvocacy strategy. KAPAH developed anddistributed fact sheets on adolescent reproductivehealth which helped to dispel myths andmisinformation about adolescent reproductivehealth and programs such as family life education.

KAPAH also worked closely with the press toeducate the public about the true content of familylife education programs and the extent ofreproductive health problems facing Kenya�s youth.In fact, KAPAH paid the newspaper to print anoverview of the family life education curriculum andexplain the contentious issues. KAPAH�s media

advocacy was so successful that they now regularlycontribute views, opinions and advice to a columnon adolescent health in a Kenyan newspaper . Thecolumn is sponsored and paid for by the KenyaYouth Initiative and funded by USAID.

Bravely, KAPAH also reached out to the oppositionand engaged them in consultations in order tounderstand their concerns and to find commonground.

In addition, KAPAH met with individual policymakers and found that while these leaders supportedadolescent health privately, it was difficult for someof them to take a public position on the subject. TheAssociation made an effort to support these decisionmakers both publicly and �behind the scenes.� As aresult, KAPAH developed better relationships withseveral ministries including the Ministry ofEducation. In fact, KAPAH successfully advocatedfor pregnant school girls to be allowed to stay inschool while pregnant and to return to school afterdelivery.

KAPAH�s success has more and more agenciesrequesting advocacy training and the debate overadolescent reproductive health in Kenya hasintensified.


1

Definition

Sharing experienceswith the group

Now that you have read the case study,discuss how you would define advocacy.

Note: It is not essential to develop a precise andelegant definition of advocacy which encom-passes all its aspects. But, it is important todefine what advocacy means to you.

Describe the advocacy strategies KAPAHused?

Advocacy is an action directed at changing thepolicies, positions or programs of any type ofinstitution.

Advocacy is pleading for, defending orrecommending an idea before other people.

Advocacy is speaking up, drawing a community�sattention to an important issue, and directingdecision makers toward a solution.

Advocacy is working with other people andorganizations to make a difference. (CEDPA,1995).

Advocacy is putting a problem on the agenda,providing a solution to that problem and buildingsupport for acting on both the problem andsolution.

Advocacy can aim to change an organizationinternally or to alter an entire system.

Advocacy can involve many specific, short-termactivities to reach a long-term vision of change.

Advocacy consists of different strategies aimed atinfluencing decision-making at the organizational,local, provincial, national and international levels.

Advocacy strategies can include lobbying, socialmarketing, information, education andcommunication (IEC), community organizing, ormany other �tactics.�

Advocacy is the process of people participating indecision-making processes which affect their lives.

Definition

?

?

continued

continued...


1

Effective advocacy may succeed in influencingpolicy decision-making and implementation, by:

✦ educating leaders, policy makers, or thosewho carry out policies;

✦ reforming existing policies, laws and budgets,developing new programs;

✦ creating more democratic, open andaccountable decision-making structures andprocedures (InterAction, 1995).


Which of these definitions describe thingsthat you or your organization does?

B. Basic Elements ofAdvocacy

While specific advocacy techniques and strategiesvary, the following elements form the basic buildingblocks for effective advocacy. Like building blocks,it is not necessary to use every single element to

The Basic Elements of Advocacy

?Coalitions

ObjectivesFund-raising

Data

Audiences

Messages

Presentation

Evaluation Advocacy


1

create an advocacy strategy. In addition, theseelements need not be used in the order presented.You can choose and combine the elements that aremost useful to you.

As you examine the elements in the diagram, youmay notice that some of these concepts areborrowed from such disciplines as political science,social marketing and behavioral analysis.

Selecting an Advocacy Objective

Problems can be extremely complex. In order for anadvocacy effort to succeed, the goal must benarrowed down to an advocacy objective based onanswers to questions such as: Can the issue bringdiverse groups together into a powerful coalition? Isthe objective achievable? Will the objective reallyaddress the problem?

Using Data and Research for Advocacy

Data and research are essential for making informeddecisions when choosing a problem to work on,identifying solutions to the problem, and settingrealistic goals. In addition, good data itself can be themost persuasive argument. Given the data, can yourealistically reach the goal? What data can be used tobest support your arguments?

Identifying Advocacy Audiences

Once the issue and goals are selected, advocacyefforts must be directed to the people with decision-making power and, ideally, to the people whoinfluence the decision makers such as staff, advisors,influential elders, the media and the public. What arethe names of the decision makers who can makeyour goal a reality? Who and what influences thesedecision makers?

Developing and DeliveringAdvocacy Messages

Different audiences respond to different messages.For example, a politician may become motivatedwhen she knows how many people in her districtcare about the problem. A Minister of Health orEducation may take action when he is presentedwith detailed data on the prevalence of the problem.What message will get the selected audience to act onyour behalf?

✔

✔✔

✔


1

Building Coalitions

Often, the power of advocacy is found in thenumbers of people who support your goal.Especially where democracy and advocacy are newphenomena, involving large numbers of peoplerepresenting diverse interests can provide safety foradvocacy as well as build political support. Evenwithin an organization, internal coalition building,such as involving people from different departmentsin developing a new program, can help buildconsensus for action. Who else can you invite to joinyour cause? Who else could be an ally?

Making Persuasive Presentations

Opportunities to influence key audiences are oftenlimited. A politician may grant you one meeting todiscuss your issue, or a minister may have only fiveminutes at a conference to speak with you. Carefuland thorough preparation of convincing argumentsand presentation style can turn these briefopportunities into successful advocacy. If you haveone chance to reach the decision maker, what doyou want to say and how will you say it?

Fundraising for Advocacy

Most activities, including advocacy, requireresources. Sustaining an effective advocacy effortover the long-term means investing time and energyin raising funds or other resources to support yourwork. How can you gather the needed resources tocarry out your advocacy efforts?

Evaluating Advocacy Efforts

How do you know if you have succeeded inreaching your advocacy objective? How can youradvocacy strategies be improved? Being an effectiveadvocate require continuous feedback andevaluations of your efforts.


How could these elements strengthen yourcurrent work? Do you feel that any of theseelements might be difficult to use in yourcontext? Which ones and why?

?

✔

✔

✔

✔


1

Case Study

Using Advocacy to Stop Violence AgainstWomen in Senegal

In April 1996, a number of women�s associations inSenegal were startled by the story of �D�, a womanwho was severely beaten by her husband, a high-ranking officer in the army. According to themedical reports, D suffered from bruises and tornskin on parts of her body; she risked losing an eyeand her hearing.

D�s story was that while married to this man fornearly 20 years she had been constantly beaten andhumiliated. Sometimes at night her husband wouldtie her in the goat pen. He forbade her from goingto her grandmother�s and her father�s funeral.

Even before hearing D�s story, women�s associationsin Senegal were alarmed by the renewed outbreak ofviolence against women in their country. Everyweek news stories were published about women andgirls who were raped, beaten, or killed. Angered byD�s case and determined to stop violence againstwomen, several Senegalese women�s associationsmobilized and formed a committee in D�s defense.

First, they began a national and internationalawareness campaign. They drafted a letterpresenting D�s case and sent it to local andinternational women�s groups. In the letter theyincluded the fax and telephone numbers of thePresident of Senegal, the Ministry for Women, andthe Justice Ministry asking that these authoritiespunish D�s husband and uphold Senegal�sinternational obligations to respect women�s rights.Many national and international associations sentletters and faxes.

The committee also:

✦ organized marches, sit-ins, and demonstrationsin Dakar, the capital, and in the surroundingregion;

✦ mobilized the press on the subject;

✦ reached out to Muslim and Christian religiousleaders;

✦ raised funds for advocacy throughcontributions from members and othersympathizers;

✦ formed a special research committee toconduct research on violence against women;

✦ contacted lawyers, including high rankingofficials in the lawyer�s association.


1

Their advocacy made an immediate impact. D�shusband, the high-ranking officer, was arrested andis now in prison awaiting judgement. D�s defensecommittee organized a forum on violence againstwomen in the city where D and her husband lived.The regional governor, the religious authorities, andrepresentatives from the Ministry of Women allparticipated in the forum.

D�s defense committee has been transformed into apermanent committee on violence against womenand continues to work toward the followingobjectives:

1) Women�s associations should be able torepresent victims of violence legally.

2) When faced with an obvious offence ofviolence against women, authorities should bediligent in punishing the offenders.

3) If the offender is a woman�s spouse or parent,he should be punished according to the law .

4) Every neighborhood should establish a placeto welcome and listen to women who havesuffered from domestic violence.

5) Police, medical, and legal personnel should betrained to listen to and help female victims ofviolence.


Which of the basic elements of advocacy didthese women advocates use?

Why do you think they were successful indefending D and raising awareness aboutviolence against women?

(For more information about this advocacyeffort, contact:

Codou BopCoordinatrice du Programme Famille, Genreet PopulationPopulation CouncilVilla Nx4, Stele Mermoz4, Route PyrotechnieB.P. 21027 Dakar-PontySenegal

?

?


1

C. A Conceptual Framework for Advocacy3

Advocacy is a dynamic process involving an ever-changing set of actors, ideas, agendas,and politics. This multifaceted process, however, can be divided into five fluid stages:issue identification, solution formulation and selection, awareness building, policyaction, and evaluation. (Note: This framework is not intended to correlate with themodules.) These stages must be viewed as fluid because they may occur simulta-neously or progressively. In addition, the process may stall or reverse itself.

3 Adapted from Knowledge Utilization and the Process of Policy Formulation: Toward a Framework for Africa.

The Dynamic Advocacy Process

Issues Solutions

PoliticalWill

?

Issues Solutions

PoliticalWill

Issues

Issues SolutionsStage 1:

Identifying issues for policy actionStage 2:

Developing solutions

Stage 3:Building political support

Stage 4:Bringing issues, solutions andpolitical will together for policy action

Stage 5:Evaluating the policy action

Issues

PoliticalWill

Solutions


1

The first stage is the identification of an issue for policy action. This stage is alsoreferred to as agenda setting. There are an unlimited number of problems which needattention, but not all can get a place on the action agenda. Advocates decide whichproblem to address and attempt to get the target institution to recognize that theproblem needs action.

Generally, the second stage, solution formulation, follows rapidly. Advocates andother key actors propose solutions to the problem and select one that is politically,economically, and socially feasible.

The third stage, building the political will to act on the problem and its solution, isthe centerpiece of advocacy. Actions during this stage include coalition building,meeting with decision makers, awareness building and delivering effective messages.

The fourth stage, policy action, takes place when a problem is recognized, its solutionis accepted and there is political will to act, all at the same time. This overlap isusually a short �window of opportunity� which advocates must seize. Anunderstanding of the decision-making process and a solid advocacy strategy willincrease the likelihood of creating windows of opportunity for action.

The final stage, evaluation, is often not reached, though it is important. Goodadvocates assess the effectiveness of their past efforts and set new goals based on theirexperience. Advocates and the institution that adopts the policy change shouldperiodically evaluate the effectiveness of that change.


1


Identifying Policy Issues

It is often said that �the facts speak for themselves.� If this is true, thenwhy don�t more decision makers base their actions on objective dataand research? Why is it that so much good research and data is neverused to influence policy? The policy process, that is, selecting onepolicy option from among several choices, is essentially a negotiationamong various actors. In order to be included in the negotiationprocess, data and research must be translated into information andpresented in formats that policy makers can understand and use.

In this way, the facts can be made to �speak� the language of policymakers, community leaders, advocates, the public and the media, andthe influence of data and research will be amplified. Infusing the entirepolicy debate with solid research will undoubtedly improve thequality and effectiveness of policy actions. In this module, we will usedata to identify policy issues and possible solutions.

2

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide14Identifying Policy Issues

2

Using Data and Research in Policy-Making

In this module, we will use data to:

✦ identify issues for policy action;

✦ widen the range of possible solutions toa problem.

We will see that data can also be used to:

✦ affect what is considered changeable ordoable in a policy process;

✦ choose an advocacy goal;

✦ directly influence decision makers (theprimary audience of an advocacy program);

Objectives


A. examine data and the policy making process;

B. use data to identify issues for policy action;

C. formulate policy solutions for the issues we identify.

A. Data and Policy Making

Data and Research:Quantitative or qualitative information gatheredthrough an objective process.

Policy Issue:A problem or situation which an institution ororganization could take action to solve.

Definition

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 15 Identifying Policy Issues

2

✦ inform the media, public or others (thesecondary audience) who indirectlyinfluence decision makers;

✦ support an existing advocacy position;

✦ counter oppositional positions or arguments;

✦ alter the perceptions about an issue orproblem;

✦ challenge myths and assumptions;

✦ confirm policy actions and programs thatwork;

✦ reconsider strategies that are not working.


In pairs or small groups discuss the followingquestions then share your discussion withthe full group.

How have you used data and research tosuccessfully influence policy decisions?

Do you know any organizations that haveused data and research in any of the wayslisted above? How have they used the data?

?

?

B. Issue Identification

The process begins by identifying issues thatrequire policy action, that is, problems that can beaddressed by the actions of institutions andindividuals representing these institutions.

A variety of policy actors identify issues for actionusing techniques ranging from the spontaneousgeneration of ideas to the cautious and deliberatestudy of issues. Refugee interest groups, forexample, may highlight a crisis and call for urgentpolicy action, while economic research institutesmight ponder a situation thoroughly beforeoffering a policy proposal.

Research data can bring suspected or evenunknown issues into focus and can provide acomparison among issues. Data may also uncoverconstraints that may signal potential difficulties inthe advocacy process.

Let�s use the Kenyan Demographic and HealthSurvey (KDHS) data from 1993 to see how datacan be used to identify issues for policy action.


2


Take 10-15 minutes to review and examine thedata from the KDHS Male Survey presentedin the following tables.

Try to draw just one idea from each chartabout how Kenya�s family planning programcould be improved.

?

?

Percentage of men currently using a contraceptivemethod, Kenya, 1993.

Contraceptivemethod

Percent usingmethod

Using any method 50.8

Any modern method 30.8Pill 8.2Condom 11.8Male sterilization N/A

Any traditional method 20.1

Not currently using any method 49.2

Source: Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 1993.

Contraceptivemethod

Know amethod

Know asource

Percentage of men who know specific contraceptivemethods and who know a source (for information orservices), by specific methods, Kenya, 1993.

Any method 98.9 94.9

Any modern method 97.8 93.3

Pill 93.3 81.1Condom 94.2 84.8Male sterilization 55.7 49.5

Any traditional method 88.7 65.1


Table 1:

Knowledge of contraceptive methodsand source for methods

Table 2:

Current use of contraception


2

Percentage of men who are not currently using acontraceptive method and who do not intend to use inthe future by main reason for not using, Kenya, 1993.

Reason for not using Percentage

Wants children 25.7

Menopausal/wife had hysterectomy 25.4

Lack of knowledge 10.0

Opposed to family planning 9.8

Difficult to get pregnant 6.0

Partner opposed 4.4

Side effects 2.6

Other health concerns 2.5

Fatalistic 1.7

Hard to get methods 1.3

Infrequent sex 0.6

Inconvenient 0.6

Fears sterility 0.4

Don�t know 1.5

Other 2.3


Table 3:

Reasons for not using contraception

The following example from the KDHS malesurvey data suggests possible issues that could beselected for policy action. These are all issues thatinstitutional policies or resources could influence.

ExampleThe data suggest:

Issue 1: Overall knowledge of contraceptionamong men is high, but lower for the specificmethod of male sterilization (Table 1).

Issue 2: Knowledge of contraception amongmen is very high, but current use among men islow. Knowledge of modern methods is 97.8%and 93.3% of men know a source for a modernmethod, but only 30.8% of men are using amodern method (Tables 1 and 2).

Issue 3: Desire for more children is the reasoncited by 25.7% of men for non-use of acontraceptive method (Table 3).


Look again at the KDHS data to see whatother issues might you add.?


2

C. Policy Solutions

You have identified several problems or issuesthat require action. The next step is to developpolicy solutions for these problems. What can anorganization (such as a national family planningprovider) or an institution (such as a governmentministry of health) do to help solve the problem?

For example, in the previous tables we found thatmen are aware of family planning in general, butthey do not know much about male sterilization.This is the problem or policy issue. In what wayscould organizations or government institutionshelp solve this problem? Family planningproviders who conduct education programs coulddecide to increase attention to male sterilization asa contraceptive option. This is a policy solution.

At this stage, it is enough to identify possiblesolutions; it is not critical to reach consensus oneach solution.


List other possible policy solutions you canthink of for the following example.

The following example identifies problems andsolutions for the Kenyan example presentedearlier.

Example

Problem 1:Low knowledge of male sterilization.

Policy Solution:Direct family planning education programsto increase attention to male sterilization.

Problem 2:Contraceptive use among men is relativelylow compared to high level of knowledge.

Policy Solution:Increase donor funding for new programswhich would aim to increase contraceptiveuse among men.

Problem 3:Men desire large families.

Policy Solution:Ministry of Social affairs should target menin a public education program on smallerfamilies.?


2

Sharing experiences with the group

What solution(s) would you propose for theissue(s) you identified from the KDHS data?

Exercises

Examine your own data or data provided byyour facilitator, then:

1. Identify three issues which require policy action.

2. For each issue, list at least one policy-relevantsolution (i.e., a solution that requires action froman institution or organization).

If you have an advocacy goal or objective, butlack data to support it, consider what kind ofdata you need to find or collect.

1. What research is needed to support youradvocacy goal or objective?

2. Where can you find this information?

✍

✍

?


2

Annex

Factors which Promote or Hinder the Use of Dataand Research for Advocacy and Policy-making

Factors which promotethe use of data and research

The information needs of the policy maker aretaken into account when designing the study.

Research is conducted by an organization thatpolicy makers perceive as credible and reliable.

Research is focused on a few questions that canbe answered.

Findings are presented in multiple formats,tailored to each audience.

Findings are disseminated to multiple audiencesusing a variety of channels. Audiences receive thesame message from diverse sources.

Presentations of findings to policy makersemphasize the important lessons that werelearned, rather than the need for more research.

Factors which hinderthe use of data and research

Research questions (and findings) that are notrelevant to policy decisions.

The timing is off: the research answeredyesterday�s questions or assessed yesterday�sprogram.

The research is conducted or presented by anorganization or individual that is not credible topolicy makers.

Findings are inconclusive or subject to widelydiffering interpretations.

Findings are unwelcome because they are negativeand/or not presented with policy relevant solutions.

Finding are not generalizable.

Findings are presented in lengthy, technical, orjargon-laden reports.

Findings are not widely disseminated.Source: Adapted from Utilization of Education Results for Policy Advocacy.


In Module 2, you identified issues for policy/programmatic action andcorresponding solutions. Selecting one of these solutions to work on as anadvocacy objective is the next step in planning your advocacy effort.

Advocacy, in this Guide, means advocating for policy change. When choosingan advocacy objective consider the political climate, the probability of success,research and data on your issue, money available to support your advocacyefforts, your organization�s capacities, and your own capabilities. This modulewill introduce how you can use some basic criteria to choose an advocacyobjective.

If, however, you have already defined an advocacy objective, analyze it basedon the criteria presented here to help uncover potential obstacles or possibleallies. The same criteria can be used to analyze and/or choose an overalladvocacy goal or issue.

Can you choose more than one objective to work on at a time? Thisdepends on your organizational and personal resources for advocacy. It isgenerally advisable to focus your work on only as many objectives as youcan realistically achieve. Advocates who attempt to fix everything runthe risk of changing nothing in the process. The purpose of this moduleis to assist you in focusing on an objective that is realistic, achievable andworthwhile. Succeeding first with smaller objectives will give you andyour organization more enthusiasm, experience and credibility toconquer more ambitious objectives.

Selecting an Advocacy Objective3

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide22Selecting an Advocacy Objective

3

A. Advocacy for Policy Change

ObjectivesIn this module, we will:

A. examine advocacy for policy change;

B. illustrate criteria to compare your advocacy objectivesusing an advocacy checklist.

The discussions and exercises will help you:

✦ develop your own additional criteria;

✦ assess your goal and potential advocacy objectivesusing the criteria, and select an objective.

?

What is an Advocacy Goal?

The goal is the subject of your advocacy effort. Itis what you hope to achieve over the next 10-20years.

The advocacy goal can be general. For example,�reduce childhood malnutrition to improvechildren�s health� or �make safe and effectivefamily planning available to all who wish toprevent pregnancies.�

The goal can be your vision.


What is your advocacy goal?

What is your vision for the future?

Are they the same or different? Why?

??

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 23 Selecting an Advocacy Objective

3usingusing

decision making process. The advocacy objectiveshould be specific and measurable so that you willknow whether or not you have attained yourobjective in the time frame you have specified.

Example

Advocacy Objectives

In the next two years, start a government-sponsored program to fortify salt with iodine inorder to increase intellectual capacity and reduceneonatal mortality.

Increase national funding for family planning by25% in the next two years.


First, how can you tell that the examplesabove are policy advocacy objectives? Next,read the example on the next page. For eachstatement, explain why one example is anadvocacy objective and one is not?

?

What is an Advocacy Objective?

An advocacy objective aims to change thepolicies, programs or positions ofgovernments, institutions or organizations.

Your advocacy objective is what you want tochange, who will make the change, by how muchand by when. Generally, the time frame for anadvocacy objective will be 1-3 years.

An objective is an incremental and realistic steptoward a larger goal or your vision; it is not ageneral goal (increase family planning use amongcouples). Rather, the policy advocacy objectivemust focus on a specific action that an institutioncan take. An objective should be specific andmeasureable.

How can you be certain that your advocacyobjective is to change policy?

As you are defining your objective, be as specific aspossible so that you can develop an effective strategyto reach your policy change goal. You must knowthe target institution and decision makers in order tocreate a persuasive communication plan and todiscern how you can influence the institution�s


3

Example

Isan advocacy objective

Start a nationalgovernment programto build twelveschools in each districtin the next two years.

* * * * *

In the next year,increase funding forfamily planningeducation programsfor married couplesthrough the FamilyPlanning Council.

Is notan advocacy objective

Increase girls�attendence at districtlevel primary schools.

* * * * *

Increase the use offamily planning amongmarried couples.


Read the following statements (A-E)andanswer the questions in small groups.

identify which are advocacy objectives forpolicy change. Explain why they are and theothers are not.

How can you change the non-advocacyobjective statements into advocacyobjectives?

Choose one of the advocacy objectives andanalyze how it could be made more preciseand realistic.

A. Promote condom use among men toprevent the transmission of HIV andSTDs.

B. Within the next year, the Ministry ofHealth will start a social marketingcampaign to promote breast-feeding.

C. Increase primary school enrollments forgirls.

D. Take actions to reduce the incidence ofspousal physical abuse.

E. Over the next six months, at least fourcommunity and religious leaders willpublicly support men�s use of familyplanning methods.

What do you want to change? Who will makethe change? By how much and by when? Shareone of your advocacy objectives.?

?

?

?


3

B. Illustrative Criteria

What are criteria?

Criteria are questions or standards that are usedto select a goal or compare different objectives.

Examples of criteria are: �Is the objectiveachievable?� or �Do the data show that achievingthis objective will have a real impact on theproblem?�

A Checklist for Selecting an Advocacy Objective1

The purpose of this checklist of criteria is to assistyou in making an informed choice about whatadvocacy objective to pursue. If you have alreadyidentified an objective, this tool can help yourecognize areas that need special attention or can bestrengthened.

A feasible objective will meet many of thesechecklist criteria, but not necessarily all of them.Even if your objective only meets three or four ofthese criteria, it should not be dismissed. By testing

your advocacy objective using these criteria, youwill gain valuable information about what you canexpect to encounter if you choose a particularobjective and which areas might need improvementor special attention during the advocacy process.

A series of examples from a hypothetical case studyon childhood malnutrition is presented, followed byillustrative criteria for selecting an advocacyobjective.

Case Study

Example

ADVOCACY GOAL

Reduce under-five childhood malnutrition inorder to reduce child mortality and morbidity andimprove child development.

Definition

________________1The criteria are adapted from Organizing for Social Change.

OBJECTIVE 2The Ministry of Healthwill start a community-based nutritioneducation program toimprove young childfeeding practices in thenext year.

OBJECTIVE 1The Ministry ofFood and Agricul-ture in cooperationwith the Ministryof Health will starta national programto fortify salt withiodine in the nexttwo years.


3

Do qualitative or quantitative data exist toshow that achieving the objective will improvethe situation?

Improving the lives of people in a tangible way issatisfying and builds a sense of efficacy for anadvocacy effort as a whole. Good data about anissue is essential. Knowing the true extent of theproblem will help you choose an advocacy objectivethat is not out of reach. If data are not available orare insufficient, collect your own or obtain researchfrom other sources before you choose an advocacyobjective. The effectiveness of an advocacy effortcan be subsequently verified by collecting data onthe change in incidence or prevalence of theproblem after the objective has been achieved.

Example

Is the objective achievable? Even withopposition?

The problem and its solution must not be so large orso remote that you and/or your organization willbecome overwhelmed. In addition, people orgroups will be more likely to join your effort if theysee from the start that a reasonable chance ofsucceeding exists. Also consider that opposition toyour advocacy effort might arise. Ask yourselfwhether you can still achieve your objective in theface of this opposition.

Example

✔

For Objective 1Research shows thatsalt is produced andprocessed centrally.Our data indicate thatiodine deficiency iswidespread andassociated withneonatal mortality andreduced intellectualcapacity. Fortifyingsalt could reverse thesenegative outcomes.

For Objective 2Program evaluations showthat nutrition educationcan enhance child survivalin areas where food isavailable. Studies showthat programs are moreeffective when educationalmessages are developed forspecific audiences. Theimpact of educationalprograms might bedifficult to measure.

✔

For Objective 1

Opposition to the costof salt fortificationcould slow the timeframe for achieving theadvocacy objective,but it is achievable.Producers may opposethe regulation andquality control of saltproduction.

For Objective 2

This advocacyobjective involvesworking with theMinistry of Healthand communityorganizations.Community leadersmay oppose it if theyare not involved earlyin the process.


3

Will the goal/objective gain the support ofmany people? Do people care about the goal/objective deeply enough to take action?

The more people who support a goal and anadvocacy objective, the more likely that decisionmakers will be willing to act. People must beinterested in and supportive of the goal or objective,and care enough about it to act. Actions mayinclude, for example, writing a letter to the PrimeMinister expressing support for salt fortification,participating in a meeting at a district health clinic topush for nutrition education programs, or persuadingan influential person to informally express supportfor your objective to key decision makers.

Example

Will you be able to raise money or otherresources to support your work on the goal/objective?

Is your goal one that donors, private agencies orindividuals would be interested in funding? If manypeople care about the goal, could you develop a self-financing mechanism to sustain your advocacyefforts, such as a membership organization? Wouldother organizations be willing to make in-kindcontributions of staff time or resources to sustain theadvocacy effort? (Fundraising techniques arediscussed further in Module 10.)

Example

✔ ✔

For Objective 1

The general public willlikely support saltfortification if prices donot increase. Foodproducers may resist ifthey must share costs;otherwise they willsupport this objective.People may be motivatedto act because the objectiveis concrete and will have asignificant impact on childsurvival and development.

For Objective 2

Women�s organizationswill be very supportive.Nutrition education isrecognized by donorsto be an important partof child survivalprograms. In manycommunities, however,the problems andconsequences ofmalnutrition are notwell recognized.

For Objective 1

Several donors arecurrently supportingsalt fortification.

For Objective 2

Although donors recog-nize the need for nutri-tion education, funds arelimited and most donorsare supporting otherchild survival interven-tions. It will be difficultto raise funds for thisobjective so organiz-ations may have to usetheir own funds.


3

Can you clearly identify the target decisionmakers? What are their names or positions?

The �target� is the person or persons who have thedecision-making authority to approve yourobjective. These decision makers are the primaryaudience for an advocacy effort. If you cannotclearly identify the decision makers who have thepower to decide on your advocacy objective, youmay need to narrow your objective so as to targetyour audience.

Example

Is the goal/objective easy to understand?

A good goal should not require a lengthy technicalexplanation. If you do need to explain, can youkeep the explanation clear and short? For example:�One of six children in our country dies before theage of five because of under- or malnourishment.Research shows that fortifying salt with iodine willreduce infant deaths and improve children�sdevelopment and will cost only 2 to 5 cents perperson per year.�

Example

✔ ✔

For Objective 1

To start a government-sponsored saltfortification program,the Prime Minister,Finance Minister,Minister of Agricultureand Minister of Healthwill all have to approvethe program.

For Objective 2

To start a community-based nutritioneducation program, theMinister of Health,district health officersand key communityleaders will have toagree on and approvethe program.

For Objective 1

The links betweeniodine deficiency andintellectual impairmentand neonatal mortalityhave been widelypublicized, so thegeneral public willlikely understand it.Some promotion willbe required to createdemand for thisproduct.

For Objective 2

The links between youngchild feeding practicesand child survival areproven, but not as easy tounder-stand. Carefulquali-tative research willbe required to developappropriate educationalmessages.


3

Does the advocacy objective have a clear timeframe that is realistic?

Some time frames are internal, that is, they are setby the organization or people involved in theadvocacy effort. Other time frames are external;they are set, for example, by the date the Parliamentwill discuss your goal or by the meeting schedules oforganizational leaders. If you plan to have animpact on a decision that will be made on a certaindate, can you get organized quickly enough? If thereare no external time frames, set your own clear andrealistic time frame to achieve your objective.

Example

Do you have the necessary alliances with keyindividuals or organizations to reach youradvocacy objective? How will the objectivehelp build new alliances with other NGOs,leaders, or stakeholders?

Alliances with key organizations or individuals cangreatly assist in achieving an advocacy objective.For example, to reach Objective 1 (start a saltfortification program) it would be extremelybeneficial to gain the salt producers� support early.The salt producers, as businesses, may be able to getthe support of the Minister of Finance mosteffectively. It is wise to choose advocacy objectiveswith the potential to unite people from varioussectors or organizations.

Example

✔

For Objective 1

The time frame to begina salt fortificationprogram is two years.It is realistic.

For Objective 2

The time frame to beginthe nutrition educationprogram is one year. It isan opportune time toadvocate for such aprogram because districthealth officers aredeveloping their five-yearplans at the moment.

✔

For Objective 1

This objective willstrengthen relationshipswith child survival NGOs,the private sector, keygovernment leaders and thegeneral public. Also, weshould seek support fromsalt producers since theymust implement theprogram and can assist us inour advocacy efforts.

For Objective 2

This objective willstrengthen tiesbetween commu-nity organizationsand the healthsystem andimprove thegeneral public�sperception of thehealth system.


3

Will working on the advocacy objective providepeople with opportunities to learn about andbecome involved with the decision-makingprocess?

Advocacy can serve the important purpose ofopening the decision-making process to input fromstakeholders, such as researchers, service providers,beneficiaries, and the public itself. The process ofadvocacy opens new dialogues which can movedecision makers toward better and more informeddecisions. In addition, involving a wide array ofstakeholders can greatly strengthen an advocacyeffort.

Example


Based on your situation or context, do youneed to add any other criteria to thechecklist?

Which of the two advocacy objectivespresented in the case study would youchoose? Why?

The following two pages present a table of thehypothetical case study goal we have justexamined�Reducing under-five childhoodmalnutrition in order to reduce child mortality andmorbidity and improve child development. This tableillustrates how to use the checklist to compare thepotential advocacy objectives you are considering.

✔

For Objective 1

Advocating for a saltfortification programwill open dialoguebetween researchers, thegovernment, theprivate sector and thepublic to find ways tosolve an importantnutrition problem.

For Objective 2

Advocating for acommunity-basednutrition educationprogram will bringcommunity memberstogether with districthealth officers to findways to improve youngchild feeding programs.

?

?


3Case Study Summary

CRITERIA GOAL OBJECTIVE 1 OBJECTIVE 2

Reduce under-five childhoodmalnutrition to reduce childmortality and morbidity andimprove child development.

The Ministry of Food and Agricul-ture will start a national program tofortify salt with iodine in the nexttwo years.

The Ministry of Health will start acommunity-based nutrition educationprogram to improve young child feedingpractices in the next year.

Do qualitative orquantitative data existto show that reachingthe objective willimprove the situation?

The links between childhoodmalnutrition and childhoodmorbidity and mortality andintellectual capacity are wellproven.

Research shows that salt is producedand processed centrally. Data indicatethat iodine deficiency is widespread,and associated with neonatal mortalityand reduced intellectual capacity.Fortifying salt could reverse thesenegative outcomes.

Program evaluations show that nutritioneducation can enhance child survival inareas where adequate food is available.Studies show that programs are moreeffective when educational messages aredeveloped for specific audiences. Impactmight be difficult to measure.

Is the objective achiev-able? Even withopposition?

Not applicable. Opposition to the cost of salt fortifica-tion could slow the time frame forachieving the objective, but it isachievable. Producers may oppose theregulation and quality control of saltproduction.

This advocacy objective involves workingwith the Ministry of Health and commu-nity organizations. Community leadersmay oppose it if they are not involved earlyin the process.

Will the objective gainthe support of manypeople? Do people careabout the goal/objective deeplyenough to takeaction?

Most politicians, donors, and thegeneral public support childsurvival goals. Several NGOs areworking on child nutrition.Parents care about the goal andwill take action if actions areconcrete. The depth of caringamong decision makers will needto be improved.

The general public will likely supportsalt fortification if prices do notincrease. Food producers may resist ifthey must share costs; otherwise theywill support this objective. People maytake action because the objective isconcrete and will have a significantimpact on child survival and develop-ment.

Women�s organizations will be supportive.Nutrition education is recognized bydonors to be an important part of childsurvival programs. In many communities,however, the problems and consequences ofmalnutrition are not well recognized.

Will you be able toraise money or otherresources to supportyour work on the goal/objective?

Depends on the objective. Several donors are currently support-ing salt fortification.

Although donors recognize the need fornutrition education, funds are limited andmost donors are supporting other childsurvival interventions. It will be difficultto raise funds so organizations may haveto use their own.


3Case Study Summary

CRITERIA GOAL OBJECTIVE 1 OBJECTIVE 2

Reduce under-five childhoodmalnutrition to reduce childmortality and morbidity andimprove child development.

The Ministry of Agriculture will starta national program to fortify saltwith iodine in the next two years.

The Ministry of Health will start acommunity-based nutrition educationprogram to improve young childfeeding practices in the next year.

Can you clearly identify thetarget decision makers?What are their names orpositions?

Not applicable To start a government-sponsored saltfortification program, the PrimeMinister, and Ministers of Finance,Agriculture and Health will all have toapprove the program.

To start a community-based nutritioneducation program the Minister ofHealth, district health officers and keycommunity leaders will have to agree andapprove the program.

Is the goal/objective easy tounderstand?

Yes. The links between iodine deficiency andintellectual impairment and neonatalmortality have been widely publicized,so the general public will likely under-stand it. Some promotion will be neededto create demand for this product.

The links between young child feedingpractices and child survival are proven butnot as easy to understand. Carefulqualitative research will be required todevelop appropriate educational messages.

Does the objective have aclear time frame that isrealistic?

Not applicable The time frame to begin a saltfortification program is the next twoyears. It is realistic.

The time frame to begin the nutritioneducation program is one year. It is anopportune time to advocate for such aprogram because district health officersare developing their five-year plans at themoment.

Do you have the necessaryalliances with key individu-als or organizations toreach your objective? Howwill the objective help buildalliances with other NGOs,leaders or stakeholders?

A child survival goal willstrengthen our organization�srelationships with otherNGOs, the private sector,key government leaders andthe general public. We maynot work with other sectors.

This objective will strengthen relation-ships with NGOs, the private sector,key government leaders and the generalpublic. We should seek support fromsalt producers since they must imple-ment the program and can assist withadvocacy efforts.

This objective will strengthen ties be-tween community organizations and thehealth system and improve the generalpublic�s perception of the health system.

Will working on theobjective give people oppor-tunities to learn about andbecome involved with thedecision-making process?

Not applicable. Advocating for a salt fortificationprogram will open dialogue betweenreseachers, the government, the privatesector, and the public to find ways tosolve an important nutrition problem.

Advocating for a community-basednutrition education program will bringcommunity members together withdistrict health officers to find ways toimprove young child feeding programs.


3

✍

ExercisesNow that you have worked through somehypothetical examples, use the same process with agoal and objectives from your own experience.First, working in pairs or small groups, use thefollowing checklist to examine your own selectedgoal. Share the results of your analysis andreasoning with the large group.

✍

✍

Checklist of Criteria for Analyzing a Goal

Will the goal attractthe support of manypeople? Do peoplecare about the goaldeeply enough totake action?Will you be able toraise money or otherresources to supportyour work on thegoal?

✔

Criteria

First, clearly state your goal at the top of thechart. (Make sure it meets the definition ofan advocacy goal as stated on p. 22.)

Add any criteria you feel you should consider,based on your situation.

Analyze your goal based on the criteria.

✔

Goal


3

Checklist of Criteria for Analyzing Goal

✔

✔

Criteria Goal

✔

✔

Is the goal easy tounderstand?

Will the goal helpbuild alliances withother sectors, NGOs,leaders, or stakeholders?Which ones and why?


3

Next, working with your partner or small group,use the following checklist to analyze two possibleadvocacy objectives.

First, clearly state the two advocacyobjectives you choose to analyze. Be surethat they are advocacy objectives; test themagainst the definition of an advocacyobjective. (An advocacy objective aims tochange the policies, positions, or programs ofgovernments, institutions or organizations.See page 23.)

Select the criteria you feel you shouldconsider and add criteria that are importantgiven your context.

Evaluate each objective based on thesecriteria. Discuss the strengths andweaknesses of each objective.

✍

✍

✍

When you have completed the checklists forgoal and objective analysis, compare theinformation in the checklists. From youranalysis, choose the better advocacyobjective for your situation and explain yourchoice to the large group.

✍


3

Do qualitative or quantitativedata exist which show thatreaching the objective will resultin real improvements in thesituation?

Is the objective achieveable?Even with opposition?

✔

Criteria Objective 1 Objective 2

Will many people support theobjective? Do people care aboutthe objective deeply enough totake action?

Will you be able to raise moneyor other resources to supportyour work on the objective?

✔

Can you clearly identify thetarget decision makers? Whatare their names or positions?

Checklist of Criteria for Analyzing an Advocacy Objective

✔

✔

✔


3

Does the objective have a cleartime frame that is realistic?

✔

Do you have the alliances withkey individuals or organizationsneeded to reach your objective?Will the objective help buildalliances with other sectors,NGOs, leaders, or stakeholders?Which ones?

✔

✔ Is the objective easy tounderstand?

Will working on the objectiveprovide people withopportunities to learn moreabout and become involved withthe decision-making process?

✔

✔

Checklist of Criteria for Analyzing an Advocacy Objective

Criteria Objective 1 Objective 2


3


4 Researching Policy Audiences

You have identified issues for action and chosen an advocacy objective.How can you build the support you need to make your objective areality? Who needs to be convinced to take action? Who can help youreach your objective?

An audience-centered approach, based on social marketing techniques,offers the necessary tools to distinguish, analyze, reach and motivate keypolicy players. These techniques can help you target the institutions andpeople that are critical to your success, rather than attempting to reach alldecision makers and all sectors of society.

To understand the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of your audience, youmust do some audience research. Begin your research with audiencesegmentation�a way of grouping decision makers, influential leaders,NGOs, or professional associations into sub-groups with similarcharacteristics. You can learn about�and target your messages to theparticular concerns of�each sub-group.

In addition to being familiar with what any given audience knows andfeels about your objective, it is also critical to learn about the internalnorms, informal rules or �codes of conduct� that the group might have.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide40Researching Policy Audiences

4

Objectives


Definition

Example

Advocacy objective:

To pass a law to mandate and fund the building of100 community schools for girls.

Primary audience:

Minister of Education, Minister of Finance andthe Prime Minister. Members of Parliament mayalso play a role.

A. identify primary and secondary policy audiences;

B. review and develop several audience researchtechniques;

C. chart your audiences� beliefs, knowledge, andattitudes regarding your objective.

A. Policy Audiences

One constructive way to separate audiences intogroups is to identify primary and secondaryaudiences.

What is a primary audience?

The primary audience includes decisionmakers with the authority to affect theoutcome for your objective directly. These arethe individuals who must actively approve thepolicy change. These decision makers are theprimary �targets� of an advocacy strategy.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 41 Researching Policy Audiences

4using

Definition

What is a secondary audience?

The secondary audiences are individuals andgroups that can influence the decision makers(or primary audience). The opinions and actionsof these �influentials� are important in achievingthe advocacy objective in so far as they affect theopinions and actions of the decision makers.

Some members of a primary audience can also bea secondary audience if they can influence otherdecision makers. For example, the Prime Ministerand the Minister of Education might influenceone another�s opinions. Therefore, they are botha primary audience (�targets�) and a secondaryaudience (�influentials�).

In addition, your secondary audience may containoppositional forces to your objective. If so, it isextremely important to include these groups onyour list, learn about them, and address them aspart of your strategy.

Example

Advocacy objective:

To pass a law to mandate and fund the building of100 community schools for girls.

Secondary audience might include:

Key staff of Members of Parliament, advisors tothe Minister of Education, Minister of Financeand Prime Minister, speech writers, key women�snon-governmental organizations, parentorganizations, teachers unions, newspapers thatthese decision makers read regularly, and foreigndonors.

There are many kinds of policy audiences. Broad,loose groups such as �parents� can be targeted, orhighly specified groups such as an individual parentorganization located in the province of a keyParliamentarian. The key to effective advocacy isfocusing on audiences that can have an impact onthe decision-making process.


4

Definition

Below are some possibilities for both primary andsecondary policy audiences:

What is a Policy Audience?politicians (local, provincial, national)businesses or business leadersnongovernmental organizationscommunity groupsreligious groups/churchespolitical partieslabor organizationsacademics/universitiesprofessionalsopposition leadersspeech writersspouses of politiciansmediawomen�s organizationsministry officialsvotersUnited Nations� agenciesother governmentsmultinational corporationsdirect service organizationspractitionersopinion leadersmany, many more....

Identifying Target Audiences

Policy Map 1: Audience Identification Chart

�Policy Mapping� is a tool used to identify and learnabout critical audiences. The first stage of policymapping is to list key decision makers and theindividuals and groups that can influence thesedecision makers. Ranking the decision makers byimportance is also extremely helpful in planningyour strategy. If you are unsure or don�t know, youwill need to do some research. Identifying theimportant decision makers and audiences is aconstant task for advocates.

The following case study uses a policy map toidentify audiences for an advocacy objective relatedto girls� education.


4Sample Policy Map 1: Who Are Your Audiences?1

Primary AudienceTargets�

Secondary Audience�Influentials�

Minister�s staff person for educational issuesreligious leaders with whom the PM consults regularly (could be opposition)Ministers of Education and Financeinternational donorsnational newspaperswomen�s groups/NGOs

Minister of Education Prime MinisterMinister of Financespeech writersnational and local parent organizations (could be opposition)teachers unionnational newspapers

Minister of Finance Prime Ministerinternational donorsmore research needed

Chair of ParliamentaryCouncil on Education

All members ofParliament

Minister of Educationteachers union

Prime MinisterMinisters of Education and Financeteachers unionnational newspapers and radio programsvoters

Advocacy Objective: Pass a law to mandate and fund the building of 100 community schools for girls.

1 Adapted from Policy Players: A Power Map for Advocacy Planning.


4

Policy Map 1: Who Are Your Audiences?1

Primary Audience�Targets�

Advocacy Objective:

Secondary Audience�Influentials

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

4.

Exercise


4

?

?

?


In small groups, brainstorm about which keydecision makers and other influential playersare related to your advocacy objective.

Who needs to take action? (Rank the decisionmakers in order of importance).

Who can influence these action-takers(decision makers)?

(Use the blank chart on the preceding page to fillin your answers).

B. Policy Audience Research

Once you have identified your primary andsecondary audiences, how can you learn what theiropinions, attitudes and beliefs are about youradvocacy issue and objective? A number oftechniques follow that can be used for audienceresearch.

Audience Research Methods

Observation

This is the most common way to gatherinformation about audiences cheaply and quickly.

✦ Talk with people who are familiar with thegroup/individual;

✦ Gossip: talk with other advocates andcolleagues. This is especially helpful inlearning what audiences really think aboutissues; their true opinion may be differentfrom their �official� position;

✦ Read speeches or other documents written by the key organizations or individuals;

✦ Review the results of recent polls, surveysor focus groups;

✦ Attend open meetings where the individualor group will be speaking or participating.

continued...


4

Audience Research Methods(continued)

Interviews

Conduct individual interviews with a representa-tive if you cannot afford to do a survey, poll, orfocus group.

✦ Limit questions to a few topics and be surethat the people being interviewed are trulyrepresentative of your audience.


Where can you get more information aboutwhat the audiences you identified in theexercises think and feel about your advocacyobjective?

Which of the above techniques would beuseful?

What other ways could you gatherinformation?

?

?

?

Audience Research Methods(continued)

Surveys/Polls

Survey techniques are generally used to learnabout large audiences such as �voters,� �parents�or �youth.�

✦ Ask about surveys or polls that might beplanned by donor agency projects, the mediaor advertising firms to which you might adda few questions related to your issue.

✦ Polls or surveys should be conducted byorganizations that the primary audiencewould find credible.

Focus Groups

Focus groups give an in-depth perspective onwhat people think and why. This method isparticularly useful in testing policy messages.

✦ Limit discussion to a few, narrow topics;

✦ Participants should come from similarbackgrounds and share similar characteristicssuch as age, gender, etc., so that they willfeel comfortable stating their true feelings.

continued...


4

Sample Policy Map 2: What Do Your Audiences Know and Think?

Advocacy Objective: Pass a law to mandate and fund the building of 100 community schools for girls.

Audience Audience knowledge aboutissue/objective

Audience beliefs and attitudesabout issue/objective

Issues that the audiencecares about (may be

unrelated to your issue)

Prime Minister Knows little about girl�seducation.

Girls�and womens� issues notimportant to PM. Believes thatwomen should be familycaretakers and do not requireeducation.

International trade/business

World Bank loans

Re-election

Minister ofEducation

Knows a lot about girls�education and communityschools. Understands thesociological and economicaspects of girls� education.

Is somewhat supportive of girls�education, but only as a lowerpriority.

New school reform plan

Technology for schools andscience education

C. Audience Beliefs

Policy Map 2: Audience Knowledge and AttitudesChart

The second phase of policy mapping is to chart whataudiences know, believe and feel about an issue. Inaddition, knowing what other issues an audiencecares deeply about can be useful. If you can linkyour goal to one of those issues, the audience is

much more likely to support your effort. Forexample, if parents� primary concern is earningincome, you could link girls� education to bettereconomic prospects for the family. If you are unsureabout how an audience feels or what they know,enter �research needed� in the appropriate box (seeexample in the chart).


4

Sample Policy Map 2: What Do Your Audiences Know and Think?(continued)





Parentorganizations

Know that girls generally lackaccess to education, but are notfully familiar with the benefitsof girls� education. Moreresearch needed on these groups.

Parents feel that boys shouldhave first access to education,then girls. More research neededon parent attitudes (especiallydifferences in mother/fatherattitudes).

Quality of teaching

School fees

Nationalnewspapers

Research needed. Research needed. Elections

Political scandals

Using what you already know about youraudiences, describe the knowledge aboutand attitudes toward your objective foreach audience. Indicate where moreresearch is needed. Use the blank chart onthe following page.

For areas in which more research isrequired, discuss with your group how youmight get the infomation.

Exercises

✍✍


4

Policy Map 2: What Do Your Audiences Know and Think?





Advocacy Objective:

Exercise


4


5 Developing and DeliveringPolicy Messages

One of the most effective ways to build awareness about your issue and togenerate backing for your goal is to divide your audience into groups anddevelop a �message� to which each group will respond. Module 4introduced audience research and segmentation. This module will helpyou develop messages and explore options for message delivery.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide52Developing and Delivering Policy Messages

5

Objectives


A. develop messages and choose an appropriatedelivery format for these messages;

B. identify specific audiences and tailor messageformat and content for maximum impact.

A. Message Developmentand Delivery

What is a message?

A �message� is a concise and persuasive state-ment about your advocacy goal that captureswhat you want to achieve, why and how. Sincethe underlying purpose of a message is to createaction, your message should also include thespecific action you would like the audience totake.

DefinitionExample

A message to parliamentarians might be:�Involving men is the key to reaching Kenya�sfamily planning goals. Investing in family planningeducation programs for men brings birth rates down.Pass the Men�s Family Partnership Act now.�Sometimes policy messages are abbreviated intoslogans such as �Fathers Count: Support the Men�sFamily Planning Partnership.�

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 53 Developing and Delivering Policy Messages

5usingusing

Five Key Elements of Messages

Content is only one part of a message. Othernon-verbal factors such as who delivers themessage, where a meeting takes place or thetiming of the message can be as, or more,important than the content alone. In addition,sometimes what is not said delivers a loudermessage than what is said.

Content/Ideas: What ideas do you want toconvey? What arguments will you use topersuade your audience?

Language: What words will you choose to getyour message across clearly and effectively?Are there words you should or should notuse?

Source/Messenger:Who will the audiencerespond to and find credible?

Format: Which way(s) will you deliver yourmessage for maximum impact? e.g., ameeting, letter, brochure, or radio ad?

Time and Place: When is the best time todeliver the message? Is there a place todeliver your message that will enhance itscredibility or give it more political impact?

?

Elements of Message Content

✦ What you want to achieve;

✦ Why to want to achieve it (the positiveresult of taking action and/or the negativeconsequence of inaction);

✦ How you propose to achieve it;

✦ What action you want the audience to take.

Successful messages often incorporate words, phrasesor ideas that have positive connotations or that haveparticular significance to a target group. Words suchas �family,� �independence,� �well-being,��community� or �national security� are someexamples.


What are some words, phrases or ideas thatare important to your audience(s)?

(Refer to the audience research you completedin Module 4.)


5

B. Identifying SpecificAudiences

You may want to use technical information orresearch data in your message. Messages to a varietyof groups such as decision makers, the media, thepublic, and advocacy organizations, often containsimplified information from technical research anddata. Let�s explore how research can be tailored tothe major policy-related audiences. We will buildupon the Kenya family planning example fromModule 2 as a case study for this section. For eachconstituency, we will examine the message contentand format which will be most effective.

Audience 1:Decision Makers and �Influentials�

A significant share, if not all, of your advocacy willlikely focus on reaching decision makers and thepeople who influence them. This audience mightinclude government officials, ministry leaders ororganizational executives depending on the programor policy you are attempting to introduce or change.

Three Tips for Message Developmentand Delivery

1. Deliver a consistent message to anaudience through a variety of channels over anextended period of time. Messages will not beabsorbed by audiences and influence their opinionsovernight�repetition is vital. Consistency is also crucial sodo not change your message until it has been absorbed byyour audience. Deliver the same message in differentways, using different words, so it does not become boring.

2. Make sure that your message is beingdelivered by a source that the audience findscredible. The messenger is often as important (orsometimes more important) than the message itself. Forexample, if you are trying to reach the public through thepress, use a newspaper that is widely read and wellrespected. If you are targeting parents, try to reach themthrough parent organizations or other parents.

3. Create a message that the audience willunderstand. Use the �language� of the target group.Avoid technical terms or jargon. If your messagepresentation uses charts, keep them clear, simple and easyto understand. Use words or phrases that have positiveimages, rather than terms that may have negativeconnotations. For example, it is sometimes better to say�child spacing� rather than �birth control� or �familyplanning.�


5

Decision Makers and �Influentials�(continued)

Suggested Message Content

Messages to decision makers should be short,concise, and persuasive. Even if the decisionmaker is not a politician, it can be beneficial tocommunicate (sometimes subtly) how yourproposal enhances his or her political or socialstanding. Economic arguments such as thepotential budgetary savings or benefits are alwaysgood to include when possible. Policy makerswill also want to know what action you wouldlike them to take and who else supports yourproposal.

Suggested Message Formats

✦ formal or informal face-to-face meetings✦ informal conversations at social, religious,

political, or business gatherings✦ letters: personal, organizational, or coalition✦ briefing meetings✦ program site visits✦ fact sheets✦ pamphlets or brochures✦ graphics or illustrations

continued...

✦ short video presentations✦ computer presentations✦ interactive computer modeling programs✦ overhead or slide presentations✦ newspaper articles or advertisements✦ broadcast commentary or coverage

Example

Message to Decision Makers

Kenya�s family planning program has reached aplateau. More money invested in the currentprogram will not noticeably reduce growth ratesas long as the demand for family planning amongmen remains low. The key to increasing thedemand for family planning is to decrease thenumber of children that men want their wives tohave through persuasive family educationprograms. A small investment in educationprograms for men, will yield a large return.We would like to request a meeting with you tofurther discuss this issue.

Suggested Message Formats(continued)


5


Which of the elements of message contentdoes the above example contain?

(Refer to Elements of Message Content onpage 53).

Sample letter to adecision maker

March 28, 1996

Mr. Decision MakerNational Assembly100 National Square, Room 1111Capital City

Dear Mr. Maker:

We are writing to you today toexpress our deep concern and interest inthe future of Kenya’s family planningprogram. We would also like to convey ourstrong support for the Kenya FamilyPlanning Partnership Act currently beingconsidered in the National Assembly.

Kenya’s family planning program hasreached a plateau. Our extensive researchhas shown that the current family planningprogram as it is now will yield fewreductions in growth rates because demandfor family planning among men remains low.The key to increasing the use of familyplanning is to decrease the number ofchildren men desire through educationprograms. A small investment in thesefamily education programs, will yield alarge return for Kenya’s future.

We would like to meet with you, oryour representative, at your earliestconvenience to further discuss this issue.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Dr. Family PlanningPresidentNational Family Planning Association of Kenya

?


5

Audience 2:Advocacy Organizations

While often it is not possible to start new advocacyefforts based on research findings, it is possible tofeed new research findings into existing advocacyefforts. Many advocacy organizations have neitherthe resources nor staff time to do the researchnecessary to support their propositions andarguments. If advocacy organizations in your areahave goals similar to your own, work with theseorganizations by offering your data and researchfindings for their use.


Advocacy organizations need specific informationthat supports their arguments. Research and dataare used when facts and figures are presentedclearly. Because advocates often insert such factsdirectly into their materials targeted to decisionmakers, design the content for a policy audience.

Suggested Message Formats✦ meetings with organization�s leaders and staff✦ ready-to-use fact sheets✦ graphics or illustrations✦ short computer-modeling presentations✦ briefing meetings for advocacy organizations

Information and materials that are presented inready-to-use formats are likely to be used byadvocates.

Example

Data/Research for Advocacy

✦ Kenyan men�s knowledge of contraception.98% know a modern method95% know a source to get a modern method

✦ Kenyan men�s fertility preferences.26% of Kenyan men want more children10% are opposed to family planning

✦ Kenyan men�s use of a contraceptive method.51% use a contraceptive method31% use a modern method

✦ Gaps in family planning services men use.xx% prefer �male only� clinics

Source: Kenya Demographic and Health Survey


Based on your advocacy objective, what dataor research could you share with an advocacyorganization that is promoting a goal similarto yours? Why?

?


5

Audience 3:Broadcast Media and The Press

The media can be effective conveyors of informationto all sectors of society. Therefore, the informationthat the press and broadcast media report and howthey treat issues can influence both broad publicopinion and the thinking of individual decisionmakers. Media can include radio, television,newspapers, magazines, trade journals orcommunity newsletters; �media� is any organizedsystem that delivers information to large numbers ofpeople.

Even if your short-term advocacy strategy orcountry situation prevents your reaching out to themedia, you should consider incorporating mediaoutreach into your long term advocacy plans. Themedia can be a powerful tool for building widesupport for your advocacy goals over the long term.


The press generally likes to know how asituation affects individuals and often reports�human interest stories.� That is, they usesomeone�s experience as an example. The mediaare also usually interested in new, ground-breaking information or how an issue relates to acurrent happening.


✦ news release✦ press conference or media event✦ issue briefing for journalists✦ graphics or illustrations✦ fact sheet or back ground sheet✦ media packet/press kit✦ letter to the editor

Example

Human Interest Story*

Nester, a Kenyan farmer in his 30�s, has fourchildren and would like to have another child.His wife, Wangari is happy with four childrenand after having a very difficult last pregnancyshe would like to avoid another, but willultimately respect her husband�s wishes. Nesterand Wangari have not discussed the subject withone another.

The Kenya Men�s Family Education Projectrecently distributed booklets and ran a series ofradio programs on the economic benefits ofsmaller families. Nester heard the program. �Ihave always wanted a large family, but I wouldlike to provide adequately for the children I havenow.� He is now more interested in discussingthe issue with his wife.

*This is a hypothetical account.


5


What formats would be effective in reachingthe media in your country?

Hints on Media Relations1

✦ Find out which reporters cover your issues.Develop a good relationship with thesereporters by contacting them and sendingthem information regularly. For example,contact a reporter whenever you are launchinga new initiative, issuing a new study, orhosting an important official at your programsite. Be sure to know and follow the heirarchyof a media organization.

✦ Become familiar with your local and nationalmedia offices before you contact them. Knowthe kind of stories they follow and the type ofspokesperson you should send to capture theirattention.

✦ Always respect journalists� deadlines and timeconstraints. Show interest in their work.

✦ If a reporter or editor is subject to governmentcensorship, respect their limitations and workwith them to find a way to tell your story.

✦ Prepare several catchy sentences whichsummarize your message (�sound-bites�) thatyou can use in interviews with reporters.

✦ Do not try to answer a question if you do notknow the answer. Never bluff. Tell reportersthat you will get back to them with theinformation right away. Always keep yourpromise to call back with the information.

✦ When talking to a reporter be sure to giveyour key points first, then the background.The interview may not last as long as youexpect.

Sample News Release

The Kenya Men’s Family Education Project

NEWS RELEASE March 28, 1996CONTACT: Media OfficerFor Immediate Release Tel:1-234-55-67

New Family Planning Project Reaches KenyanMen

Nairobi,Kenya — The Kenya Men’s FamilyEducation Project issued its first report,titled “Fathers Count: Men’s Role inKenya’s Family Planning Progress.” TheFamily Education Project has reached almosthalf of Kenyan men in the last two yearswith information about family planning andthe benefits of smaller families. The

?

__________ 1 Adapted from After Cairo: A Handbook on Advocacy for Women Leaders.


5

program is working; men are increasingtheir demand for contraceptives.

The Family Education project aims to reachKenyans such as Nester, a Kenyan farmer inhis 30’s, with four children. Nester wouldlike to have another child, though hiswife, Wangari is happy with four children.After having a very difficult lastpregnancy Wangari would like to avoidanother, but will ultimately respect herhusband’s wishes. Nester and Wangari havenot discussed the subject with one another.

The Kenya Men’s Family Education Projectrecently distributed booklets and ran aseries of radio programs on the benefits ofsmaller families. Nester was one of thosewho heard the program. “I have alwayswanted a large family, but I would alsolike to be able to provide adewuately forthe children I have now.” He is now moreinterested in discussing the issue with hiswife.

“Slowing Kenya’s growth is an enormoustask, but programs like the Kenya Men’sFamily Education Project are making adifference,” said Mr. Family Planning,President of the Kenya Family PlanningAssociation.

The Kenya Men’s Family Education Project isa not-for-profit organization dedicated toraising awareness about family planning.

###

Audience 4:General Public

The general public is an increasingly relevant andforceful constituency for policy change. Ultimately,the public is the end-user of programs, therefore, itis useful to direct advocacy messages to citizens.Long-term public education will build a largerconstituency for your cause, so try to include publicoutreach in your long-term advocacy planning.


Messages to the general public should be simple,clear, concise and persuasive, and action-oriented.People often want to know how a program willdirectly affect or benefit them.


✦ promotional items, e.g., buttons, fans, pens✦ banners✦ presentations at community meetings✦ pamphlets, brochures, fliers✦ newspaper ads or articles✦ fact sheets✦ radio shows✦ television shows or news✦ �community� summary of report


5

Example

Fathers Count: Men�s partnership is the key toslowing Kenya�s population growth and ensuringa quality future for our country. The KenyaMen�s Partnership Program will give you infor-mation you need to make the right decisions foryour family. For information, contact the KenyaMen�s Partnership Foundation at 1.234.55.67.


How important is the general public in relationto the decision-making process you aretargeting?

If the public is important, what kinds ofactions can they take as individuals?

How can your message inform and motivatethe public to take these actions?

?

?

?

Exercises

What messages would you like tocommunicate? Choose two of the audiencesyou identified in Module 4. Then decide:

A. what action the audience should take;B. what your message content will be;C. what format(s) you will use to deliver the

message;D. who or what the message carrier should be;E. when and where you might deliver your

message.

Use the blank chart on the next page to fill inyour answers.

✍


5

Policy Message: Audience 1

Audience

Action youwant theaudience totake

Messagecontent

Format(s)

Messengers

Time and placefor delivery


5

Policy Message: Audience 2

Audience

Action youwant theaudience totake

Messagecontent

Format(s)

Messengers

Time and placefor delivery


5

✍ Review the examples below and complete thefinal set. Then, present key facts from yourresearch in a persuasive manner.

Non-persuasive

Non-utilization of family planning among males is49 percent.

Of men who are not using family planning and donot intend to use family planning in the future, 25.7percent report that they want more children, 10percent report that they lack knowledge aboutfamily planning and 9.8 percent disapprove of familyplanning.

Only 65.1 percent of men with no education know asource for a modern family planning method and99.3 percent of men with a secondary education ormore know a source for a modern method.

Persuasive

Almost half of all Kenyan men do not currently usefamily planning.

Almost half of those men who are not using familyplanning do not because they want more children,don�t know about family planning, or don�t approveof family planning.

Persuasive Data Presentation


6 Understanding theDecision-Making Process

As an advocate, you must become extremely familiar with the decision-making process that you are attempting to influence. The more youknow about the process, the more power you will have to influence it.

It is important to know the formal rules and procedures of the decision-making process. Using the formal process has several important benefits.The policy or program change is official, �on record� and morepermanent. The decision-making process will also likely be moreparticipatory and open to your ideas and proposals in the future, thanksto your efforts.

But, what if you cannot achieve your advocacy objective through theinstitution�s formal decision-making process? It is important to knowthat change can be achieved at many different levels. If the formal processfails, you may be able to succeed through more informal �behind-the-scenes� practices or even by seeking an alternative process. These threedecision-making processes are defined and explained in this module.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide66Understanding the Decision-Making Process

6

Objectives


A. identify and analyze the formal and informal stepsin the decision-making process;

B. explore mapping the policy process;

C. examine alternatives to the formal process.

Definition

A. The Decision-MakingProcess

Formal Process

The formal decision-making process is the officialprocedure as stated by law or by documentedorganizational policy. For example, within anorganization or institution regulations forinstituting policy changes may have to be votedon by the board of directors, or officiallyapproved by the president.

Informal Process

Activities and procedures in the decision-makingprocess that occur concurrently with the formalprocess, but are not required by law ororganizational policy. For example, anorganization�s president may informally discussthe proposed policy change with each boardmember before the board meets to vote on it.

Definition

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 67 Understanding the Decision-Making Process

6usingusing

DefinitionAlternative Process

A process to influence decision-making that existswholly outside the official process. For example,if the president of an organization feels that adecision by her board of directors is notwarranted for a minor policy change, she candiscuss the change with key staff, make a decisionand implement the change without �official�action.

Stages of Decision-Making

Before we begin to analyze the specific decisionprocess you are working with, it is beneficial toexamine the five basic stages of decision-making.Although the exact methods, procedures andtechniques vary widely among institutions, thesefive stages are present in some form in all decision-making processes.

Stage 1:

Generate ideas/proposals within the decision-making body. An issue is added to the actionagenda of an institution. The institution develops apolicy proposal. Proposal ideas may come fromoutside or inside the organization.

Stage 2:

Formally introduce the proposal into thedecision-making process. The formal decision-process for the proposal begins. For example, an actis introduced into parliament, a proposal is sent to aboard of directors for consideration, or an item isadded to the agenda of a ministry meeting.

Stage 3:

Deliberate. The proposal is discussed, debated, andperhaps altered. For example, a group of decisionmakers has a discussion or the proposal is debatedon the floor of parliament.

Stage 4:

Approve or reject. The proposal is formallyapproved or rejected. For example, a vote is takenor decision makers reach consensus or one or severaldecision makers reach a decision.

Stage 5:

Advance to the next level, implement, or returnto a previous stage. If the proposal is approved, itmay move to the next higher level of decision-making. For example, it may move from a councilor committee to the full national assembly. If theproposal is accepted at the highest level of decision-making, it will move to implementation. If rejected,it may return to a previous stage for alteration orreconsideration.


6


For your advocacy objective, which decision-making institution are you trying toinfluence?

Describe the first stage in the decision-making process at that institution.

Is the official decision-making process youare trying to influence more formal orinformal? Why?

B. Policy Process Mapping

Although every decision-making process willcontain elements of the stages outlined above, eachprocess will vary in its rules and procedures. In thenext box are key questions to ask in order tounderstand fully the process you are trying toinfluence. These are the elements in creating aPolicy Process Map.

Policy Process Map

✦ What organization or policy-making body willmake the decision you are trying to influence?

✦ What is the formal decision-making process forthis institution? What are the steps in the formalprocess? When will each step take place?

✦ What are the informal workings or �behind thescenes� actions for the decision-making process?

✦ Who is/are the key decision makers at each stage?(See Module 4 for more information onidentifying decision makers).

✦ Which steps are open to outside input? Whichstages in the process can you influence? How canyou influence these stages?

Case Study

The case study on the following pages is based onthe child nutrition example from Module 3. Ouradvocacy objective will be to start a national saltfortification program in the next two years. Thekey institutions are the Ministry of Health, theMinistry of Finance and the Prime Minister�s Office.This case study will illustrate the stages of the policyprocess within the Ministry of Health.

?

?

?


6

Generate Proposal

Institution/Organization: Ministry of Health

Formal Process Proposal for a national salt fortification program is generated by the Nutritionand Child Health Offices in the Ministry of Health. One or two people fromthese offices is assigned with the task to develop the proposal fully.

Informal Process Informal discussions among the Child Health Office, Nutrition Office, Ministryof Food and Agriculture, salt producers, children�s organizations and healthorganizations take place. Elements of the policy are proposed and discussed.

Decision MakersInvolved

Directors of the Child Health and Nutrition Offices at the Ministry of Health.

Approximate Dateof Action

January and February. Offices at the Ministry of Health are most open tonew ideas at the start of the fiscal year.

How we caninfluence the processat this stage

✦ Meet with child health and nutrition officials to introduce our proposaland to gain their interest, support and enthusiasm.

✦ Be helpful to these offices with other issues they are working on, whenappropriate. Become knowledgeable about the issues in which the keydecision makers in these offices are interested.

✦ Meet with groups that might support the program, such as saltproducers, children�s health organizations and health organizations toenlist their support.

✦ Work closely with the person or people tasked with developing theproposal. Offer assistance, ask to see drafts of the program and givecomments.

Policy Process Map: Stage One


6

Introduce Proposal


Formal Process The proposal is finalized within the offices of Child Health and Nutritionand submitted to the Minister of Health for consideration.

Informal Process The directors of the offices of Child Health and Nutrition informallyindicate their level of support for the proposal. Their full support isimportant or the Minister of Health will probably not consider theproposal.


Director of the office of Child Health, director of the office of Nutrition,Minister of Health


February-March


✦ Urge the directors of Child Health and Nutrition Offices to pursue thesupport of the Minister of Health.

✦ Ask the salt producers, children�s groups and health organizations tocommunicate their support for the program to the office directors andthe Minister of Health.

Policy Process Map: Stage Two


6

Deliberate


Formal Process The Minister of Health�s office considers the proposal and offers changes.

Informal Process The Minister of Health and her advisors informally talk to key groups and officials,both inside and outside the Ministry, to find out what people think of the proposal.Advisors make a recommendation to the Minister about whether to accept theproposal, accept the proposal with changes, or reject the proposal.


Minister of Health and her advisors


March-April


✦ Continue to communicate support for the program to the Minister ofHealth.

✦ Meet with the Minister�s advisors about the proposal. Invite businessleaders, donors, and others who can influence the Minister to themeeting(s).

✦ Hold an event on the benefits of salt fortification that the Minister willattend (perhaps as a speaker).

✦ Interest journalists in the proposal and try to get positive media coverage.

Policy Process Map: Stage Three


6

Approve or Reject Proposal


Formal Process The salt fortification proposal is added to the agenda for the officers meetingwith the Minister. The Minister will announce at this meeting whether sheaccepts or rejects this proposal.

Informal Process Pressure is needed from the offices of child health and nutrition, as well asoutside groups, to encourage the Minister to make a positive decision andadd the subject to her agenda for the officer�s meeting.


Directors of the Child Health and Nutrition Offices, Minister of Health


April-May


✦ Continue to express support for the program to the Minister�s office. Bepersistent.

✦ Continue to have people that the Minister knows and respects meet withher or write to her in support of the program.

Policy Process Map: Stage Four


6

Advance to the Next Level


Formal Process If the proposal is approved, the Minister of Health submits the proposal to the Ministersof Food and Agriculture and Finance and the Prime Minister for consideration. If theproposal is rejected by the Minister of Health, the offices of Child Health and Nutritionshould work to modify the proposal so that it is acceptable and will be approved.

Informal Process If the proposal is approved, the Minister of Health also informally indicates her level ofsupport for the program to the Prime Minister and Ministers of Food and Aricultureand Finance. (The Minister of Health may have multiple proposals before the PrimeMinister for approval. She might have to choose among them.)


Minister of Health, Minister of Finance, Prime Minister

Approximate Date ofAction

May-June

How we can influencethe process at thisstage

✦ Increase media outreach to get more coverage on child health and the proposedsalt fortification program.

✦ Write letters to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance expressing supportfor the program and explaining its benefits.

✦ Meet with the Prime Minister or his staff about the program.

✦ Meet with the Finance Minister or his staff about the program.

Policy Process Map: Stage Five


6

C. Alternatives to theFormal Process

What if the formal process simply will not respondto your thoughtful and persistent advocacy? Do notgive up on the formal process, even if you are goingto try some alternative methods. Policy andprogrammatic changes made within formalstructures have the benefit of being more permanentand providing a precedent for future actions. Onthe other hand, in an alternative process people arethe policy, since there is no official record of changes.As people leave or retire, your advocacy gains maynot continue. Therefore, keep working on theformal structure even as you expand into thealternative arena.

The key question to ask if you want to try workingoutside the official process is: Does your advocacyobjective require an official policy or programmaticchange to be successful? If not, you might try thealternative process.

Case StudyLet�s examine which of the advocacy objectives fromModule 3 might be amenable to an alternativeprocess.

Objective 1:

Start a national program to fortify salt withiodine in the next two years.

This objective is not amenable to using analternative process because it requires an official,coordinated effort on the part of bothgovernment and salt producers

Objective 2:

Start a community-based nutrition educationprogram to improve young child feedingpractices in the next year.

This objective might be achievable through analternative process. Community-basedorganizations could offer free and simplenutrition education to community members.Clinic workers might also be encouraged toinclude some nutrition education with theirhealth interventions without any �official� policyor programmatic change.


6

Once you have ascertained whether your objectivecan be achieved through alternative means, the nextquestions to ask are:

1. Who can effectively implement the policy/program change without an official decisionor action?

2. How can you reach these people and helpthem to make the change?

3. Would these people later join your advocacyeffort to change the official policy/program?

The Alternative Advocacy Process

Exercises

In small groups or in pairs, complete the blankPolicy Process Maps on the following pagesby listing the formal and informal processes,decision makers involved at each stage, wheneach step will take place and how you caninfluence the process at each stage. Use oneof your own advocacy objectives that youhave selected.

(To save time, you can subdivide your group andhave each sub-group do one stage.) When youare finished share one of your Policy ProcessMaps with the whole group.

Could you achieve your advocacy objectivethrough an alternative process? If so,identify:1. Who can effectively implement the policy/

program change without an official decisionor action?

2. How can you reach these people and helpthem to make the change?

3. Would these people later join your advocacyeffort to change the official policy/program?

Who can effectivelyimplement thepolicy/programchange withoutofficial action?

Community organizations andclinic health workers, if theyinclude nutrition education intheir interactions with thecommunity.

How can you reachthese people andhelp them to makethe change?

Would these peoplejoin your advocacyeffort to change theofficial policy/program?

Invite them to attend a nutri-tion education seminar. Helpthem develop strategies forincluding simple nutritioneducation interventions.

The clinic health workers, ifthey feel that nutritioneducation has had an impacton other community membersin the past.

✍

✍


6

Generate Proposal

Institution/Organization:

Formal Process

Informal Process




Policy Process Map: Stage One


6

Introduce Proposal


Formal Process

Informal Process




Policy Process Map: Stage Two


6

Deliberate


Formal Process

Informal Process




Policy Process Map: Stage Three


6

Approve or Reject


Formal Process

Informal Process




Policy Process Map: Stage Four


6

Advance to the Next Level


Formal Process

Informal Process




Policy Process Map: Stage Five


7 Building Alliances

Advocates constantly build networks among people and sometimescoalitions among organizations in order to bring about change. Often youcan do together what no one can do alone.

Networks and coalitions take time and energy to develop and maintainbecause they involve building relationships of trust with other people.Many advocates find this aspect of their work to be both the mostdifficult as well as the most rewarding professionally and personally.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide82Building Alliances

7

Objectives


A. explore how to create and maintain networks;

B. examine the advantages and disadvantages ofbuilding coalitions;

C. review methods for effective coalition participation.

Definition

A. Creating Networks

We all have networks of friends, relatives, colleaguesand acquaintances that we call on for support fromtime to time. An advocacy network is similar,except that it is built consciously and deliberately toassist in reaching your advocacy objective. As anadvocate, networking both within and outside yourorganization is essential to meeting your goal.Networks, because they are informal and fluid, arequite easy to create and maintain.

What is a network?

A network consists of individuals or organiza-tions willing to assist one another or collaborate.


How would you benefit from being part of anetwork ? How would it help your advocacyefforts?

There are no rules for building networks becauseyour style will be as unique as your personality andtailored to the relationship you have with eachperson in your network. With this in mind, fourgeneral steps are explained on the following pages tohelp you start your advocacy network.

?

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 83 Building Alliances

7usingusing

Building Your Advocacy Network

Step 1:

Who should be in your network?

You will want to get to know people andorganizations that are working toward the sameobjective as you are. You will also want toinclude people who can influence decision makersin your network, and, if possible, the decisionmakers themselves. (See Module 4 for moreinformation on identifying decision makers and�influentials.�) Finally, keep your eyes, ears andmind open for anyone else who could help you.

Step 2:

How do you meet potential network members?

It is important to build an open and trustingrelationship from the beginning. Here are just afew ways to start building trust with people:

✦ collaborate on projects of mutual interest;

✦ help bring attention to their work;

✦ assist them with special projects;

✦ share information with them;

✦ attend their meetings and invite themto yours.

Step 3:

How do you get them interested in youradvocacy objective?

As you get to know them, discuss your idea/objective with them. Be open to their suggestionsand ideas; it is helpful when others feel that theyhave some ownership of the idea. When theysupport the objective, they will be much moreinterested in helping you.

Step 4:

How can they help you?

When you are ready, ask them to do somethingspecific to help you reach your objective. Startsmall, e.g., �Could you mention to the directorthat you heard about this idea and think it hasmerit?� As your relationship is strengthened, youcan ask them to do more, e.g., �Could youarrange for us to meet with the director andpresent the proposal together?� But rememberthat it is a two-way street and the more they dofor you, the more you should do for them.


7


List some of the people in your currentnetwork who could help you with advocacy:

1.

2.

3.

Who else should you network with?

Case Study

A Networking Success1

Dr. Deneen Onyango works for the NationalInstitute for Education (NIE), an NGO dedicatedto improving the primary education system ofMonega. NIE conducts both research andprograms on education and has close ties to thegovernment of Monega. It also receives a largeshare of its budget from the government andinternational donors.

Five years ago, NIE began a large scale project tobuild primary schools and train teachers. It isfunded jointly by the Government of Monega andthe United World Education Programme. Thegoal of the program is to provide one primaryschool per 1000 children in the country and toincrease primary school enrollment by 50 percentover ten years.

Dr. Onyango, as a mid-level researcher at NIE ongirls� and women�s education, found throughrecent investigations that 90 percent of thestudents attending newly built NIE schools wereboys. When she traveled to several diverse regionsof the country to conduct routine evaluations, sheinterviewed parents and teachers about the genderdisparity in school attendance. The findingssurprised her: many parents wanted to send theirgirls to the new schools, but they thought that thenew schools were only for boys. Numerousparents stated that they had this impressionbecause the new teachers were men and becausethe brochures and posters announcing theopening of the new schools showed boys in theclassrooms.

With these new findings in hand, Dr. Onyangoreturned to NIE and reported to her supervisor,the director of research. She urged the director tomeet with NIE�s president immediately with a

?

?

_______________

1This case study is entirely fictional.


7

proposal to increase the number of womenteachers and redesign the information about thenew schools. She was disappointed when hersupervisor rejected her request because he hadmore important issues to discuss with thepresident.

Slowed, but not defeated, Dr. Onyango began todiscuss her findings informally with hercolleagues in the research division, friends in theprogram department of NIE, and several peoplefrom women�s organizations that she had met at aconference. They were all surprised by theparents� perceptions and agreed with Dr.Onyango that the solutions were both obviousand critical.

During the same period that she was discussingthe issue with colleagues, Dr. Onyango was alsospending many extra hours in the office assistingher supervisor with the issues he had pendingbefore the NIE president. She made sure that hehad the most recent statistics and charts, anduseful talking points for his meetings. Afterseveral weeks of doing extra work for her super-visor, she brought up the girls� enrollment issueagain. He agreed to mention it in his next meet-ing with the president. Several days later, hecalled Dr. Onyango into his office and informedher that the NIE president was extremely inter-

ested in the findings, especially as he had receivedletters from several women�s organizations on thesame subject. The NIE president wanted to bebriefed fully on the situation at the next seniorstaff meeting.

The meeting went extremely well until thedirector of the New Schools Project expressedconcern that the government would stop fundingthe project if it became a �girls� education�project. Because of his concern, the NIEpresident decided to delay any actions until hecould meet with Ministry officials.

Dr. Onyango got busy. She discreetly talked withthe women�s organizations who then went totheir friends at the Ministry of Education. Oneweek later, a letter came from the Ministry askingNIE to review the enrollment rates of boys andgirls in the new schools and to make recommen-dations to the Ministry based on the findings.

Dr. Onyango then met with the director of theNew Schools Project and convinced him that theMinistry supported the idea of educating girls, andin the long term, more girls in school meant morenew schools. And more new schools meantextending his tenure at NIE.

It did not take Dr. Onyango long to submit herreport and recommendations to NIE�s president.


7

He discussed the report with the research directorand director of the New Schools Project, whogave their support. The NIE president approvedthe recommendations and they were sent to theMinistry. Six months after Dr. Onyango�s initialfindings, NIE began a pilot program to trainmore women teachers and has redesigned itsoutreach materials for the new schools.

Sharing experiences with thegroup

Did Dr. Onyango�s network assist her inreaching her goal? If so, how?

How could her strategy have been improved?

What kinds of networks do you have throughyour work? List other types of networks towhich you have access.

B. Building Coalitions

What is a coalition?

A coalition is a group of organizations workingtogether in a coordinated fashion toward acommon goal.

The organized coalition is another option for youradvocacy effort. Coalitions require far more workthan networks, but the results can also be muchgreater. Coalition-building should augment, notreplace your existing networks. Before you decide tojoin or start a coalition, consider the followingadvantages and disadvantages:

?

?

Definition

?


7

Advantages

✦ Enlarges your base of support; you can wintogether what you cannot win alone.

✦ Provides safety for advocacy efforts andprotection for members who may not be ableto take action alone.

✦ Magnifies existing resources by pooling themtogether and by delegating work to others inthe coalition.

✦ Increases financial and programmaticresources for an advocacy campaign.

✦ Enhances the credibility and influence of anadvocacy campaign, as well as that ofindividual coalition members.

✦ Helps develop new leadership.

✦ Assists in individual and organizationalnetworking.

✦ Broadens the scope of your work.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Working in Coalitions2

Disadvantages

✦ Distracts you from other work; can take toomuch time away from regular organizationaltasks.

✦ May require you to compromise yourposition on issues or tactics.

✦ May require you to give in to more powerfulorganizations. Power is not alwaysdistributed equally among coalitionmembers; larger or richer organizations canhave more say in decisions.

✦ You may not always get credit for yourwork. Sometimes the coalition as a wholegets recognition rather than individualmembers. Well-run coalitions should striveto highlight their members as often aspossible.

✦ If the coalition process breaks down it canharm everyone�s advocacy by damagingmembers� credibility.

2Adapted from the Midwest Academy, Organizing for Social Change.


7

Types of Coalitions

Like advocates, coalitions come in all shapes andsizes; each type serves a purpose. These categoriesare not mutually exclusive; for example, a coalitioncan be a permanent, formal, single-issue coalition, oran informal, geographic, multi-issue coalition.Coalitions range from being very fluid to highlystructured. Different types of coalitions will attractdifferent organizations.

Permanent:

Permanent coalitions are incorporated organiza-tions with a staff and board of directors. Decision-making is structured and systematic. Membersoften pay yearly dues. Many coalitions start astemporary and informal groups and can takeyears to mature into a permanent coalition suchas an association, trade union, or federation.

Temporary:

Temporary coalitions come together for a specificpurpose or goal. When the goal is achieved, thecoalition disbands. Sometimes the coalition canremain intact if it takes on another goal.

Definition

DefinitionFormal:

Members formally join the coalition, pay dues,and are identified as coalition members onletterhead, coalition statements, etc.

Informal:

There is no official membership in thesecoalitions, therefore members constantly change.With membership turnover, the issues and tacticsof the coalition may also shift.

Geographic:

The coalition is based on a geographic area such asa school district or a region of the continent.

Multi-Issue:

The coalition works on a number of issues oradvocacy objectives during the course of itsexistence. However, for strategic andorganizational purposes, the coalition may chooseto work on only one objective/issue at a time.

Single Issue:

The coalition works on one issue or objective.Sometimes strange alliances can evolve betweenorganizations which usually oppose one another,but can agree to work together on a single issue.


7

?

?

C. Participating in Coalitions

Joining Coalitions

The following hints will help you benefit from anycoalition you join.

✦ Understand clearly who is running thecoalition, who the members are and what thegoals and positions are before you join.

✦ Be sure you understand clearly the financial,programmatic and staff support you and yourorganization will be expected to contribute.

✦ Make sure you and your organization have thetime and resources to participate.

✦ Find out exactly how your organization willbenefit by being involved. Learn what thecoalition will offer you; e.g., will yourorganization have opportunities to present itswork through the coalition? Will you gainaccess to decision makers or the media?

✦ Do not miss meetings. A coalition will not beresponsive to your needs and requests unlessyou are committed to participating. Inaddition, you cannot have a voice in decisionsunless you are at the meeting to speak up.


Do you know any coalitions in your country orlocality in which you could participate?

Which ones would you join? Why?

Forming Coalitions

You may decide to take on the responsibility andeffort of organizing a coalition to help reach youradvocacy objective. Consider two different ways toform coalitions:

✦ Have an open meeting

This is one of the most common ways toorganize a coalition quickly; it is usually usedfor informal coalition building. Only use thistechnique for coalition formation if youradvocacy issue and objective are flexible.Usually diverse coalitions form first; thespecific agenda is set later depending on whohas joined and what interests are represented.

You can issue an invitation to a broad array oforganizations or publish an announcement ofthe meeting in specific newsletters. Tailoryour invitation to reach as broad or narrow agroup as required.


7

✦ Assemble the coalition by invitation only

This method is used to create more solid,long-term coalitions. Creating a coalition byinvitation means the issue and agenda aremore likely to stay focused on your objectiveand you can select the groups that will bringprestige, power, resources and energy to youreffort. The disadvantage of this technique isthat the coalition will not be as broad or itsmembers as numerous.

You will want to meet with each groupindividually to introduce the coalition ideaand discuss their possible participation. Onceyou have met with all the potential members,you can hold the first meeting to officiallykick-off the new coalition.

Running an Effective Coalition

At the first meeting of a new coalition you shouldclearly state the purpose for forming the newcoalition, the goals, what is expected of eachmember, and the benefits of membership. Thereshould be plenty of time on the agenda for groups tointroduce themselves and for initial discussion aboutthe issues, objectives, strategies and tactics of thecoalition. At this point groups will decide whetherto join the coalition.

Once you have formed a coalition, the work begins.Below are some hints to strengthen your coalitionand keep it running smoothly and effectively.

✦ Keep in personal contact with key coalitionmembers and make sure that all members areinformed regularly of developments on yourissue, actions taken by the coalition, or otheritems of interest. Most organizations joincoalitions to have access to information on atimely basis, so continual information flow isessential.

✦ Get to know all the coalition members well soas to be properly informed about theirpositions and opinions. These might be quitedifferent from yours.

✦ Achieve consensus among coalition memberson short- and long-term goals. Do not setgoals and objectives that are too ambitious.Choose an objective which the coalition canachieve in a timely manner. An early successwill help build confidence, credibility, andsupport for your group. Your coalition canuse Module 3 to help select a good advocacyobjective.


7

✦ Involve powerful coalition members in alldecision-making. If a key organization orindividual is left out of a decision, you mayhave to revisit the decision and, in extremecases, you risk losing that group.

✦ Keep coalition meetings brief and on a regularschedule. Lengthy meetings will discouragepeople from attending; meeting too often cancause �meeting fatigue.� Have a time limit andclear agenda for all meetings. In addition,facilitate discussion to make sure that all areheard. Always circulate a sign-in sheet.

✦ Develop subgroups strategically to take onspecific tasks. Do not let the number ofsubgroups grow uncontrolled�your memberswill be spread across too many groups or willburn out.

✦ Do not avoid troublesome issues. Difficultissues must be discussed openly at meetings orthey will split apart your coalition. If theissues are too contentious, you can talkindividually to the parties that disagree andtry to develop a solution. Or, you can involvean outside mediator or facilitator.

Case Study

A Coalition Catastrophe2

The Association for the Advancement of Education(AAE), a formal, multi-issue coalition consisting ofthe top ten children�s, teachers� and educationorganizations in the country, began its campaign toincrease education funding for secondary schooldevelopment last January.

AAE had previously succeeded in increasing thenumber and quality of primary schools and felt itshould now turn its attention to secondaryeducation. In October, the group had debated therelative benefits of two advocacy objectives:increased funding for new secondary schools, orincreased funding for teacher training, curriculumdevelopment and supplies/infrastructure for existingschools.

The consensus of the members present (several ofthe teachers� organizations could not attend theOctober coalition meeting) was to pursue increasedfunding for new secondary schools and to work onimproving quality later. At the next coalitionmeeting in November, the teachers� associationsobjected to the decision and felt left out of the_______________

2This case study is entirely fictional.


7

process. They were particularly upset that thecoalition leaders had neglected to ask them for theiropinions before a decision was made, and that theywere not informed of the results of the discussionheld in October. After several apologies andexplanations the teachers� groups were quieted andreluctantly accepted the chosen advocacy objective.

The campaign progressed nicely during thefollowing months in which AAE released anoutstanding report on the need for more secondaryschools, held several well-attended press conferencesand met with key officials in the government. Thecoalition management also paid special attention tothe needs of the teachers� associations whichimproved relations.

In February, as the funding increase gainedsubstantial government support, the coalitionlearned that the government�s plan was to raise aportion of the funds for the increase by decreasingteachers� pensions. Knowing that the teachers�associations would not accept this trade-off, thedirector of AAE held a private meeting with theassociations to see whether some alternate source offunding could be found. They explored optionssuch as drawing from military or higher educationbudgets and agreed that these ideas should beconveyed to key government staff on the committeeworking on the education funding increase.

When the AAE director met with the committeestaff to propose paying for the increase with fundsfrom other budgets, he learned that AAE�s proposalcame too late; the committee had already decided topresent the original proposal to parliament.

The powerful teachers� associations then began amassive campaign to defeat the funding increase forsecondary schools. The education and children�sgroups steadfastly supported the increase despite thecut in teachers� pensions, arguing that only 10percent of the increase was coming from pensionsand that government was going to cut pensionsanyway. AAE itself could no longer play anadvocacy role because its membership was now spliton the issue.

In March, the increase for secondary schooldevelopment was defeated in parliament by anarrow margin.

The coalition survived this episode, but relationsbetween the teachers� associations, other coalitionmembers, and AAE are strained, at best. In addition,the credibility of AAE is diminished as officials inthe government are uncertain whether AAE speaksclearly for its membership.


7


What went wrong? How could AAE haveavoided these problems?

What could coalition leaders do to fix thesituation now?

Exercises

Allies and Opponents: This exercise will helpyou identify possible allies and opponents.Your allies could be included in your networkor in a coalition should you decide to createone. Answer the following questions:

Allies

Who will gain if your objective is achieved? Whatwill be gained?

Who will benefit from your efforts?

Who supports the issue/objective already?

Will somebody benefit financially if the objectiveis achieved? Who?

Which agencies, ministries or departments ingovernment institutions will gain if the objectiveis reached?

?

?

Could any religious groups support the objective?

Would any government officials gain politically orfinancially from the objective?

Do any officials philosophically support theissue/objective?

Who could be your ally from the private/businesssector? NGO sector? Entertainment sector?

Opponents

Are any organizations or individuals opposed toyour objective? Who? Why?

Which groups will lose if your objective isachieved?

Will anybody lose financially if the objective isachieved? Who?

Why might religious groups oppose the objective?

Which government agencies, ministries ordepartments will lose if the objective is reached?

Would any government officials lose politically orfinancially if the objective is reached?

Do any officials philosophically oppose the issue/objective?

Who might be your opposition from the private/business sector? NGO sector? Entertainmentsector?

✍


7

Creative Coalition BuildingThis exercise works backwards to help youidentify key groups which, when they join youreffort, can almost guarantee its success.

First, imagine that you have just succeeded inreaching your advocacy objective with thehelp of a large, diverse and powerfulcoalition. In a newspaper interview, thejournalist asks you: �Your coalition was sosuccessful in bringing together powerfulinterests from the business, NGO,development and social sectors. Who were thekey members of your coalition and how didyou get them involved?�

Your answer: �I knew our success would beguaranteed if we had these groups involved.Our key coalition members are................�

�We got them involved by building a bridgebetween their interests and our goals. Forexample.............................................�

✍ ✍ Meeting AgendaCreate an agenda for your first coalitionmeeting:

(Name of Coalition)

(DATE)

(Meeting time: From � To)

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.


8 Making Effective Presentations

Meeting with decision makers or other important audiences is wherepreparation meets opportunity. Often, these opportunities are brief andyou may have only one chance to make your case, so making apresentation that will persuade and inspire your audience requires solidpreparation.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide96Making Effective Presentations

8

Objectives


A. examine the importance of relationships;

B. explore persuasive presentation techniques.

A. The Importance ofRelationships

�It�s not what you know, it�s who you know.�

A large part of effective advocacy depends on therelationships advocates develop with decisionmakers, influentials and other key audiences. Thestronger the ties of trust, mutual support, andcredibility between advocate and audience, the moreeffective that advocate will be.

How do you build good relationships with keyindividuals? Although no set formulas for humanrelationships exist, you can examine the followinglist for some hints on developing good ties withdecision makers.

✦ Offer to help with causes or issues aboutwhich they care (and which do not conflictwith your interests);

✦ find out how you can help them accomplishtheir job;

✦ be a trustworthy, credible and reliable sourceof information;

✦ be sociable. Develop personal friendships ifyou are able;

✦ keep in regular contact and be patient. It takestime to create lasting relationships.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 97 Making Effective Presentations

8usingusing

B. Persuasive PresentationTechniques

Establish �Points of Entry�

First, think creatively about how you can get ameeting with the audience you need to reach. Isthere something you have in common which wouldhelp you connect? For example, a friend of yoursattends the same church as the decision maker.Maybe your friend could arrange for you to make apresentation at the church.

Schedule a meeting

Getting a meeting with a decision maker or keyaudience is in itself the first successful step inreaching your advocacy goal.

Send a letter of invitation

The most common way to set up a meeting is tosend a letter explaining what your advocacy goal isand why you would like a meeting. (A sample letterto a decision maker is located in Module 5). Aftersending the letter, follow-up with a phone call.Often you will not get a meeting with the officialbut with a staff person. Always meet with the staff,and treat them in the same way you would treat thedecision maker.

Invite them to visit your project

Another way to meet with and persuade people is toinvite them to view your facility or project. Thisway you can show them what is working and whythey should support it. If the decision maker cannotvisit your project, try taking your project to them.Bring several project beneficiaries with you to yourmeeting, show a short video tape of your project ortake a few photos with you.

Make the invitation through aninfluential friend

If you have a friend or colleague who knows thedecision maker or someone on his or her staff, haveyour friend send the letter or make the phone call.Decision makers will be more likely to meet withyou and will likely give more credence andattention to your matter if the invitation comesfrom someone the decision maker already knowsand trusts.

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔


8

Preparing for Meetings and Presentations

Step 1:

Know your audience

The first step is to find out as much as you canabout the person or people with whom you willbe meeting. Do they support your advocacyobjective or not? What do they already know andbelieve about the issue? What issues do they careabout? What are their expectations for themeeting, if any? Most importantly, try to learnwhat kinds of arguments will persuade this audience.(See Modules 4 and 5 for hints on audienceresearch.)


Choose one audience you would like to meetwith and review your audience research forthis person from Module 4. If you did notcomplete Module 4, answer the questions inStep 1 above.

Step 2:

Focus on your message

Plan what you would like to say at the meeting.Choose your main objective and keep it in mindas you develop a simple message for the meeting.

First, you present the issue that has led to themeeting, then make two or three points aboutwhy the issue is worth addressing. Next, you maypresent your suggestions and tell the audiencewhat you would like them to do to help. Ingeneral, do not ask your audience to do morethan one thing at a time, unless he or she seemsvery eager to help you. A presentation may turninto a dialogue or a negotiation�that is fine. Youwant to learn as much as you can about whatyour audience thinks. Be willing to negotiate, butbe clear about how far you will or will notcompromise.

When deciding which arguments to use topersuade the decision maker, refer to youraudience research. For example, link yourobjective to an issue the decision maker caresabout or discuss how your objective will helppeople in the decision maker�s home town.

If you use charts or graphs, keep them verysimple and clear. More is not better. Prepare ascript of your presentation if it will help you.

?

✔

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 99 Making Effective Presentations

8


Outline your presentation to an audience ofyour choice. Answer the following questions.

What is your objective?Why is it important to act on the issue? (Makeonly three persuasive points.)What action would you like the audience to take?

Step 3:

Delivery:Messenger, Timing, Format

Often the messenger is as important as themessage. Who can persuasively and effectivelydeliver your message in a meeting? If a friendinvited the decision maker, that person is likely agood messenger as well. Perhaps the beneficiaryof a program could personalize the issue and getthe decision maker�s attention. Always choose amessenger whom the decision maker will findcredible and reliable.

Next, consider when would be the ideal time todeliver the message and what format would workbest with the audience. See Module 5 for hints onmessage content and format.


Who should deliver your message?When?Using which format?

Step 4:

Practice!

Rehearsing the presentation with friends andcolleagues can help you get ready for yourmeeting. Have your colleagues play the role of thedecision maker and ask questions. This will helpyou to polish your presentation and becomecomfortable with it.


In small groups or in pairs, practice giving thepresentation and taking questions; thenswitch roles. Answer the following questions:

Which arguments were persuasive?Which were not?What could be improved?

? ?

?


8

Hints on Conducting a Meeting

✦ Open the meeting by praising the decisionmaker for past support on your issue (ifindeed he/she really has been supportive).

✦ If more than one person in your group attendsthe meeting, decide who will make whichpoints. Have the highest ranking member ofyour group present first and run the meeting.

✦ Make your most important points first; youmight get interrupted or not have as muchtime as you think.

✦ Give the decision maker time to talk. Do notdominate the discussion. It is important tofind out the decision maker�s thoughts aboutyour issue and what he/she is willing to do.

✦ If the meeting gets off track, politely interruptand bring the discussion back to your issue.

✦ If you know your audience will be hostile toyour position, open the meeting by pointingout areas of common ground and mutualinterest. Then proceed with yourpresentation.

✦ Approach the meeting with a clear idea ofwhat the decision maker can do to help youreffort, but be flexible. Perhaps the decisionmaker will suggest some other supportive

action he or she would be more comfortabletaking.

✦ If a question comes up that you can�t answer,say that you will get back to the person withthe information later. Always follow-up on apromise to do so.

✦ At the end of the meeting, restate what youunderstand the decision maker said he/shewill do. For example, �Thank you very muchfor meeting with us and we�re very glad thatyou�ll be able to....�

✦ Follow-up with a thank-you letter to thedecision maker, restating his/her position andwhat you understand he/she will do.

Exercise

Choose a second audience that you would liketo meet with and design a meeting/presentation using the four steps outlined inthis Module. Practice giving the presentationin pairs or small groups.

✍

✔


9 Fundraising for Advocacy

You have set your goals and developed your strategy. Only one elementremains�the resources to put your plan into motion. In many ways,fundraising parallels the advocacy process itself; you must set realistic goals,target audiences, develop persuasive messages to reach those audiences, buildalliances and trusting relationships, and leverage decision-making at donorinstitutions. Using the skills you developed in the previous eight modules,fundraising should come to you naturally.

Too often, fundraising is seen as the poor stepchild of advocacy�the lastitem on the agenda or last task of the day. But without resources your effortcannot survive. Therefore, seeking resources must be integrated into yourstrategy from the beginning. If you are working in a group, choose someonewho is experienced and capable in fundraising to secure the resources.

In addition, you should work to expand and diversify your funding base. Donot become too dependent on foundation, international donor orgovernment support. Dependency on one or a few sources can confuse youragenda, lead to conflicts of interest, and leave you without funding whendonor priorities shift.

Always remember the golden rule of fundraising:

RAISE MORE MONEY THAN YOU SPEND.

�Unexpected� expenses should always be expected. You will also want youreffort or organization to grow, so plan for that growth. Lastly, do not forgetthat you must spend money to raise money.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide102Fundraising for Advocacy

9

Objectives


A. examine the fundraising process;

B. develop a budget, fundraising goalsand a strategy for your advocacy effort.

A. The Fundraising Process

Fundraising Methods

There are an infinite number of ways to obtainresources for your work, so try different things.Whatever works, keep doing it. Be creative and havefun! Below are a some suggestions to help you begin:

✦ Request membership dues from individuals ororganizations

✦ Solicit in-kind contributions

✦ Hold fundraising events such as dinners,concerts, film festivals, picnics, etc.

✦ Cultivate large individual contributions

✦ Look for corporate donations

✦ Sell merchandise such as crafts, artwork,promotional items, etc.

✦ Seek grants from foundations andinternational donor agencies

✦ Win national or local government grants andcontracts

✦ Promote holiday giving (e.g., Christmasdonations)

✦ Auction donated goods and services

✦ Raffle donated prizes

✦ Sell advertising space in newsletters or otherpublications

✔

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 103 Fundraising for Advocacy

9using


What other fundraising ideas do you have?Describe them.

Which of these fundraising techniques mightyou use to raise resources for youradvocacy?

Donations

Donations can be varied and creative. Individuals ororganizations can give:

✦ Money

✦ Labor

✦ In-kind donations (equipment, office space,supplies, etc.)

✦ Expertise (technical and program assistance)

✦ Administrative support

✦ Space for meetings and events

Legal Issues

The laws which govern the giving and receiving ofdonations vary from country to country. Therefore,before you begin soliciting contributions, do somepreliminary research. Some countries have NGOsector agencies or umbrella associations that can helpyou learn more about the laws that governfundraising for advocacy.

The questions you need to answer before you begininclude:

✦ What laws govern the giving and receiving ofdonations in your country?

✦ Are there restrictions related to the use ofdonations for advocacy or political action?(E.g., no private foundation money can beused to influence national legislation.)

✦ Are the amounts that individuals ororganizations can contribute for advocacylimited?

✦ What are the requirements for reportingdonated income? Are there specific rules foraccounting? Are donations taxed?

?

?

✔

✔


9

Potential Funders

As a fundraiser, you must research any funders whomight be willing to contribute to your effort.Funders come from many different places rangingfrom:

✦ Individuals

✦ Private sector companies (includingmultinationals)

✦ Philanthropic/donor agencies andfoundations

✦ Government-sponsored initiatives

Remember to explore all potential funders carefully.Sometimes companies wish to support initiatives inthe communities in which they work, however,often funders have an agenda or certain conditionsattached to their donations. Make sure that theseagendas do not compromise your advocacyobjectives. If their conditions might conflict withyour goals, you may not wish to take their moneyor contribution because it will likely harm orweaken your advocacy effort.

Funders as your Audience

Just like other audiences, certain kinds ofinformation, language, and presentation style willelicit a positive response from funding sources.Research each of your funders individually to learnabout their particular interests and preferences.Listed below are some hints on what fundersgenerally like to see:

✦ A well-run and efficiently managedorganization or effort.

✦ Financial stability. Funders may want to seebudget information from past years as well asfuture projections.

✦ Examples of successful programs.

✦ A good strategy and a reasonable chance ofreaching your goals.

✦ What it is that distinguishes your work fromother organizations in the same field.

✦ Reasons why your work is important andnecessary.

✦ What any previous contribution they madehas accomplished.

✦ Information on your own and your groupmembers� track records and successes at otherorganizations. If your effort is new, you mustshow a solid strategy for meeting realistic goals.

✔✔


9

General Fundraising Suggestions

✦ Find out what kinds of organizations thedonor has funded in the past, how much theytypically give, and what their current interestsare. An annual report will contain much ofthis information.

✦ Be careful not to accept donations, grants orcontracts for activities that do not match yourobjectives. You do not want to allow thedonor to control your agenda or strategy.

✦ Remember that all funders, especiallyfoundations, have their own programmaticand ideological agendas; approachorganizations and foundations whose ideasmatch yours.

✦ Avoid dependency on a few sources; work todiversify your funding base.

✦ Appoint a qualified person involved in youreffort to chair your fundraising efforts. Thisensures that someone is paying attention tofundraising (in addition to you) and isaccountable to the group.

✦ Just as in advocacy, relationships are key.Invest time and energy in getting to knowindividuals at funding agencies.

✦ Because many foundations give start-up orspecial project support, rather than ongoinggeneral support, you may want to presentproposals for specific projects rather than forgeneral overhead.

✦ Ask your members for contributions.Membership fundraising reduces yourdependence on large donors and can givemembers a sense of purpose and renewedenthusiasm when they see that theircontributions are making a difference.

✦ When organizing fundraising events, such as aa dinner, charge participants more than theactual cost of the dinner. The differencebetween the ticket price and the actual cost ofthe dinner becomes your profit. Whenplanning these types of fundraising events, besure to keep the costs of the event low; don�tbe extravagant! Keep the ticket costsreasonable so people will attend and then setthe cost at 20-50% less per person than theticket price. (For example, if you think peoplewould be willing to pay $25 per person fordinner, set the budget for the dinner at $12.50per person).

✔


9

B. Budgets and Goals forFundraising

Step 1:

Develop a Budget

Your first task as a manager and fundraiser is todevelop a realistic budget based on your strategy.Review the advocacy strategies you developed inthe previous modules for developing anddelivering messages, influencing the decision-making process and building alliances. How muchmoney or other resources will you need to carryout each of your planned activities? In addition,calculate how much you will need to cover thegeneral operations of an advocacy effort. If youare expecting to receive in-kind donations, theseshould be included in your budget with amonetary value. (Don�t forget to budget forfundraising!)

A budget should include:

✦ Overhead (office space, equipment, supplies,paper, telephones, fax, postage, etc.)

✦ Contingency fund (for �unexpected�expenses). These can be included in youroverhead as �other� and usually represent apercentage of your budget

✦ Salaries and benefits for staff, if applicable

✦ Programs and events (conferences, briefings,lunches, etc.)

✦ Printing and distribution of specificdocuments (brochures, reports, press kits, etc.)

✦ Fundraising (events, promotional items,documents, etc.)

✦ Other specific items

Step 2:

Divide the budget into fundraising goals

Define who you will approach for funding, forwhat amount, and for what purpose. Forexample, are there organizations that would bewilling to donate office space or supplies? Perhapsa foundation would be interested in sponsoring aconference or the publication of a report.

Remember the golden rule of fundraising (raisemore money than you spend!) and set yourfundraising goals higher than your budget.

✔


9

Document Printing and Distribution

Report on child health 800

Fact sheets 400

Briefing materials 500

Brochure (describes thebenefits of salt fortification) 150

Subtotal 1,850

Fundraising

Child health fundraisingbanquet/auction 1,250

Donor thank-you gifts 250

Funders briefing materials 500

Subtotal 2,000

TOTAL BUDGET 19,175

Sample Budget

Salt Fortification CampaignFiscal Year 1998 Proposed Budget

Overhead

Office space 4,000

Equipment rental 1,000

Supplies 1,000

Phone, fax, modem 1,000

Postage 750

Other (contingency 10%) 775

Subtotal 8,525

Salaries and Benefits

1 assistant, part-time 5,000

Subtotal 5,000

Programs and Events

1 coalition kick-off meeting 500

Participation in 3 conferences 600

2 briefings for ministry officials 200

2 press conferences 500

Subtotal 1,800


9

Sample Fundraising Goals

Salt Fortification CampaignFY98 Fundraising Goals

In-kind contributions 7,750from Child HealthInternational, Alliance forChildren and/or Fund forChildren�s Future for overheadexpenses including office space,not including contingency.

Grant from International Ford 8,000Foundation for start-up. Grantfrom Children�s Foundationfor programs and events. Willapproach other foundations forsupport as well.

Membership dues from coalition 1,500members.

Fundraising banquet and auction 3,000in June.

Donation from salt production 2,000companies.

TOTAL 22,250

Step 3:

Develop a strategy to meet each goal

Now that you have set some goals, you need a strat-egy to meet them. Start by investigating each funder�sagenda, perspectives on your issue, funding priorities,and decision-making process. An annual report fromthe funding organization can provide most of thisinformation. Talk informally with others in yourcommunity to gather useful information. You shouldalso consider :

✦ What is the best way to contact the funder(telephone, letter, meeting)?

✦ What format should proposals to the funder take?

✦ Which elements of your work will appeal to thefunder? Which parts of your work fit with thefunder�s priorities?

✦ Does anyone you know have personal contactswith the funder? Could they make the telephonecall or meet the funder?

✦ When is the best time of the year to approachfunders? Is there a seasonal or yearly cycle forfunding? (Foundations have distinct fundingcycles and deadlines; individuals are generallymore generous around holidays; organizationsoften feel more generous at the start of theirfiscal year.)


9

Refer to Modules 5, 6, and 7 on messages, thedecision-making process and effective presentations

Sample Fundraising Strategy

Salt Fortification Campaign Fundraising Strategy

Funder Strategy Who willcomplete the task?

When will it becompleted?

Child healthorganizations

Since they are coalition members already,have an informal meeting with eachseparately to see what they can donate.

Executive Director January 15

Foundationsinterested inchild healthissues

Send a short letter of introduction with aone-page proposal. If they express interest,meet with them and follow-up with a fullproposal.

Fundraisingchairperson andcommittee

Initial contact:Jan 15

Follow-up: March 1

MembershipDues

Send letter reminding coalition members ofannual dues. Follow-up with phone calls.

Executive Dir. andassistant

Letter out: Jan 1

Calls: January 15Banquet andauction

Solicit donations of goods and services forJuly auction from coalition members and abroader network. Send out invitations.Advertise event. Arrange logistics (food,space, etc).

Fundraisingchairperson andcommittee

Donations: By May

Invitation out: April

Logistics: By April

Advertise: Mar.-JuneDonation fromsalt productioncompanies

When meeting with salt producers to gaintheir support for the advocacy effort, askthem for donations (if they are supportive).Follow-up with letter and calls if necessary.

Executive Director Meeting: By January

Follow-up: ByFebruary

to help plan your fundraising strategy. Consider thefollowing sample fundraising strategy.


9

Step 4:

Follow-Up

✦ Be persistent!

✦ Find out more about the funder�s decision-making process and what you can do toinfluence it. (Use Module 6 on decision-making).

✦ Invite the funder to come to see your groupin action.

✦ If the funder rejects your proposal, find outwhy and see whether they would acceptyour proposal with some changes.

✦ Continue developing and investing inrelationships with funders.

✦ Keep funders informed and up to date onyour actions and progress. Tell them exactlyhow their money has helped your effortsucceed.

Exercises

Review the sample budget on the next page.Imagine that this campaign is in support ofyour advocacy objective and that you are theExecutive Director. First, divide the budgetinto fundraising goals and then plan astrategy for how you would raise the moneyin your country starting now. Blank goal andstrategy forms are also provided.

Develop a preliminary budget for your effortbased on the strategies you outlined in theprevious modules.

✍

✍


9

Proposed Budget

OverheadOffice space 1,000Equipment rental 500Supplies 200Telephone, Fax, Modem 300Postage 100Other (contingency 10%) 210

Subtotal 2,310

Salaries and BenefitsAll volunteers N/APrograms and Events1 coalition kick-off meeting 5002 briefings for ministry officials 400

Subtotal 900

Document Printing and DistributionReport 800Fact sheets 200

Subtotal 1,000

FundraisingSales of merchandise 100Other fundraising 500

Subtotal 600

TOTAL BUDGET 4,810

Possible Funder Goal Amount

Total

Your Advocacy Campaign

Fundraising goals


9

Funder Strategy Who willcomplete the task?

When will it becompleted?

Your Advocacy CampaignFundraising Strategy


10 Improving your Advocacy

Nothing succeeds like success. Constant evaluation and adaptation of youradvocacy effort is the best way to ensure success. The idea behind self-assessment isnot to attach a numerical score to your effort, but to get useful feedback and alteryour strategies and/or goals if necessary. Adaptability, creativity and persistenceare characteristics of seasoned and successful advocates; if one strategy does notwork, they try another, and another, until they reach their goal.

To revisit the big picture of your advocacy campaign, it might be useful toevaluate your advocacy effort each year or at the end of your prescribed decision-making cycle (e.g., end of parliamentary session or fiscal year). In addition, youmight wish to have the entire advocacy effort evaluated by an outsider who is notso closely involved with your effort. An outsider would assess the work you andyour organization are doing as well as examine the coalitions which are involved,the messages that have been created, the audiences that have been reached, thepolicy efforts that you have undertaken, and changes in the decision-makingprocess that have occurred as a result of your advocacy.

Remember, change happens slowly and achieving any policy change throughadvocacy will most likely be a gradual process that will take time, energy,persistance and tenacity. In fact, the process is never really finished. Once youachieve your first advocacy goal, another one is waiting around the corner.

The self-assessment questionnaire is divided into six areas: advocacy objective,message delivery/communications, use of data and research, coalition building,impact on the decision-making process, and overall management/organizationalissues. Use this questionnaire every 6-12 months to chart your progress andimprove your activities.

SARA AED Advocacy Training Guide114Improving your Advocacy

10

Objectives


A. learn how to maintain motivation;

B. review the Advocacy AssessmentQuestionnaire, a self-evaluation to assessyour advocacy effort after 6-12 months.

A. Maintaining Motivation

Celebrate Small (and Large) Victories!

Celebrating small victories will keep you, your staff,and partners energized and motivated to moveforward. Publicizing your victories, howevermodest, will also build support for your efforts aspeople begin to recognize you and your advocacycampaign as a positive and effective agent of change.

There are many, many ways to celebrate:

✦ Have a party

✦ Take a day off

✦ Buy lunch for the group

✦ Announce your advocacy success

Whatever you do to celebrate, it is very importantto take the time out to congratulate yourself for ajob well done. Advocacy is a long process andseeing real results can take time, so celebrating eachstep forward will keep you moving in the rightdirection.

Sharing Experienceswith the Group

Describe some other strategies to keeppeople motivated

✔

?

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 115 Improving your Advocacy

10usingusing

B. Advocacy Assessment Questionnaire

1. Advocacy Objective

Is your advocacy objective moving smoothly through the process or have you encountered some obstacles?What are the obstacles and how can they be overcome?

What else can you do to move your objective forward? Would building new alliances or increasing yourmedia outreach help move your objective through the decision-making process?

If your objective does not seem achievable, should you alter it? What would be achievable? Could youachieve part of your objective by negotiating or compromising?

✔

✔

✔


10

1. Advocacy Objective (Continued)

How much does the policy/program change reflect your objective? Did you win your objective entirely,partly, or not at all?

Can you/should you try to achieve the rest of your objective during the next decision-making cycle? Orshould you move on to an entirely new advocacy objective? What are the pros and cons for each decision?

Did the policy/program change make a difference to the problem you were addressing? If you achieved yourobjective in whole or in part, has it had the impact you intended?

✔

✔

✔


10

2. Message Delivery/Communications

Did your message(s) reach the key audiences? If not, how can you better reach these audiences?

Did your audiences respond positively to your message(s)? Which messages worked? Why? Which did notwork and why? How can you alter the messages which were not effective?

Which formats for delivery worked well? Which were not effective and why? How can these formats bechanged or improved?

Did you receive any media/press coverage? Was it helpful to your effort? How could your media relationsbe improved?

✔

✔

✔

✔


10

3. Use of Research and Data

How did using data and research enhance your effort?

Were data presented clearly and persuasively? How could your presentation be improved?

Did your advocacy effort raise new research questions? Are more data needed to support your advocacyobjective? If so, are the data available elsewhere or do you need to conduct the research?

✔

✔

✔


10

4. Decision-Making Process

How is the decision-making process more open because of your efforts?

Will it be easier to reach and persuade the decision makers next time? Why or why not?

How many more people/organizations are involved in the decision-making process than before you began?How has this helped or hindered your efforts?

How could you improve the way you move the decision-making process forward?✔

✔

✔

✔


10

5. Coalition Building

How was your coalition successful in gaining attention to the issue and building support for the advocacyobjective?

Was information distributed to coalition members in a timely fashion? How could informationdissemination be improved?

Are there any unresolved conflicts in the coalition? How can these be addressed and resolved?

✔

✔

✔


10

5. Coalition Building (continued)

Is there a high level of cooperation and information exchange among coalition members? How couldinternal coalition relations be enhanced?

Did the coalition gain or lose any members? How can you enlist new members and/or prevent membersfrom leaving?

Does the coalition provide opportunities for leadership development among members?

How was your network helpful to your advocacy? How can you expand your network?

✔

✔

✔

✔


10

6. Overall Management/Organizational Issues

Is your advocacy effort financially viable? How could you raise additional resources?

Is the accounting system adequate? Can you provide to funders an accurate accounting of how money wasspent?

How could your financial resources have been used more efficiently?

Were all events produced successfully and meetings run smoothly? Which were not and why not? Howcould logistics be improved?

Are you or your organization overwhelmed or discouraged? How could you get more assistance? Shouldyou narrow your goal or extend your time frame to make your effort more manageable?

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 123 Glossary

Glossary

Advocacy An action directed at changing the policies, positions or programs of anytype of institution.

Alternative process A decision-making process to change policies that exists wholly outsidethe official procedures stated by law or documented organizationalpolicy.

Auction A fundraising technique in which objects or services are donated to besold and people bid against each other for a particular sale item. Theperson who bids the highest amount purchases that item. The moneyraised, less expenses for the event, is the sponsoring group�s profit.

Audience A person or people to whom information is conveyed or messages aredirected.

Briefing A short and clear summary of a situation or an event. A briefing can be ameeting or a set of written materials.

Coalition A group of organizations working together in a coordinated fashiontoward a common goal.

Conceptual framework A descriptive structure that presents an idea or concept as a process.

Consensus Agreement among a diverse group of individuals or organizations.

Contingency A percentage of a budget that is unassigned and can be used forunexpected expenses or increases in costs that were not considered in theoriginal budget.

SARA /AED Advocacy Training Guide124Glossary

Glossary

Criteria Questions or standards used to measure progress toward a goal orcompare different objectives.

Decision maker A person who has the authority to create or change communal,organizational, or governmental policies, programs or laws.

Formal process The official decision-making procedure that must be followed to changea policy, as set out by law or documented organizational policy.

Goal The subject of your advocacy effort. What you hope to achieve over thenext 10-20 years.

In-kind contribution A donation of time, expertise, space or goods. These might include officespace or lunch for a meeting, office supplies, technical assistance, oroccasional secretarial support.

Influentials People who have the opportunity to give their input, ideas and opinionsto a decision maker, because they have a relationship with that decisionmaker.

Informal Process Activities and procedures to influence the decision-making process thatoccur simultaneously with the formal process, but are not required bylaw or organizational policy.

Issue A subject of interest for advocates or decision makers.

Jargon The specialized language of a particular profession, trade or industry.

Leverage To use personal or institutional influence or position to gain support and/orfinancial backing of other people and/or institutions in a mutual endeavor.


Glossary

Media An organized system to deliver information to people such as television,radio, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, etc.

Message A statement that aims to inform, persuade or motivate an audience.

Network Individuals or organizations willing to assist one another or collaboratearound a common topic or goal.

News release A short description of an event, project or research study that is given tothe media for broadcast or publication.

N G O Nongovernmental organization

Objective A defined, incremental step toward a goal. An advocacy objective aimsto change the policies, programs or positions of governments, institutionsor organizations relative to that goal or toward achieving that goal.

Open meeting A meeting that any individual or organization can attend.

Overhead The fixed operating expenses of an organization that are added to abudget to enable that organization to do business. Overhead costs mayinclude rent, utilities, equipment, supplies, communication.

Policy A plan, course of action, or set of regulations adopted by a government,business, or and institution, designed to influence and determinedecisions or procedures.

Policy action The steps taken to address a problem by changing or reinforcing a policy.

Policy mapping A tool used to identify and learn about key audiences.

SARA /AED Advocacy Training Guide126Glossary

Glossary

Point of entry The way to gain access to the audience you wish to reach. It might be aspecific time, a particular place, or a person that can help you get theattention of your audience.

Press conference A meeting with the media to discuss a position, decision or action and toanswer questions from journalists about that position, decision, or action.

Primary audience The decision makers with the authority to affect directly the changenecessary for your objective to succeed.

Qualitative research Research methodology that collects experiences and opinions from asubset of people to draw conclusions about the larger population.Qualitative research techniques include observation, in-depth interviewsand focus groups (organized, facilitated discussion on a research topicwith groups of people with similar backgrounds, age, gender, geographiclocation, etc.).

Quantitative research Research methodology that takes or collects measurements and statisticsfrom a small population to draw conclusions about the larger population.Surveys and polls like questionnaires are quantitative research techniques.

Secondary audience Individuals and groups that can influence the decision makers (orprimary audience). The opinions and actions of these �influentials� areimportant in achieving the advocacy objective in so far as they affect theopinions and actions of the decision makers.

Self-assessment Reviewing the status or process of your own particular project or event,such as an advocacy effort, without outside assistance.


Glossary

Sit-in A form of protest in which people gather at a particular place (such as anoffice, court of law, etc.) and refuse to leave until their demands areheard and/or met.

Social marketing The systematic communication of ideas and information to people withthe aim of altering individual human behavior for a social good.

Sound-bite A short, concise summary statement that journalists can use tocharacterize an issue or an event when they do not have enough time orspace to use a longer description.

Stakeholders Individuals or groups that have a shared interest in or concern about theoutcome of an issue.

Target A specific goal or group that should be reached. A target audience is aparticular set of people with similar characteristics that should bereached. A target message presents information in a special manner to getthe attention of a specific group of people.

UNICEF The United Nations Children�s Fund.

USAID United Stated Agency for International Development.

World Bank The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, frequentlycalled the "World Bank" is a United Nations agency. The Bank promotessustainable growth and investments in people to reduce poverty andimprove living standards by providing loans, technical assistance andpolicy guidance to help its developing-country members.

SARA /AED Advocacy Training Guide128References

ReferencesAfter Cairo: A Handbook on Advocacy for Women Leaders. Washington, DC: Center forPopulation and Development Activities (CEDPA), 1995. For more information on CEDPAin Africa, contact: CEDPA/Nairobi, P.O. Box 63051, Nairobi, Kenya, tel: 254-2-723-601, fax:254-2-723-549.

Center for the Study of Adolescence (CSA), 1995. For more information on CSA or KenyanAssociation for the Promotion of Adolescent Health (KAPAH), contact KAPAH, P.O. Box19329, Nairobi, Kenya, tel: 254-2-562901.

Kenya Demographic Health Survey, 1993. Washington, DC: MACRO International, 1993.

Midwest Academy. Organizing for Social Change, Chicago, IL, 1991. For more informationcontact Midwest Academy, 225 West Ohio Street, Suite 250, Chicago, IL, 60610, USA.

Porter, Robert W. Knowledge Utilization and the Process of Policy Formulation: Toward aFramework for Africa. Washington, DC: The Academy for Educational Development, SARAProject, 1995.

Sofaer, Shoshanna. Utilization of Evaluation Results for Policy Advocacy. NationalConference on Health Education and Health Promotion, USA, April 1994.

VeneKlasen, Lisa. Policy Players: A Power Map for Advocacy Planning. Washington, DC:InterAction, 1995. For more information contact: InterAction, 1717 Massachusetts Ave.,NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA, tel: 202-667-8227, fax: 202-667-8236.

SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide 129 References

Case Studies Needed

The SARA Project is looking for good case studies fromdifferent sectors to use in its advocacy work. If you haveor know of an advocacy experience that would make agood case study and would like to share it with us, pleasefill out the information below, describe the advocacyeffort and return this form to the SARA Project.

Your name:

Organization:

Address

Country

TelephoneFaxE-mail

Return to:

SARA Project - AdvocacyAcademy for Educational Development1255 23rd Street, NWWashington, DC 20037USATel: 202-884-8700Fax: 202-884-8701E-mail: [email protected]

Describe the advocacy experience in the spaceprovided below. Use extra pages if necessary.

Documents

Advocacy Introduction