E4L Advocacy Guidelines

E4l Advocacy guidelines

E4l Advocacy plans

GUIDELINES

This is a guideline to be used by the partners of the E4L program when planning, executing and evaluating an advocacy activity.

It should serve as a guideline to developing advocacy activities and ensure impact and consistency.

The template consists of 8 components that are to be filled out before initiating the activity and/ or updated during the process if changes occur.

The Advocacy and Communication team is responsible for advocacy activities under E4L. The development of the plans are done by the organisations or technical advisors responsible.

EMPOWERMENT LIFE program 4

E4l advocacy template - main components

1. the advocacy group

2. the problem

3. goals & objectives

4. target audiences

5. messages & messengers

6. resources & assets

7. strategy and tactics

8. monitoring & evaluation

1. THE ADVOCACY GROUP

Before you start developing the advocacy plan, establish who your advocacy group/team is.

Who is the lead?

Who is the core team? Who will working closely on planning and delivering the strategy?

Who are the satellites? Who will be reference points/have occasional involvement?

2. THE PROBLEM

What is the problem? How can it be solved through advocacy?

Uncover the problem that needs to be addressed. Give a brief description of the problem that you want to solve:

• Who are those affected?

• Why is there a problem?

• What are the problem’s main causes?

• What is the impact of the problem and future consequences?

• In what ways can the problem be solved?

• What evidence can support your definition of the problem?

3. GOALS & OBJECTIVES

What is the goal of your advocacy campaign? What do you want to achieve?

• At the end of your advocacy, what is the overall goal you want to achieve?

• State your vision of change.

• To be more specific, split your goals into specific steps according to your timeframe.

1) What are your long-term goals?

Decide where you want to be, by the end of your advocacy campaign

2) What are your intermediate goals?

Intermediate goals represent concrete steps toward achieving the ultimate goals. You can use these objectives to measure your work progress. When writing the intermediate goals, keep your focus on community and system changes e.g. programs, policies, and practices

3) What are your short-term goals?

Short-term goals help to keep you motivated and measure the progress step by step. Especially if it is a long term advocacy campaign. Provide immediate targets in the form of small action steps

4) What are your content outcomes? What are your process outcomes?

Define clearly what you need to achieve through the advocacy campaign in order to be able to make the goals happen, like for e.g. policy change/building community or trust among participants

1. Make a clear statement of the implications of the problem.

2. Use evidence from literature or other reliable sources to support your assertions.

3. Conduct research on the issue you plan to advocate for.

4. Try to give some examples and create a solid evidence base for your assertions.

4. TARGET AUDIENCES

Who do you need to create change?

Identify who the decision-makers are that have the power to change the status of the problem. Consider conducting a stakeholder analysis, to identify audiences as well your supporters and opponents (see box below)

Primary - secondary audiences

Who are the individuals, groups or institutions in your primary audience?

Primary audience includes decision makers that have the authority to directly influence your advocacy outcome.

Stakeholder analysis

Who are those individuals and institutions that will be more likely to support you and increase the level of discussion and debate surrounding your problem?

Identification of stakeholders (main individuals, groups and institutions)

1. Who is more likely to benefit from the proposed change?

2. Who is more likely to be adversely influenced by the proposed change?

3. Who has the power and resources to make changes happen?

4. Who complains about the issue?

5. Who are those that may be affected by the project?

Assessment of stakeholders’ interests

Understanding stakeholders’ interest will guide in how to approach them:

• What expectations may the stakeholders have?

• What are the project’s benefits for stakeholders?

• What resources might they be able and willing to invest?

• Is there any conflict of interest between stakeholders and project goals?

Who are the individuals, groups or institutions in the secondary audience?

Secondary group audience includes individuals, groups and/or institutions that can influence the decision makers

-What is their decision making role and area of influence?

Supporters & opponents

Identify main potential allies and opponents that have the power to make changes happen.

• What is their level of influence? High, medium, low?

• What is their position on issue?

• What you can do in order to successfully collaborate with each supporter/opponent?

• Assessment of stakeholder support or opposition to the issue

• Assess whether stakeholders are your allies or whether they will fight you

• Does the stakeholders support or oppose your issue publicly?

• The stakeholder public support or opposition is different from private support or opposition?

• What has the stakeholder’s position been on previous similar issues?

• How has it changed over time?

Assessment of stakeholder influence

Assess whether the stakeholder has the capacity and power to promote a change on the issue:

• What level of influence does the stakeholder have?

• What political, social and economic power the stakeholder has?

• Do they have any control over strategic resources?

Assessment of the stakeholder importance

Decide how much the stakeholder engagement will help you to achieve a sustainable change:

How necessary is it to engage the stakeholder in order to address the underlying causes of the problem?

5. MESSAGES AND MESSENGERS

In order to reach your audience, you will need to develop tailored messages depending on what different groups need to hear. Advocacy messages have to include two main components: “an appeal to what is right, and an appeal to the audience’s self-interest” (Jim Schultz: Strategy Development: Key Questions) for Developing an Advocacy Strategy).

However, try to be consistent with your message!

LOOK HERE!

5.1 developing the message

What is your primary message? What do you want to achieve, why, and how?

Try to be clear, concise and compelling. Simple and direct messages have a greater potential to attract the attention of your audience.

The primary message has to be designed for all audiences. It’s a universally compelling statement like for example “Injuries can be prevented”. You can take these things into consideration when developing the message:

1. What is your statement? Include the central idea in your message. Highlight why the change in the issue is so important

2. What supports your main message? Base your primary message on evidence. Be sure that your statements are evidence-based.

3. What is the most relevant example that supports your message?

4. What is your goal?

Highlight what you want to achieve or what you want the audience to do (take action on)

5. What is the solution for the problem?

Highlight what you want to do in order to reach the goals/objectives - or what you need others to do to reach the goal.

QUICK TIPS !

In order to capture the audience’s attention, your message has to use an audienceappropriate language and have a balanced level of rational and emotional approach. This will motivate the audience to take action

What is your secondary message?

The secondary message has to be designed for a specific audience that needs further explanation or who can be distinguished from your primary audience. According to your different audiences, you may need to develop several secondary messages.

Consider this:

• What does a specific audience need to know? What piece of information will be most relevant?

• What do you have to argue in order to convince this audience?

• What specific action do you want this audience to take?

5.2 the messengers

The same message can be differently perceived depending on who delivers it, so specific audiences may need different individuals or institutions to communicate the message.

Who are the most credible messengers for your specific audiences?

Choose those who have the power to influence the audience and initiate the desired change. Your messenger has to support the issue, to be credible and clear in his/her arguments.

CONSIDER!

Choose the right messenger - it may not be you!

1. What is the messenger’s position regarding the issue?

2. What is the messenger’s level of influence on the specific audiences?

3. How aware is the messenger of the issue?

4. How much information does the messenger have regarding the issue?

5. How credible is the messenger in the eye of the specific audience?

6. How easily can you access/interact with the messenger?

7. How and when does the messenger interact with the specific audience?

8. What are the risks of engaging this messenger?

9. How will the messenger deliver the message?

10. Can the messenger deliver the message with clarity and empathy?

5.3 COMmunication/media strategies

It is essential to choose the right communication channels or media outlets that will engage the audiences to ensure effectiveness and value for money.

It might be necessary to engage the audience through multiple communication channels and you might get better results by engaging a messenger.

Consider:

• What media do the audience usually use?

• Is it accessible to you or your messenger?

• Who will produce the content?

• Is it the most cost efficient channel?

• How can we measure the effectiveness of the activity?

audience messages messengers communication format

What is the specific target audience? Consider including stakeholders, supporters and opponents etc.

What is your message for that specific audience? Choose the message that best fits the specific audience’ interests and concerns

Which messenger is most trusted by the specific audience? Is there an institution or individual with power to influence that audience?

Channels

How is your audience most likely to be reached? Decide what the most appropriate format is for your audience – for e.g. policy brief, report, face-toface discussions, short movie etc.

What specific channels or media will you use for the specific audience? Radio, Youtube, SoMe, dialogue, etc.

6. RESOURCES & ASSETS

Do you have the resources to reach your goals?

Make an inventory of all available and needed resources:

What do you have? Think of any other advocacy activities conducted in the past, already built alliances and partnerships in the field, the capacity of your team and other partners, and any other information and resources available

What do you need? Consider including all the resources needed in order to reach your objectives; partnerships and alliances that need to be developed, capacities, research to support your assertions, media support etc.

LOOK HERE!

According to the nature and goal of your advocacy plan, the list of available and necessary resources will vary, but could include three main categories of resources:

1. financial,

2. human and

3. infrastructure.

Based on the ”inventory” you can use the E4L actvity budget to develop an advocacy budget.

Resources status and needs

Financial What funds are available to support your advocacy campaign?

- What are the expenses involved in this activity? Include in-kind contributions

Human Who are the people available to help and support you with the plan?

1. What are their skills?

2. Who are the people needed?

3. What useful contacts do we have? Include both staff available and needed as well the volunteers if applicable and consider any previous contacts with media resources, networks and platforms

Infrastructure What are the facilities already available and what you need? Do you have access to the needed information? Include infrastructure available, if any: meeting rooms, offices, internet access, laptops, software, transportation, etc.

7. STRATEGY & TACTICS

How do you reach your goal?

All the information gathered in the previous steps will be reflected in your strategy and tactics. You will have to decide how to reach your goal. Based on what you have already developed, choose what you consider to be the best fit for your objectives.

You may plan your action steps for each major objective or to go into more details including resources and support needed for each action step in part, but either way you may consider the following questions:

1. What is the scope of each specific action?

2. What is your target – legislation, administrative regulations, opinion, behaviour etc.?

3. Who is your target audience and why?

4. How the policy making process is working in the targeted area and where you should fit your intervention?

5. Who will carry out each specific action/step, when and for how long?

6. Do you have all the necessary resources to take that action?

7. Who might be the supporters and opponents?

When choosing and developing the strategy keep your focus on what the current status of the issue is related to policy area, what you want to change and how you will facilitate the change.

7.1 strategy

Before writing your strategy, consider the following questions:

• Who are the supporters and opponents that can influence the outcome?

• Who are the advisors to policy makers or influencers, opinion leaders?

• How can you reduce the influence of your opponents?

• What are the most effective tactics for each target audience/stakeholder?

• What is the most effective timing for your tactics?

7.2 tactics

“Tactics are the activities employed to implement a strategy”

At this point you will have to take concrete measures to reach your target audiences and motivate them to get actively involved.

TACTICS

Tactics for mobilising people are as limitless as the imagination. Try to be as creative as you can so that your operations stand out!

Lobbying

Direct Action

Petitions/Letter-writing

Rallies and Marches

Web and Social Media

Public meetings

Fun Tactics

Mobilisation methods that fall under this category can be highly creative. They include things like street performances, art shows, and workshops (and these are often used at rallies to lift the people’s mood and create enthusiasm). Humour plays a big part.

8. MONITORING & EVALUATION

• Was your advocacy plan properly implemented?

• Did you achieve the intended objectives

The advocacy group is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of their advocacy activities, and shall set longterm and intermediate indicators that capture process and results as part of developing the advocacy activity. This will feed into the quarterly, semiannual and annual reports. The ACT team will discuss the progress and results at their team meetings and also present these at the PCC meetings to ensure synergy and involvement of all program levels.

A template for setting objectives, outcomes, indicators, baseline and M&E activities are included in the Advocacy Strategy template as seen below.

Make sure to include who is responsible for M&E and when who will do what.

Consider including MERO or have him approve the plan.