Advocacy is an ever-evolving enterprise, often with many surprising turns. You cannot figure out everything ahead of time or anticipate every one of your opponent’s moves, but here are a few tips to consider as you move forward:

Think proactively back to top
Advocates often operate in a reactive mode. It’s understandable: change is difficult, it takes a long time and tremendous persistence, and there are so many pressing issues facing the same communities and just a handful of advocates. The cycle is predictable: a high-profile incident occurs; people spring into action with little time to develop a plan, identify comprehensive reforms, or figure out how to be most strategic; a new policy may be adopted (which may or may not be implemented); the public spotlight shifts; and a few years later a similar incident occurs.

Despite the odds, there have been some amazing successes. Imagine what might be accomplished if—on the heels of responding to a recent incident, let’s say—you took a step back, assessed the groundwork that was laid, figured out how it might be harnessed and built on in the future, determined what you’re for, not just against, and developed a plan to get you there?

Be determined and innovative back to top
Change will not come easily; you may be met with resistance every step of the way. But you can be successful if you are in it for the long haul. Keep speaking out and develop the next generation of advocates who will build on your accomplishments.

Be flexible and creative, and be willing to try something new. Don’t just go with what you know. Sometimes advocates get in the habit of doing what they have always done because it’s familiar, even if they are not getting the results they want. Each situation is different; what was tried before may not work this time. Can you take a new view of an old problem? Recruit nontraditional allies to your side? Try a different mix of strategies?

Identify and leverage the spectrum of support back to top
Think broadly about whom you can draw on and what roles they can fill: organizers, academics, elected officials, faith leaders, people who have been involved and people who can become involved. Recognize that everyone potentially has a role to play, even though they will not all play the same role. Some people will show up at a protest; others, a news conference. Some will join the coalition; others will agree to submit a letter of support. Some will work behind the scenes; others will be out front. Welcome, respect, and coordinate all these roles to the extent possible to garner maximum support.

Assess what you can realistically accomplish back to top
Make an inventory of the resources that you can bring to bear. How much time do you have to give? What is your organization willing to dedicate? How many working partners can you bring to the table? What additional resources can you likely attract?

Choose an immediate, concrete, winnable issue that is an important step toward your ultimate goal. So while fundamental change is the ultimate goal, focus on the practical steps you can take to get there.

Develop a strategy back to top
An advocacy strategy is the road map that lays out where you are, where you want to go, and the resources, tools, and tactics you will use to get there. It will help keep you focused, organize your time, mark important deadlines and interim wins, and tell you when you may need to shift gears because something is not working.

Developing an Advocacy Strategy

One of the most important parts of effective advocacy is having a strategy: a clear vision of where you are and where you want to go, and a plausible plan of action for getting there. Five key questions can help show the way:

What is Your Objective?
What change will actually solve the problem you are concerned about? Is it one which is also attainable? An advocacy objective needs to be compelling to get people interested in working for it. It also needs to be small enough to achieve at least part of your goal within a year or two, to keep people interested.

Who Do You Need to Move?
Who actually has the authority to give you what you want (city council, state legislature, the president)? Who else needs to be wooed to your side as a way of influencing those with authority (the media, other citizen groups, etc.)?

What Do They Need to Hear?
What advocacy message will move all those people and stakeholders in your direction? An effective advocacy message has two parts: an appeal on the merits (“This bill is important because…”) and an appeal to self-interest (“hundreds of voters want to know how you’ll vote”).

Who Do They Need to Hear It From?
What messengers can you recruit who will be most persuasive? An advocacy campaign needs a mix of messengers: people who can speak from personal experience, people with recognized authority, and others who might have some special pull with the people you are targeting.

What Actions Will You Use to Make Your Point?
Finally, what will you actually mobilize people to do in order to deliver the advocacy message? The options are many. You can lobby officials politely or protest in front of their office. You can get an article in the newspaper, you can hold a town meeting. Generally, the best actions are those requiring the least effort and confrontation, but which still get the job done.

Excerpted from The Democracy Owners Manual by Jim Shultz
http://www.democracyctr.org/resources/manual/curricula/doc1.htm

Take stock of the politics and political context back to top
It is important to know what you are getting into. Who are the key players, and where do they stand? Who is already working on this issue or has in the past? Who is on your side? Who is really with you and will stand by your side when the pressure is on? Who is the opposition? Is it effective? Aggressive? How well organized? How well funded? Who are its allies and supporters? Is it well-connected? Who are the decision-makers? Who is undecided that you could possibly persuade to come your way? Is it an election year?

Don’t confuse political with partisan; avoid playing party politics. If you make your issue a Republican, Democratic, Green, or other party issue, you will alienate potential supporters. Sometimes the one vote you need is on the other side of the aisle. On many issues you will find that you have friends and foes on both sides of the aisle.

Know what you can—and can’t do—as a nonprofit back to top
Nonprofit organizations are often surprised by the extent to which they can play an advocacy role, most likely because people often equate advocacy with lobbying. Advocacy is more than just lobbying; it’s about speaking out and making a case for something important. It may be organizing a protest, writing an op-ed article for the local newspaper, holding a town hall meeting, conducting a survey about a problem in the community and announcing the results, filing a lawsuit, or any number of activities that are perfectly appropriate for nonprofits to do.

Significantly, nonprofits can lobby, too. You can lobby elected officials and the public, as long as it is not a significant part of the work that you do. It is critical that you know the rules, limitations, and disclosure and documentation requirements before you engage in any lobbying. That way, you can lobby to the fullest extent permitted by law without crossing the line, which can result in fines or even the loss of your nonprofit status. There are a number of publications and organizations where you can get further information on nonprofit lobbying. A recommended place to start is the Alliance for Justice. Visit its website at http://www.allianceforjustice.org/nonprofit/index.html or call 202-822-6070.

Fund your advocacy work back to top
Be expansive in thinking about how to fund your work, both in the range of possible funders and the way you describe the work you need funded. Appeal to wealthy individuals, government entities, community foundations, large public and private foundations, corporate donors, members, and constituents. How can you present your work in a manner consistent with their interests? In building or healing their community? Advancing race relations? Promoting civic engagement? Human rights? Getting funding will not be easy, but it is possible.

Recognize that “It’s Never Over” back to top
Advocacy often requires going from one strategy to another—and back again. If you win, you have to make sure that the changes you won are really carried out. If they aren’t, you may have to go to court, city hall or the legislature or demand that the responsible government agency take action. Your opponents may try to undo your win. If you succeed in passing a new law, they may take the issue to the ballot or the courts. And even if you lose, there’s always another day, another strategy, and another set of circumstances with new opportunities. Through all the ups and downs, successes and setbacks, pick yourself up and keep going. Advocacy is one of the most powerful forces for change.

 

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