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TTrialog Central Training
Developing advocacy/lobbying
strategies
by Angelo Caserta
Advocacy mapping
How to measure success
Window of opportunity
Methodology
Force Field Diagram
Tips and advices
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
AAdvocacy mapping
Issue
Interlocutor
Context
Enemies
Allies
Competitors
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
IIssue
1
Clearly define the issue you want to advocacy for
What the problem is? What the solutions are? Try to visualise the problem
with a “problem analysis diagram”.
Effects
Problem tree
Fishbone diagram
Causal modelling
Causes
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
IIssue
2
Who are the beneficiaries? Who are the stakeholders?
Know your facts! For this you will need some research.
You may not have the funds to carry out your own original research. So
network, make connections with other organisations so you have access to
their research. From websites you also should have access to most
information that you are likely to need to present your case to the public,
policy makers and the media..
With time politicians, media, policy makers and others should know you as a
dependable source on your area.
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
MMandate
Who do you represent?
Where are you on
the map?
Do you have a mandate?
Without such public involvement (public awareness, public action and
media work) you will have no mandate when you go knocking on the
door of politicians.
Unless, of course, you represent a group of interest
which is powerful enough to “scare” your interlocutor or to offer a good
opportunity to get visibilitity or be re-elected.
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
CContext
Is there public/media attention on the issue?
There might have been recent summits/meetings
There might have been natural or human-related events/disasters
You must place yourself and the issue in the broader context
Look at all factors and forces which might influence the results of your
advocacy efforts
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
AAllies, competitors, enemies
1
Networking is important
No organisation is strong enough not to need networking. By networking you
gain access to the resources and knowledge of others with similar
goals. You may help your priorities move up their agenda. And your voice
will be amplified when addressing policy makers.
This should help you gain access to policy makers, and may enhance your
ability to attract funding. You must also be ready to share your
information and access with your partner organisations.
Do you have competitors in the area or on the issue?
Do you have enemies?
What are their interests? Their agendas? Why do you think they are
competitors or enemies?
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
AAllies, competitors, enemies
2
Could your enemy become an ally?
Allies
Or your competitor become an enemy?
Competitors
Or viceversa?
Why? Under which conditions?
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Enemies
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
IInterlocutor
1
Is the decision-maker interested in the issue?
What is her/his agenda?
Does she/he have the power to change?
Does she/he have capacity to allocate funds?
What are the competencies and areas of action of your interlocutor?
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
IInterlocutor
2
What are the reasons for a politician to act?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pressure of constituency/citizens
Pressure of lobby/advocacy groups
Public image
National/International commitments
Unpredictable external events
They believe it
But remember that the main objective of a politician is to be re-elected
What are the limits of your interlocutor?
•
•
•
•
There might be institutional limits,
the office of your interlocutor might be understaffed,
she/he might be in a weak position with respect to internal competitors,
she/he might have not enough time for you
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
AAdvocacy mapping
Issue
Context
Interlocutor
Window of
opportunity
Enemies
Allies
Competitors
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
WWindow of opportunity
1
Closed?
The set of
favourable
conditions
creating a short
period of time
during which an
opportunity must
be acted on or
missed
Open?
Nice, but closed
Can you open a window?
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
WWindow of opportunity
2
You might need to raise public awareness of the issues you are working on
This will contain:
• broader awareness of the issues you are working on
• more specific development education programmes
Public Action
Create ways for people to participate. It may be letter-writing,
signature gathering, marching, raising funds through a quiz, or whatever.
Media work
In the short term you need a story to get media coverage. Before you put
work into it, make sure that your message is news. In the long term,
what will get you best coverage is a set of relationships with journalists
and media producers. Be a dependable, a reliable source of information.
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
FForce Field Diagram
Driving forces
Restraining forces
weak

moderate
strong

Very weak

equilibrium
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy

CHANGE
= very weak
= weak
= moderate
= strong
= very strong
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
Sstrategy
How to get there?
With all the previous elements you are able to define a strategy to
achieve the expected results
Measurable goals?
Normally yes. However, you might set goals which are not directly
measurable but need a qualitative assessment. This is particularly true
when you define short-term, mid-term and long-term goals. Long-term
goals should be measurable, but short and mid-term might require
another kind of assessment.
Look at the potential contained in achievements
Are you ready to seize new opportunities? Or you stick to your goals?
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
Ssuccess
1
How to define “success”?
• It is normally difficult to define what success is, unless you clearly
obtain exactly what you asked for. For example, the government may not
stop all arms sales from your country tomorrow, but maybe you can get
them to meet with some expert on the theme who is visiting for a
conference. It is a step.
• There is usually a gap between what you ask for and what you get. Far
from being negative, this is a sign of “ownership” of the issue by
different stakeholders, which is key for the follow-up.
Keep a long term view.
The anti-slavery movement was one of the first global movements. Its
success has taken well over a century. And its campaign is still
continuing.
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
Ssuccess
2
Multilayer approach to success
Inception
• Alliances,
documentation,
first contacts
January 2006
Short term
• Objectives
• Milestones
• Indicators
January 2007
Mid term
• Objectives
• Milestones
• Indicators
January 2008
Long term
• Objectives
• Milestones
• Indicators
January 2009
Learn from your experience.
At least once a year hold a special meeting, to evaluate how the action is
going and what needs to be learned for the following year. Try to
measure against what you had hoped for at the start of the year. Revise
the objectives if needed.
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
MMethodology
In classical music performers are expected to perform a work in a way
that realizes the original intentions of the composer, which are often
stated quite explicitly (down to the level of small, note-by-note details)
in the musical score.
Indeed, deviations from the composer's intentions are sometimes
condemned as outright ethical lapses.
Jazz is a kind of music which relies heavily on improvisation.
Every track is as fresh as any new conversation, as everybody brings
their own take on the jazz language to the jam.
Due to the openess and flexibility of the genre, artists continually push
the limits and try new things.
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
FFollow-up
1
Achivieng something is not enough
•
•
•
•
How the implementation of what you have achieved will be ensured?
Who will do what?
What is the timetable?
Do you have the resources?
Define at an early stage the follow-up procedures
You have to deal with weather storms, setbacks, political changes. How
do you cope with that?
Keep the dialogue open
Show that you are interested in continuing the dialogue and concrete
work on agreed issues
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
FFollow-up
2
Are you prepared to work together with your interlocutor?
• Why?
• Under which conditions?
Are you prepared to work against?
• Why?
• Under which conditions?
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006
BBuilding relationships
Find reasons for contact
• send them newsletters or any research you publish;
• invite them to speak at conference/public meeting you organise;
• attend their events, etc.
Always be there
Keep turning up (different members of your group showing at launches,
conferences, workshops, etc that they may be at)
Let them depend on you for some things they need
Be reliable, keep cool (only once ever use emotion to good effect)
When you phone or meet, follow up with written
Let losses go, don’t harp on old battles
Developing advocacy/lobbying strategy
Budapest, 9-10 March 2006