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Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing, steps 5-8
   Last updated: 31.07.02
Section 2.5 Step 5: Identify your allies
Activity 2.5 Objective: By the end of the session participants will be able to identify individuals, groups or institutions that can assist in achieving their advocacy objectives

Introduction

  • In the previous step we identified our targets: who we advocate to. Now we will identify our allies: who we advocate with.

  • In some cases a coalition of people or organisations doing advocacy work can achieve more together than individually.

  • However, coalitions take time and energy to develop and maintain because they involve building trusting relationships with other people and keeping people constantly informed and involved. Many advocates find this part of their work the most difficult and yet the most rewarding, both professionally and personally.

  • Coalitions can be short term or long term, and formal or informal. For example, in the short term they can take advantage of gatherings such as meetings, conferences and workshops to promote an issue and gather signatures for petitions. Alternatively campaigns and actions can be undertaken over several years.

  • Forming a coalition with allies to undertake advocacy work is not the same as being part of a network, but networks can also be useful to share information between organisations.

  • Examples of possible allies to form coalitions include:

- Other people directly affected by the issue or problem, such as people living with HIV/AIDS, orphan groups, etc.
- Other AIDS service organisations (ASOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), including human rights and health organisations
- Other components of civil society (supportive unions, religious institutions or leaders, community leaders)
- Business people
- Supportive or sympathetic journalists
- Supportive local/national government officials who can lobby from inside
- Allies in other parts of the country, or other countries – counterpart organisations who could push from outside
  • There is sometimes overlap between allies and ‘indirect targets’, i.e., indirect targets may be sympathetic to your advocacy objective and may also have influence over influential people, but need some initial influencing to persuade them to support change that needs to be made.


Instructions
Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 Explain the objective of this step, introduce the topic and the activity.

2 Working with the whole group, clarify the difference between a target and an ally, and how some allies can also be indirect targets.

3 Facilitate a discussion with the participants to share their experiences of working in nonadvocacy- related partnerships or coalitions for their work.

4 Focus the discussion on working in partnerships specifically for advocacy. Questions might include:
  • What are your experiences of advocacy work with others?

  • What were the main advantages and disadvantages you identified in working with others to undertake advocacy?

  • What are the differences and similarities between partnerships for advocacy and partnerships for other activities?


5 Ask the participants to return to their groups, and draw their potential allies on the same Venn diagram they used for Step 4 . Give them the following guideline questions:
  • Who else could have a positive impact on the issue that has been chosen? Who else is already working on this issue?

  • Who are usually your ‘natural’ allies? Are they true allies for this issue?

  • Are they happy to work in a coalition?


6 Ask the participants to include in their diagram, for each ally:
  • What they will gain by joining your alliance

  • What they can offer to the advocacy work

  • What are their limitations.


Facilitators’ notes
  • Encourage participants to use their work from Steps 1-4.

  • Ensure that the participants do not feel that they should always work in coalitions with others as a result of this activity.

  • Networks and coalitions can be used to build consensus among a group of people with different vested interests. Working together can also increase legitimacy and accessibility in relation to addressing the issue or problem. However, partnerships do not always work based on complete agreement. Where people have different views, it can mean agreeing to speak with a majority voice.

  • Natural allies are those working on the same issue who have mutual respect for the role each other has in addressing the issue or problem.

  • Participants may become confused about the difference between indirect targets and allies. This is because those identified as indirect targets may become allies in the future.

  • The completed example of advantages and disadvantages of working in coalitions, and the Handout 5, ‘How HIV/AIDS can affect partnerships’, at the end of Section 2, may be useful for participants in this session.


Example of Activity 2.5: By NGOs/CBOs based in Zimbabwe
Advantages of working in coalitions
  • It adds weight to your issue

  • You speak with a louder voice

  • You can share resources, skills and technology

  • It gives your organisation recognition

  • It gives your organisation a higher profile


Disadvantages of working in coalitions
  • Difficulty in co-ordinating

  • Competition over leadership and representation

  • Issue of ownership of programmes and results

  • Your organisation’s agenda may be different from others

  • Increase in workload


Reference: Adapted from an advocacy skills-building workshop for HIV/AIDS, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Zimbabwe, July 2001.

Example of Activity 2.5: By NGOs/CBOs based in Mongolia
The targets diagram from Step 4 , with allies added in boxes and with specific pieces of information for developing a collaboration

NGO Coalition Advocacy objective: To include sexual health education in the secondary school curriculum by 2004

Key
Circles = targets
Boxes = allies
Size of box = influence on advocacy objective
Distance from objective = closeness of relationship
Thickness of line = support for advocacy objective

Minister of Education
City councillors

Professional associations of doctors
They gain: Influence on schools, good publicity
They offer: Health expertise, public respect
Limitations:( Medical bias

Professional associations of teachers
Parents
NGOs: Mongolian Child Rights Centre Mongolian Youth Development Centre (Bayan-Ugii province) Children’s Life Skill Centre
Gain: Higher profile, meet targets
Offer: Information, good Min of Ed contacts
Limitations: Lack of staff time

Business organisations
School directors
Teachers
Unicef & WHO
Representative councils of schools
City education centres
Ministry of Health
Gain: Meet public health targets
Offer: Contacts within government
Limitations: Poor relationship with Min of Ed

Reference: Adapted from an advocacy skills-building workshop for HIV/AIDS/STI work, National AIDS Foundation and International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Mongolia, February 2002.

Whole group discussion: Review of Steps 3-5

Objective: By the end of the session participants will be able to:

1 Give feedback on the work of the other groups working at different levels.

2 Identify advice for any NGO/CBO using the planning steps which will help them strengthen their own future planning.

Instructions
Timing: 45 minutes

1 Give ten minutes for the groups to look at the work of the other two groups, using this guide question:
  • How can the other groups improve their aim and objectives and their selection and analysis of targets and allies?

Ask the participants to provide constructive (helpful) feedback to each other about the work so far.

2 Ask participants to go back into their own groups and agree on one piece of advice for any NGO or CBO planning Steps 3, 4 and 5 of their advocacy work.
Let each group present their advice to the whole group.

3 Allow time for any final comments or questions. Lead a short discussion on real-life experiences of these steps, using questions such as:
  • What can we learn from our real-life experiences of developing advocacy aims and objectives, identifying targets and allies?

Make sure that participants understand how their diagram should change during the process of advocacy. They will be persuading some targets to become allies, and they will be bringing targets and allies inwards towards the advocacy objective.

Section 2.6 Step 6: Identify your resources
Activity 2.6 Objective: By the end of the session participants will be able to identify existing resources available to address the selected advocacy problem or issue

Introduction

  • Successful advocacy work requires resources such as people (human resources), money, skills and information. Human resources can include both staff and volunteers. Other resources can include access to media and to distribution networks – for example, newsletters, e-mail.

  • In Step 5 we saw some advantages of working in coalition with allies – one major advantage is the possibility of sharing resources.

  • When we have identified resources now available, we can go on to Step 7, developing an action plan. It is best to plan only for activities that are possible with resources we have.

  • However, it is sometimes possible to fundraise for advocacy work – although this can be very difficult in some countries and for some issues (see Raising Funds and Mobilising Resources for HIV/AIDS Work – A Toolkit to Support NGOs and CBOs, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, for more information).


Instructions
Timing: 40 minutes

1 Ask the whole group to brainstorm what kinds of resources are useful for advocacy work. The following list can be provided if necessary: People, Contacts, Information, Skills, Money, Equipment.

2 Ask the three small groups to identify all the resources that each of their organisations have available to address the advocacy aim and objectives selected in Step 3.

Facilitators’ notes
  • Encourage participants to use their work from Steps 1-5.

  • Make sure that the groups differentiate between resources they already have, and resources they plan to mobilise in the future.

  • Resources might include people with specific advocacy skills, such as negotiation experience, understanding of decision-making structure, leadership and diplomacy.

  • There is no need for groups to present their work at this point. Presentations can be made after Step 8.


Example of Activity 2.6: By NGOs/CBOs based in Burkina Faso
Resources available for advocacy for the Ministry of Health to integrate voluntary counselling and testing into sentinel surveillance sites:

Resources currently available

Financial resources
Small amount of money from care budget, now available due to extra donation of medicines

Human resources
  • Members of the association

  • Support of the organisation’s secretariat – Initiative Privée et Communautaire Contre le Sida au Burkina Faso (IPC)

  • Team leaders skilled in advocacy and networking

  • Good relationships


Other resources
  • Space in the association’s office

  • Source documents

  • Means of transport


Reference: Adapted from an advocacy workshop, International HIV/AIDS Alliance/ICASO, Burkina Faso, October 1999.

Example: photo
Participants and facilitators discussing what kind of resources are need for advocacy work.

Reference: Photo taken at an advocacy skills-building workshop for HIV/AIDS work, India HIV/AIDS Alliance and International HIV/AIDS Alliance, India, November 2001.

Section 2.7 Step 7: Create an action plan
2.7 Objective: By the end of this session participants will be able to write an action plan of activities to achieve their advocacy aim and objectives

Introduction

  • There are two parts to this step: selecting appropriate advocacy activities, and making a detailed plan for those activities.

  • The work done in Steps 1 to 6 will help greatly in choosing appropriate advocacy activities to achieve your aim. By now, you know what you are trying to achieve, who your targets are, who your allies are, and the resources available.

  • The ‘Advocacy in Action’ Cards will also help in selecting activities.

  • When identifying activities it is important to consider who will be the beneficiary of the actions and involve to them, if possible. For example, it is preferable for a group of street children to be supported to meet a senior police officer, rather than an NGO representative attending the meeting on their behalf.

  • An action plan consists of a specific set of activities with a timeline and shows who is responsible for implementing each activity. The activities are those that are necessary to address the aims and objectives that have been agreed.

  • Thinking strategically is very important at this planning stage. Advocacy activities can often have a greater impact if they are timed to coincide with other actions or events that will help your advocacy work. For example, politicians may or may not be more willing to make bold statements during election times. Consider these factors when deciding on the timing of your activities.


Instructions
Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 Explain the objective of the step; introduce the topic and the activity.

2 Lead a plenary discussion on action planning for advocacy, with questions like:
  • Who should be involved in developing action plans?

  • How do you decide which advocacy methods to use?


3 Ask the groups to decide which advocacy methods to use. To help them, they should look at the:
  • Venn diagram of advocacy targets they identified (Step 4 )

  • information they gathered or identified in Step 2

  • list of advocacy methods from the ‘How do we advocate?’ session

  • resources available.


Give them these guideline questions:
  • Why does each target support or oppose the advocacy solution?

  • How can each target be moved towards supporting the advocacy solution?

All these things can guide them in choosing possible advocacy activities for one or more of their advocacy objectives. Divide them into their groups.

4 After they have decided on advocacy methods (activities), provide the participants with a choice:
  • to design their own action plan format that can be used to plan advocacy

  • to use the format suggested in the completed example.


5 Ask the participants to practise developing an action plan, so that they are familiar with the process. They can plan the activities they listed in Instruction 3.

6 After they have practised action planning, go straight to a discussion with the whole group, without presentations:
  • What factors did you consider in planning advocacy work?

  • Outside this workshop, what needs to be done before writing an action plan?

  • What factors might require you to change your action plan?

Facilitators’ notes
  • Encourage participants to use their work from Steps 1-6.

  • Encourage participants to co-ordinate their advocacy activities.

  • Make sure activities are linked very closely to the objectives.

  • Encourage the groups to be realistic when they estimate the time and resources needed.

  • If a group finds action planning difficult, consider offering the example below as a guide or developing an example action plan together as a whole group.

  • Do not worry if participants do not finish planning – it is more important for them to participate in the plenary discussion.

  • Make sure that participants understand that action planning requires more time than they have been allowed in the workshop. Give the Handout 6, ‘How to choose appropriate advocacy methods’, from the end of this section.

  • Make sure they include informal as well as formal activities – for example, taking opportunities to speak to targets and allies at meetings and receptions.


Example of Activity 2.7: By NGOs/CBOs based in Zimbabwe
Coalition: Family AIDS Caring Trust, Dananayi NGO, individual PLHAs, and Murambinda hospital
Advocacy aim: Encourage the community leaders in Gombahari to publicly support people with HIV/AIDS
Objective 1 By July 2002, three influential community leaders will make positive public statements defending people living with HIV/AIDS

Targets (1): All community leaders
Activities: Meeting with all community leaders of Gombahari on stigmatisation of PLHAs
Resources required: Manpower: Team leader, community leaders
Stationery: books, pens etc. for recordkeeping Vehicle Food Money
Persons or organisations responsible: Team leader of organisation
Timeframe: September 2001
Expected outcome: Come up with three most influential leaders

Targets (2): Three most influential leaders
Activities: One-to-one meetings with the three leaders who were most influential during the meeting
Resources required: Team leader, community leaders Money Vehicle
Persons or organisations responsible: Team leader
Timeframe: By early October 2001
Expected outcome: Positive support from three community leaders willing to make public statements

Targets (3): Community members
Activities: Meetings between three community leaders and their communities
Resources required:
Manpower: Team leader, three community leaders, PLHAs, community Vehicle Food
Persons or organisations responsible: Team leader, community leaders
Timeframe: April 2002
Expected outcome: Public statements defending PLHAs

Reference: Adapted from an advocacy skills-building workshop for HIV/AIDS, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Zimbabwe, July 2001.

Section 2.8 Step 8: Implement, monitor and evaluate
2.8 Objective: By the end of this session participants will be able to decide how to monitor and evaluate their advocacy work during and after its implementation

Introduction

  • This is the step where the planning stops and the action begins – when we implement advocacy activities such as those we have practised during the skills sessions or other advocacy methods.

  • Implementation is also a time of learning; when we can learn whether the methods selected are having their intended impact. We do this through:

- monitoring of activities
- evaluation of results.
  • Monitoring and evaluation will be much easier if we have developed a clear aim and objectives in Step 3, stating clearly what we are trying to achieve.

  • When evaluating, we need to agree on our definitions of success, i.e., agree on the signs that will show us whether the situation is improving or not – these signs are indicators.

  • The people affected by the problem or issue are often the best people to choose indicators of success.

  • Advocacy work can be difficult to monitor and evaluate:

- Many organisations may be working to achieve similar aims or objectives via different means, so it is hard to determine the impact that your work has had
- Organisations are often uncertain at which level to evaluate their advocacy work – at the level of the target (activities or objectives) or at the level of intended project impact (aim)?
- Advocacy is a gradual process, and thus it can often be difficult to monitor the many small steps needed towards achievement of success.
  • Nevertheless, monitoring and evaluation is critical for determining if your advocacy work has succeeded in removing barriers for change.

  • Although there are many reasons for monitoring and evaluating advocacy work – like all monitoring and evaluation – the information is only useful if it is used. Many organisations spend a great deal of time and resources monitoring their work without actually carrying out any evaluation. Similarly, evaluations need to be studied to draw out conclusions and they need to be a valued part of the process to be worthwhile.


Instructions
Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes (plus one hour for whole group discussion)

1 Explain the objective of the step and the activity.

2 Working with all the participants, ask the following question:
  • Is it important to monitor and evaluate in advocacy work? If so, why?


3 Ask the groups to write some indicators (descriptions of the evidence required, or definitions of success) that would demonstrate whether their advocacy objective(s) were being met. This can be done by adding a column of indicators for each specific activity in their action plan from Step 7, as well as for the objective(s) as a whole. Before participants go to their groups, ask them:
  • How do objectives help us to write impact indicators? Distribute the Handout 7, ‘Methods of monitoring and evaluating advocacy work’, from the end of this section, to provide participants with further information.


4 Once this activity is completed, ask the groups to choose some methods for monitoring the indicators for their advocacy work, and write these below their indicators. Once again, the Handout 7 will be helpful in providing ideas.

5 Ask some of the groups to present their work and facilitate a discussion with the entire group of participants. As part of this discussion, ask the participants:
  • Thinking of the case studies, or your own advocacy experience, how do we decide whether our advocacy work has been successful? How do we evaluate it?

  • How can we use the information we collect from monitoring and evaluation?


Facilitators’ notes
  • Make sure that participants refer back to their objective(s).

  • Encourage participants to use the qualitative and quantitative indicators described in Handout 7.

  • Remind participants that advocacy is about change – how can they show that the desired change has occurred?


Example: photo
Participants in the Philippines discussing the difficulties of developing indicators that demonstrate whether their planned advocacy objectives will be achieved.

Reference: Photo taken at an advocacy workshop, International HIV/AIDS Alliance and International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), Philippines, November 1998.

Example of Activity 2.8: By NGOs/CBOs based in Zimbabwe
Coalition: Family AIDS Caring Trust, Dananayi NGO, individual PLHAs, and Murambinda hospital

Advocacy aim: Encourage the community leaders in Gombahari to publicly support people with HIV/AIDS

Objectives
Objective 1 By July 2002, three influential community leaders will make positive public statements defending people living with HIV/AIDS
Objective 2 … [table is blank]

Targets: All community leaders
Activities: Meeting with all community leaders of Gombahari on stigmatisation of PLHAs
Resources required: Manpower: Team leader, community leaders Stationery: books, pens, etc. for recordkeeping Vehicle, Food, Money
Persons or organisations responsible: Team leader of organisation
Timeframe: September 2001
Expected outcome: Come up with three most influential leaders
Indicators: Leaders: – who are listened to by other leaders – from whom local people ask for advice most often – who have successfully led a change in policy or practice in the past
Monitoring methods: informal survey, observation at meeting
Targets: Three most influential leaders
Activities: One-to-one meetings with the three leaders who were most influential during the meeting
Resources required: Team leader, community leaders Money Vehicle
Persons or organisations responsible: Team leader
Timeframe: By early October 2001
Expected outcome: Positive support from three community leaders willing to make public statements
Indicators: Leaders: – show understanding of why stigma is a problem – show understanding of how public support for PLHAs can help – promise to make public statements in support of PLHAs
Monitoring methods: NGO reps observe and discuss after meeting
Targets: Community members
Activities: Meetings between three community leaders and their communities
Resources required: Manpower: Team leader, three community leaders, PLHAs, community Vehicle, Food
Persons or organisations responsible: Team leader Community leaders
Timeframe: April 2002
Expected outcome: Public statements defending PLHAs
Indicators: Number of positive statements Number of people hearing statements
Monitoring methods: NGO reps attend and observe meetings; informal surveys in community

Reference: Adapted from an advocacy skills-building workshop for HIV/AIDS, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Zimbabwe, July 2001

Whole group discussion: Review of Steps 6-8 and review of advocacy planning framework
Objective: By the end of the session participants will be able to:
  • Give feedback on the work of the other groups working at different levels.

  • Identify advice for any NGO/CBO using the planning steps, which will help them strengthen their own future planning.

  • Review the advocacy framework and consider how it might be used in the future.


Instructions
Timing: 1 hour

1 Give ten minutes for the groups to look at the work of the other two groups, using this guide question:
  • How can the other groups improve their action plan, including indicators and monitoring methods?

Ask the participants to provide constructive (helpful) feedback to each other about the work so far.

2 Ask participants to go back into their own groups and agree on one piece of advice for any NGO or CBO planning Steps 6, 7 and 8 of their advocacy work.

3 Let each group present their advice to the whole group.

4 Allow time for any final comments or questions. Lead a short discussion on real-life experiences of these steps, using questions such as:
  • What can we learn from our real-life experiences of allocating resources and action planning, monitoring and evaluating advocacy work?


5 Review the advocacy framework with participants using questions such as:
  • What was useful about the framework?

  • Would you add any steps or take any out, or put them in a different order?

  • How does the framework compare to the way you have planned and implemented advocacy work ‘in real life’?

  • Could you introduce this framework to your colleagues? How?


Source: Advocacy in Action
This is an extract from Advocacy in Action: a toolkit to support NGOs and CBOs responding to HIV/AIDS, developed in collaboration with the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) and published by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in June 2002.

To view the whole report follow this link.

To download this section, complete with graphics, in pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat software to read it) follow this link (file size 977 Kbytes)