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Advocacy toolkit - Including advocacy in an organisations work
   Last updated: 31.07.02
Section 3: Including advocacy in an organisation’s work
Introduction

Aim: To analyse the relationships between organisations and advocacy work
  • This section is designed to help organisations bring together what they have learnt about advocacy, and what they know about their own organisation.

  • Advocacy work should be an integral part of an organisation’s broader work. It is important for organisations to understand how advocacy fits in with their overall mission and goals and to consider the kind of advocacy activities that would support the broader work of their organisation. It is important that NGOs/CBOs have a clear sense of what they can achieve through advocacy work.

  • Organisations should assess the impact that advocacy might have on their staff, volunteers, supporters and activities. This self-examination can ensure that any advocacy work strengthens the organisation rather than causing conflict or diverting energy away from other essential activities.

  • As with Sections 1 and 4 , it may not be necessary to carry out all the activities in this section. Some may be more relevant than others, and some can be combined if appropriate or necessary.

  • Where possible this section should be used by participants working with colleagues from their own organisation. If this is not possible, the participants can form mixed groups for support but they should reflect on their own organisation's situation when carrying out the activities.


Section 3.1 Identifying how HIV-related advocacy can contribute to an organisation’s mission
Activity 3.1 Objective: By the end of this session participants will be able to identify current and potential advocacy activities which support their organisation’s mission

Introduction

  • Many organisations do advocacy work as a natural part of their activities without recognising it as advocacy.

  • If an organisation can identify the advocacy work they are already doing, it is often possible to plan and co-ordinate this work more effectively.

  • If an organisation is not already carrying out advocacy work, careful thought can help establish how advocacy might contribute to an organisation’s broader work and mission.


Instructions
Timing: 1 hour

1 Introduce the topic and explain the objective of the activity.

2 Explain that the participants will be asked to consider the advocacy work they do now and advocacy work they could possibly do in future.

3 Ask the participants to work with colleagues from their own organisation where possible. Ask them to write their organisation’s mission or goals at the top of a piece of flip-chart paper. Ask participants to look at the workshop definition of advocacy and consider the following question:
  • Is HIV/AIDS advocacy, at any level, currently part of your organisation’s activities?

Ask participants to draw a picture or diagram of their organisation’s activities, showing any current HIV/AIDS advocacy activities – including those that may not have previously been recognised as advocacy.

4 Next, ask participants to think about possible future advocacy work on HIV/AIDS issues. Ask them to consider these questions:
  • How could advocacy help your organisation achieve its mission or goals?

  • What activities could be included that would do this?

(The list of questions used in Section 2.1 may be useful here.)

5 Ask them to add possible advocacy activities to their drawing or diagram, and mark these activities to show they are possible future advocacy activities.

6 Ask participants to display their drawings or diagrams where everyone can see them, and invite them to look at each other’s work. Invite them to write constructive (helpful) comments on other people’s work, or use Post-Its.

7 Invite any questions or comments about any of the diagrams or feedback comments.

8 Lead a discussion with the whole group based on the following kinds of questions:
  • How does advocacy contribute to your organisation’s mission or goals?

  • Is your organisation already doing advocacy but not calling it advocacy?

  • How does your current advocacy work involve people affected by the problem or issue? If not, why not?

  • If your mission includes capacity building, how can you build the capacity of other organisations, to enable them to do advocacy work?


Facilitators’ notes
  • Remind participants of the different levels of advocacy (see Handout 2, ‘Levels of advocacy’, at the end of Section 1).

  • If organisations do not have written and approved missions or goals, ask them to write a paragraph or sentence describing what they do instead.

  • Point out that advocacy can be informal – for example, the Executive Director of an NGO sitting next to a government minister at a dinner, or home-based care volunteers trying to change the way the priest at their church preaches about HIV/AIDS.

  • Consider whether there is time and value in each organisation presenting their drawing or diagram to the whole group. How else can they receive feedback about their work?

  • Encourage participants to question whether some of their activities are ‘advocacy’ and ask the participants to help each other.

  • If organisations do not have examples of previous advocacy work they have done, reassure them that they do not need to complete that part of the activity. They should not force examples that are not really advocacy work.

  • It may be appropriate to combine Section 3.3 after this activity as a discussion rather than as a separate activity.


Example of Activity 3.1: By an NGO based in Mexico
Vivir Con Dignidad A.C. (Living with Dignity AC), Mexico

Mission: to increase the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS in the State of Yucatán. (placed at centre of diagram)

Advocacy activities

Advocacy – Successful negotiation with local companies to provide increased and improved medical care

Potential advocacy activities

Potential advocacy – Lobby for improved state-level testing facilities

Potential advocacy – Lobby for representatives from self-help groups to be invited to join the state-level health advisory committee

Reference: Adapted from a workshop on advocacy, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Mexico, October 2000

Section 3.2 Understanding how HIV-related advocacy can affect an organisation
Activity 3.2 Objective: By the end of this session participants will be able to identify benefits, risks and strategies to reduce the risks involved in advocacy work on HIV/AIDS

Introduction
  • It is important to be aware of the impact that advocacy might have on an organisation’s staff, volunteers, supporters and activities.

  • Advocacy work, especially relating to HIV/AIDS, can cause problems for an organisation. Some self-examination in advance can ensure that any advocacy work strengthens the organisation rather than causing conflict or diverting energy away from other essential activities.

  • Unexpected effects can include:

- increasing the work of an organisation, for example when advocacy work is going well and is therefore time-consuming. The unplanned work can affect the availability of human, material and financial resources for the broader work of the organisation.
- increased public profile through advocacy work can also change the values of an organisation. For example, when an NGO/CBO receives more publicity, it may become more competitive and choose to concentrate on issues that are easy to ‘sell’ to the public. This can cause problems for less ‘popular’ issues, which might receive less support from the organisation.
  • Maintaining close relationships with vulnerable groups and remaining true to organisational missions can reduce many of the potential problems caused by advocacy work.


Instructions
Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 Introduce the topic and explain the objective of the activity.

2 Ask participants to work in small groups, EITHER with colleagues from the same organisation OR with participants from similar organisations.

3 Ask the participants to divide a piece of flipchart paper into three columns and write:
  • ‘Benefits to our organisation from doing HIV/AIDS advocacy work’

  • ‘Risks to our organisation from doing HIV/AIDS advocacy work’

  • ‘Strategies to reduce the impact of the risks’.

Ask participants to brainstorm the possible benefits and possible risks to their organisation from doing advocacy work, and strategies to reduce the impact of the risks.

4 While the groups are working on the exercise, distribute the following questions to ensure that the groups are addressing critical issues.
  • Who does advocacy within your organisation? Or who would do advocacy work?

  • Whose support do you need to initiate advocacy activities? Consider board members, donors, stakeholders or people affected by the problem or issue.

  • What impact could advocacy work have on your organisation in terms of staffing, job descriptions, resources, planning, external relations?


5 When the groups are finished, have them hang their work on the walls for the others to review. Ask participants to consider the following question while they look at other groups’ work:
  • What are some of the common risks of HIV-related advocacy work and what strategies have been identified to deal with them?


6 Now facilitate a plenary discussion about these questions and other issues that have emerged from the activity. Ask the participants:
  • Does anyone have experience of advocacy affecting their organisations? What can we learn from our shared experience?


Facilitators’ notes
  • Participants can use a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) if they prefer, instead of a risk-benefit analysis.

  • Make sure that participants develop realistic, practical strategies.


Example of Activity 3.2: By an NGO based in Mexico
Benefits, Risks and Strategies for advocacy work carried out by Unidad de Atención Sicológica, Sexologica y Eductiva Para el Crecimiento Personal, A.C. (UNASSE)

Benefits to our organisation from doing advocacy work
  • Help us to achieve our overall mission

  • Personal and organisational growth

  • PLHA strengthening and empowerment

  • Proactive participation of people living with HIV/AIDS

  • Knowing the way the state operates can help us in our field of action

  • Increase visibility of NGO work

  • Links with other organisations/ NGOs/local, national and international delegations

  • Having a voice

  • Makes the environment more favourable to work on sexuality, HIV/AIDS, human rights

  • Establishes local capacities for multisectoral collaboration

  • Saves, systematises and disseminates experience

  • Policy change leads to improved programming and circumstance for ourselves and other organisations and people


Risks to our organisation from doing advocacy work
  • Extra unplanned workload

  • Generates demands and/or expectations that may exceed our capacity

  • Causes conflict/criticism

  • Uncertainty of the impact

  • Takes time and human resources away from the internal work of the NGO

  • Risk of suffering attacks against NGO members and property

  • Having to respond to unforeseen situations

  • Friction with the state and other actors

  • Loss of organisational focus

  • Alienation of existing support by becoming overtly political

  • Creation of an internal elite of advocates


Strategies to reduce the impact of the risks
  • Devote human and economic resources to advocacy actions

  • To clearly identify the actions we can undertake and to recognise our limitations

  • Training to evaluate and research impact

  • Co-ordination with others

  • To choose and prioritise issues, alliances and partners in order to optimise time, resources and consultation

  • Generate funding that will enable security systems to be put in place

  • To clarify the organisation’s mission and agree on how advocacy can contribute to achieving it

  • Consider the affect advocacy work might have on other aspect of the organisation such as fundraising, human resources, etc.

  • Don’t get involved in every opportunity – be focused and judge according to impact

  • Access advocacy training and ensure that time is allocated for good planning to make advocacy worthwhile


Reference: Adapted from a workshop on advocacy, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Mexico, October 2000.

Section 3.3 Ensuring that advocacy is an integrated part of an organisation’s work
Activity 3.3 Objective: By the end of this session participants will be able to identify at least three actions they can take to ensure that advocacy is integrated into their organisation’s work

Introduction
  • Having ensured that advocacy work is appropriate to the organisation, and will contribute to the organisation’s overall mission (Section 2), a final and vital step in planning advocacy work is ensuring that it is integrated into a NGO’s/CBO’s organisational plans.

  • Integrating advocacy into the organisation’s work means that it is included in the organisation’s workplans, budgets, overall organisational monitoring and evaluation work, etc.

  • Integration of advocacy work can ensure that it supports the other work of an NGO/CBO, and that it is accepted as an important function of the organisation.


Instructions
Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 Explain the objective of the activity.

2 Begin with a whole group discussion based on these kinds of questions:
  • Should advocacy be an integrated part of an organisation’s work, rather than being separate?

  • How can we ensure that advocacy is an integrated part of our work – not just in theory, but also in practice?

  • How can you advocate within your organisation for a particular issue to be addressed? Or how can you ‘advocate for advocacy’?

  • Why might there by barriers to doing advocacy in your organisation? How can you overcome any barriers?

  • How should new advocacy work be included in an organisation’s strategic or overall workplan? For example, can you do it now, or should you wait until the start of the next planning cycle?


3 Ask participants to work in small groups, EITHER with colleagues from the same organisation OR with participants from similar organisations. Invite participants to produce a plan for how they will integrate advocacy into their organisation. Suggest these guide questions:
  • Who in our organisation needs to be involved in planning advocacy work?

  • How will we ‘advocate for advocacy’?

  • How does advocacy support our mission statement?

  • How can we include advocacy in our organisation’s workplan, budget, evaluation plan, job descriptions, etc.?


Facilitators’ notes
  • If time is short, this activity can be combined with Activity 3.1.

  • Encourage participants to use their work from Activity 3.1, if they have done that activity.

  • Support participants to think of creative ways to encourage ownership of their advocacy plans among colleagues. These might include creating systems for staff to contribute to decision-making processes in the organisation.

  • Refer participants to the benefits of advocacy work they identified in Activity 1.2 (‘Why do we advocate?’) to assist them in advocating for advocacy in their organisations.

  • Encourage participants to truly integrate their advocacy work into their organisational plan, rather than simply ‘adding it on to the end’.

  • Encourage participants to think of the easiest way to integrate their advocacy work – so that the process does not become too lengthy or complex.


Examples of Activity 3.3: By NGOs based in Zimbabwe
Example: Plan to increase integration of advocacy into Zimbabwe AIDS Network (ZAN) Secretariat’s work
Timeframe // Activity // Persons responsible
July // Meeting of ZAN Secretariat to gain consensus on advocacy // Nadja and Zinzile
July // Write advocacy activities into next year’s workplan // Kate, Nadja, Task Force
July // Include budget for advocacy in ZAN’s funding proposal to AUSAID (donor) // Kate, Nadja, Task Force
August // Meeting between Secretariat and National Task Force to gain consensus on advocacy // Nadja and Eliot

Example: Plan to integrate advocacy into Matabeleland AIDS Council
Timeframe Activity Persons responsible
July // Workshop for staff and board, to mainstream advocacy work into MAC and share advocacy skills // Tshuma MAC director
September // Three-year strategic planning exercise: ensure advocacy is included in strategic plan // Tshuma
Jan // Include advocacy in MAC’s capacity building with individual CBOs //

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

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 152 Kbytes)