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previous electronic activism
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Eight
Steps to Strategic Advocacy
There are eight basic
steps to any advocacy, whether it is legislative, grassroots, or
communications advocacy:
Step
1: Pick Your Issue
All advocacy
should be based on sound, well-researched information. What is the
problem? What is the solution? How does it affect people? These
facts are critical to get right. Well-documented problems that have
easy-to-see impacts make for easier advocacy.
Step
2: Setting Goals
The next
step in any advocacy effort is to clearly define what you want to
achieve. Successful advocacy not only wins concrete improvements
in people's lives, it builds stronger organizations. This means
that every advocacy effort requires both advocacy and organizational
goals. These goals need to be realistic, concrete, and measurable.
Step
3: Lay of the Land
The next
step is to survey the lay of the land. What are your organizational
strengths and weaknesses? Similarly, who are your allies and opponents?
How are they likely to respond to you?
Step
4: Identify your Targets
Who is
the decision maker(s) who has the power to achieve your advocacy
goals? Be specific. Influencing elected officials frequently requires
public pressure. No organization or coalition has the capacity to
persuade everyone, so be specific -- what segments of the public
will you persuade to support you?
Step
5: Communications
Once you
have identified to whom you are talking, you need to determine what
you will say. Start by learning about your target audience(s) so
you can begin where they are. Then develop a message and a story
that clearly explains what you want, why it is necessary, how to
achieve it, and why your target audience(s) should get involved.
Step
6: Tactics and Timeline
Once you
have clearly defined what you want and whom you need to persuade,
it is time to look at how you can make that happen. Start by brainstorming
possible tactics, events, actions, or media coverage, then go back
through your ideas, placing the most effective tactics into a timeline.
Be sure to assign responsibility for each item.
Step
7: Resource Management
Estimate
how much each of your tactics will cost in terms of time and money.
Does your organization have or have the capacity to raise the resources
required to make your plan a reality? Do not underestimate the power
of your supporters to help you achieve your campaign goals.
Step
8: Evaluation
Periodically,
every six months or once a year, take a step back with everyone
involved in creating the campaign and evaluate how you are doing.
Are you on track to meet the concrete, time-bound measurable goals
you set in step two? If not, why not? Should you change what you
are doing? Did you set unrealistic goals? Starting again at step
one and proceeding through step eight, do you all still agree that
your campaign plan is the best way forward?
Source: InterAction
Advocacy Guide
http://www.interaction.org/library/detail.php?id=4846
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