Advocacy Tools and Guidelines: Promoting Policy Change

Published by Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, Inc. (CARE), this manual focuses on advocacy, which the authors define as "a strategy to influence policy makers when they make laws and regulations, distribute resources, and make other decisions that affect peoples' lives. The principal aims of advocacy are to create policies, reform policies, and ensure policies are implemented...Several advocacy strategies can be used to influence the decisions of policy makers, such as discussing problems directly with them, delivering messages through the media, or strengthening the ability of local organizations to advocate."

These tools and guidelines are designed to teach programme managers about the concept of advocacy and to explore how it can help strengthen capacity in programming. Available in 3 languages, it provides step-by-step instructions for planning advocacy initiatives, as well as advice for successful implementation. These guidelines are intended to help communication practitioners:

• Learn about advocacy concepts and advocacy vocabulary
• Analyse policies that lie at the root of poverty and discrimination
• See how advocacy can help increase impact
• Devise a strategy to achieve advocacy aims
• Acquire skills to support effective advocacy work

The book is divided into 10 chapters, the first 3 of which focus on key concepts, the benefits of advocacy, and preliminary steps:

• Chapter 1 reviews CARE's definition of advocacy and answers some frequently asked questions about what advocacy is and is not
• Chapter 2 discusses the benefits of including advocacy in CARE's programmes. It explains the importance of considering a wide range of causes for addressing poverty and discrimination, and therefore the need for a wider range of strategies, one of which is advocacy.
• Chapter 3 discusses steps that are advisable to take even before selecting an advocacy issue or planning an initiative. This phase includes establishing credibility, building advocacy capacity, and forming strategic relationships.

Chapter 4 through 7 describe essential steps for planning advocacy initiatives, as follows:

• Chapter 4 provides tools for policy analysis, which is usually the first step in planning an advocacy initiative.
• Chapter 5 describes the second step: outlining a strategy. This chapter provides guidance for selecting a policy issue, identifying intended audiences, setting a policy goal, and identifying allies and opponents.
• Chapter 6 describes how to finalise an advocacy strategy. It provides guidance for choosing effective advocacy roles, identifying key advocacy messages, and defining specific activities for an advocacy initiative.
• Chapter 7 focuses on practical issues for framing an advocacy plan, such as preparing a budget and setting a timeline. It also shows how advocacy goals and strategies can be summarised in a logframe (i.e., impact, effects, outputs, activities, and input) and provides suggestions for monitoring and evaluating advocacy initiatives.

The final 3 chapters describe key steps and skills for implementing advocacy initiatives. Specifically,

• Chapter 8 provides guidance on the central elements of advocacy implementation: developing, delivering, and reinforcing messages.
• Chapter 9 discusses CARE's role in building the capacity of local organisations to carry out advocacy and building constituencies. It also suggests strategies for participating effectively in coalitions.
• Chapter 10 describes tactics that the authors call "essential" for conducting successful advocacy campaigns: communicating effectively, using the media, negotiating, and managing risk.

Click here for details about how to download this publication in PDF format in English, French, or Spanish languages.