Writing Advocacy Strategies(adapted from Oxfam
international) – Format and Guidelines
An advocacy strategy is essentially a plan of work that brings together actions
including lobbying, media and popular mobilisation, designed to achieve
changes in policy and practice.
The purpose of developing an advocacy strategy is to ensure that our plans are well
thought through, commonly understood and adequately resourced before we begin
advocacy work on a specific issue.
Developing an advocacy strategy involves addressing the following basic questions:
What is the problem?
What is the solution?
What changes are necessary to get us from one to the other?
What are the most effective ways of making that change happen ?
Standard Advocacy Strategy Format
Title:
Date:
Duration of strategy:
Status:
1. Problem
2. Overall Aim
3. Specific Objectives
4. Rationale for CARE engagement
5. Targets
6. Power Analysis
7. Allies
8. Messages
9. Tools/Actions
Research
Policy Development
Lobbying
Media
Popular Mobilisation
Funding of others
10. Opportunities and Events
10. Human and Financial Resources
11. Risks
12. Monitoring, Evaluation, Planning and Learning
Guidelines for Content
Give the length of time the strategy covers, and the status of the document (ie draft,
signed-off, CARE-Sudan or CARE International etc.). Our strategies should not be
too long. Additional information should be attached as an Annex.
1. What is the problem?
Give a brief (two paragraph) description of the problem we want to solve, always
explaining how it affects men and women differently, and also considering other
relevant factors (eg class, race, religious denomination), why there is a problem, and
what is currently preventing change.
2. Overall Aim
Describing the solution to the problem will set out our overall aim. One to two
sentences only.
3. Specific Objectives
Set out the specific changes we need to achieve as a contribution to realising the
overall aim. You should have no more than four of these objectives and consider at
least one addresses the issue of gender justice. Try to keep objectives SMART
(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound).
4. Rationale for CARE engagement
State briefly the reasons for CARE’s engagement with this issue, and our added
value.
5. Targets – who makes the key decisions?
Who are the actors who have the power to solve the problem or achieve our
objectives, and whom we therefore want to influence? These may be government
departments, international institutions or private companies. List the key people
within these institutions.
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6. Power Analysis – what will influence the decision-makers? (link to specific
tool on power analysis)
Undertaking a power analysis helps you to target the right actions, to the right
people, at the right time, in order to secure change.
Summarise power analysis in three paragraphs or so, but provide a more detailed
power analysis as an Annex, as this is a critical part of the strategy - it determines
basic viability of strategy and informs detailed action-planning.
7. Allies
The power analysis will identify some broad ‘allies’, eg governments that support our
aim at the UN. In this section, we should detail other potential allies including those
we are already in formal coalition with, those we can collaborate on an ad hoc basis,
or those we can stimulate into action. These may include other civil society
organisations such as development/environment/human rights NGOs, community-
based organisations, journalists, academics, think-tanks or trade unions. (link to
specific tool on working with allies)
8. Key Messages
Define the three (at most, four) critical messages we wish to convey to our targets.
These should be repeated in all of our communications, written and oral, though
there may be some messages that we only want to convey to decision-makers in
private. One way to draft your key messages is to imagine you have a minute or so
on the radio and want to get three points across. At least one should be a call to act.
Look for win-win solutions, where the decision-maker also stands to gain from your
proposals.
9. Tools/actions
There are many different actions we can take to influence our target. We need to
decide which would be the best tactic or combination of tactics to employ at any one
time to achieve maximum influence. This section is the heart of the strategy, and
needs to be fully developed in our plans. Some areas may require specific
strategies eg media – for which there is also a standard format – or lobbying. These
should be an integral part of the broader strategy. Bear in mind links to programme,
which is our source of information and legitimacy. List our actions under these
headings:
Research (from human interest material and case studies to major reports)
Policy Development (agreeing where we stand, in general and detail, and
rationale)
Lobbying (plan for face-to-face contact with range of targets, letters….)
Media (targets, angles, products, paper launches, use of celebrities, etc)
Popular Mobilisation (email/postcard actions, stunts, etc)
Funding of others (grants third parties in support of aims e.g. human rights
groups)
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10. Opportunities and Events
Identify the main political processes, key meetings, decision-making moments, or
events that can affect, or be used to promote our objectives. It may be useful to do a
calendar. The big opportunities could be those we create ourselves - sometimes
there may not be high profile external events.
11. Human and Financial Resources
The commonest failing of advocacy strategies is willing the end without willing
the means.
Name the CI affiliates who are needed to deliver the strategy, and all of the
individuals involved (including the proportion of their time required). This is not just
the people working full time on this issue, it should include managers, media people
and programme staff. It should cover HQ, Regional Management Units and country-
based staff.
A project manager must be identified, and given responsibility for ensuring the
delivery of the whole strategy, ensuring that those responsible for tasks carry them
out by the agreed time.
Where necessary, give a budget for supporting advocacy activities, eg research,
production of materials, extra posts, costs of facilitating field staff and partners to
attend national and international lobbying meetings etc. Specify what funds should
be available to fund third parties such as other NGOs.
12. Risks
Think about what might stop us achieving our objectives, particularly in politically
sensitive work, and what can be done to reduce these risks. Consider whether our
advocacy might bring any risks to CARE’s programme, staff, allies or partners.
Observe the checks and balances in place to minimise risk, namely sign-off
procedures. They should ensure accountability checks on security implications,
reputation risk, and consistency with Charity Law.
13. Monitoring, Evaluation, Planning and Learning
A strategy is dynamic, and the most effective strategies are those where we plan-
and-act on an ongoing basis. We need to monitor actions, evaluate their success,
and learn from evaluations (this should not be a laborious exercise), and continue to
plan-and-act. The project manager should lead this process in regular meetings or
telecons by asking the right questions. You might want to plan a mid-term review or
stock-take following the role out of the strategy, and a final review. For major pieces
of advocacy work that represent a significant investment of resources, you may want
to consider commissioning an independent external evaluation at the end of project.
