How can non-profit stakeholders effectively advocate for policy change?

1 Identify your policy issue and goal

Before you start advocating for policy change, you need to have a clear and specific idea of what you want to achieve and why. What is the problem that you want to address? What is the solution that you propose? How will it benefit your organization and your target population? Having a well-defined policy issue and goal will help you communicate your message, mobilize your supporters, and measure your progress.

2 Research your policy environment and stakeholders

To advocate for policy change, you need to understand the context and the actors that influence the policy process. Who are the decision-makers that have the power to enact or block the change you seek? What are their interests, motivations, and positions? Who are the allies and opponents that can support or challenge your advocacy efforts? What are the opportunities and threats that you face? Conducting a thorough research of your policy environment and stakeholders will help you tailor your advocacy tactics, build relationships, and anticipate challenges.

3 Develop your advocacy plan and resources

Once you have identified your policy issue, goal, environment, and stakeholders, you need to develop a comprehensive and realistic advocacy plan that outlines your objectives, activities, timeline, budget, and indicators. Your advocacy plan should also include the resources that you need to carry out your advocacy activities, such as evidence, messages, tools, platforms, and partners. Developing your advocacy plan and resources will help you organize your actions, allocate your resources, and monitor your outcomes.

4 Engage your target audiences and decision-makers

The core of your advocacy strategy is to engage your target audiences and decision-makers in a persuasive and respectful way. You need to craft and deliver compelling messages that highlight the urgency, relevance, and feasibility of your policy issue and goal. You also need to use appropriate and effective tools and platforms to reach and influence your target audiences and decision-makers, such as media, social media, events, petitions, letters, meetings, and presentations. Engaging your target audiences and decision-makers will help you raise awareness, generate support, and create pressure for policy change.

5 Collaborate with your partners and allies

Advocating for policy change can be more impactful and efficient if you collaborate with your partners and allies who share your vision and values. You can leverage the strengths, expertise, and networks of your partners and allies to amplify your voice, diversify your tactics, and coordinate your actions. You can also learn from their experiences, best practices, and challenges to improve your advocacy strategy. Collaborating with your partners and allies will help you build coalitions, create synergies, and increase your credibility and legitimacy.

6 Evaluate and adapt your advocacy strategy

Advocating for policy change is a dynamic and iterative process that requires constant evaluation and adaptation. You need to track and measure your advocacy results, both in terms of outputs and outcomes. You also need to collect and analyze feedback and data from your target audiences, decision-makers, partners, allies, and opponents. You need to identify and celebrate your successes, as well as acknowledge and address your failures. Evaluating and adapting your advocacy strategy will help you learn from your achievements and challenges, and adjust your actions accordingly.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?