Lobbying and Advocacy for Charities and Not-for-Profits

Cari Patterson, DirectorCSAE Atlantic Chapter February 20th, 2007

Never doubt that a small

group of thoughtful,

committed citizens can

change the world. Indeed it’s

the only thing that ever has.~ Margaret Mead

Outline of Presentation

• Advocacy IS• Advocacy is NOT• Why do advocacy work?• Who does advocacy work?• With whom do you do advocacy work?• How do you do advocacy work?• What do you get out of doing advocacy work?

Advocacy IS….Advocacy is the act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea, or person. (Wikipedia).

Advocacy comes into play any time a group wants to correct an unfair or harmful situation affecting people in the community.

Advocacy is active promotion of a cause or principle.

Advocacy involves actions that lead to a selected goal.

Advocacy is one of many possible strategies, or ways to approach a problem.

Advocacy can be used as part of a community initiative, nested in with other components.

(Community Tool Box www.ctb.ku.edu)

Advocacy is a catch-all word for the set of skills used to create a shift in public opinion and mobilize the necessary resources and forces to support an issue, policy, or constituency. Advocacy seeks to increase the power of people and groups and to make institutions more responsive to human needs. It attempts to enlarge the range of choices that people can have by increasing their power to define problems, solutions, and participate in the broader social and policy arena (Wallack, 1993).

Advocacy is a process (Horizons).

Advocacy is NOT …• Advocacy is not direct service.• Advocacy does not necessarily involve

confrontation or conflict.

Why do advocacy work?

The goal of systems advocacy is to get the larger institution to:

• Be more responsive.

• Change its policy.

• Change (or improve) the way rules are applied.

Some overall motivations for doing advocacy work:

To address – and change - inequities.

To create opportunities.

To build collective power.

To make the world a more just place.• Other reasons?

Who does advocacy work? Individuals

(e.g., Janet Connors, Elizabeth May)

Organizations (e.g., HSFNS, Recreation Nova Scotia, CMHA, child care advocates)

Businesses (e.g., Halifax Chamber of Commerce, hospitality industry)

Government (e.g., Municipality of Annapolis County )

With whom do you do advocacy work?

Government agencies.

Provincial government.

Local government.

Business (e.g., Tourism Association, hospitality industry).

Churches.

Schools. • Other institutions with power and influence.

How do you do advocacy work?

There are five steps involved in advocacy work:• Clearly identify the issue you are addressing.• Find partners and allies.• Plan your actions.• Take action.• Evaluate your action.

1. Make sure you clearly identify and understand the issue to be addressed.

• You need to be comfortable with the stated issue.

• You need to be able to get information (data, evidence,

community input) about the issue.

• You need support from other people and groups to

address the issue.

• You need to be able to state the issue in a way that

makes lobbying possible.

• You need an issue that leads to a goal.

• You need a goal.

2. Find partners and allies.Partners and allies strengthen your efforts in several ways:

Knowledge of the process. Knowledge of the subject.Access to the process.Placement of an issue on the ‘political’ agenda.Relationship and network development.Access to information.Effective process.Sufficient resources.Strong skills.Cooperative abilities.

Potential partners and allies include:

Local people who share your concern.Other groups working on similar issues. (Depending on the issue and

target of your lobbying, these could be local, provincial, regional, national or international groups).

Researchers or professionals working in your area of interest.Local businesses.Church groups.Health Charities.Service clubs.Advocacy groups.Social justice and equality-seeking groups.Unions, professional and trades groups.

You can connect with potential partners by:

Talking to people you meet at conferences, workshops and meetings.

Talking about your group and letting people know what you do. Once they know about you, partners may find you!

Listening to others talk about their group. You may find that you can help each other lobby.

Making presentations to other groups, organizations and agencies.

Volunteering to participate in committees and working groups.

Partnering with other groups to help with their lobbying efforts.

3. Action PlanningFirst you have to decide who to lobby:

Is the issue municipal, provincial, or federal? Who has the power to make change? Who does this decision maker listen to? What is the chain of command? Who is in charge of developing/implementing the

policy/program/service you’re concerned about? Can you identify any allies among the politicians or

public servants?

And you have to decide what strategies/tools to use:

Low ProfileQuiet negotiationMeeting civil servantsSharing informationNon-public briefs

Medium Profile Continued negotiation Meeting civil servants Public briefs "Feed" the opposition Delegation at committees Meetings with elected

officials Alliances with other groups Letters to elected

officials/newspapers

Farmers brought more than pigs and cows to Granville Street January 9 - they brought family, young and old; friends of agriculture, rural politicians and business owners. All had a message in signs, T-shirts and presence. S.Keddy Kings County Register – January 11, 2007

High Profile Public criticism• P.R. and ad campaigns• Information distribution• Letter writing• Demonstrations and rallies

4. Implementation

When you are implementing your advocacy strategy, it’s important to plan ahead for who is going to do what when to:

Prepare;

Deliver the actions;

Follow-up; and• Evaluate your actions.

5. Evaluation

Evaluation of your advocacy efforts is an important way to learn from your experience. You may want to ask yourselves:

Where did we start?

Where are we now?

What worked well and helped us achieve our objectives?

What might we do differently next time, and why?

What is our most significant learning?

Components of effective advocacy work: The rightness of the cause. The power of the advocates (i.e., more of them is

much better than less). The thoroughness with which the advocates

researched the issues, the opposition, and the climate of opinion about the issue in the community.

Their skill in using the advocacy tools available (including the media).

Above all, the selection of effective strategies and tactics.

The most important component of advocacy is…

Relationships.

What do you get out of doing advocacy work?

• Horizons has created an advocacy resource that is posted on our website.

• We also offer introductory workshops on advocacy and influencing policy.

• We support organizations developing advocacy strategies.

• www.horizonscda.ca

For more information: