What is Advocacy?

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Advocacy Strategy
Planning
N. Assifi UNFPA/CST, Bangkok
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What is a Plan?
Planning is decision making about future
activities.
Mission or purpose statement
A strategic vision for future
Operating philosophy

• Key elements of a plan
• Goal
• Strategies
• Action steps
• Performance indicators

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Planning Hierarchy
Level 1 broadest level of planning which sets
strategic direction for 3 5 years
Nation wide
Level 2 regional or provincial planning (within
central office)
Regional or provincial
Level 3 operational focused planning. Also
called business or operational plan
Service facility Unit
Individual
Level 4 (individual) refers to
personal performance
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Dynamic Planning Model
Five recurring steps Scanning to identify
trends Planning to develop an agreed strategic
direction Implementing by allocating resources,
developing structures and procedures Monitoring
regularly in achieving stated goals Reviewing at
the end of each set period
Scan
Scan
Review
Review
Plan
Plan
Monitor
Monitor
Implement
Implement
One year
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What is Advocacy Strategy?
An advocacy strategy is a combination of
approaches, techniques and messages by which the
planner seeks to achieve the advocacy goals and
objectives.
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Advocacy Strategic Planning Model

• Strategy Development
• Coalition building
• Networking
• Institution building
• Sensitization
• Etc.

Research
Issues/ Problems
Goals/ Objectives
Implemen tation
Outputs
Outcomes
Pre-testing Piloting
Impact Evaluation
Monitoring
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Key steps for strategy formulation

1. Identification and analysis of advocacy issues
2. Identification and analysis of stakeholders
3. Formulation of measurable objectives
4. Developing core advocacy messages
5. Developing the strategy ( approaches,
   techniques, messages and materials)
6. Developing advocacy action plan
7. Planning monitoring and evaluation

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Environmental Scanning
1. Collecting Data - Policy - KAP -
Consultation - Demographic
2. Analysis - SWOT - Issue analysis
3. Identify key issues
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Issue selection framework
Criteria for selecting issues Score Score Score
Criteria for selecting issues 1 2 3
The issue affects many people
The issue has a significant impact on population and reproductive health programme
The issue is consistent with your organizations mission/mandate
The issue is consistent with national population and development objectives
The issue is amenable to advocacy intervention
The issue can mobilize a large number of interested partners and other stakeholders
Total score
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Define Priority Problem/issue
Description of priority problem and its causes Reason for choosing this problem Who is affected by the this problem Recommended tentative solution in terms of advocacy
Example High teenage pregnancy due to lack of awareness, lack of counseling services and contraceptive supplies Adolescent RH survey shows that teenage pregnancy has increased by 10 percent over the past three years The entire teenage population in the country specially those living in the urban areas Advocacy for policy on sexuality education in schools and workplaces Advocacy for allocation of resources for youth clinics to provide counseling services and contraceptive
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Key steps for strategy formulation

1. Identification and analysis of advocacy issues
2. Identification and analysis of stakeholders
3. Formulation of measurable objectives
4. Developing core advocacy messages
5. Developing the strategy ( approaches,
   techniques, messages and
   materials)
6. Developing advocacy action plan
7. Planning monitoring and evaluation

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Identification and analysis of stakeholders
Stakeholder categories Sub-groups
Decision makers
Partners
Resistant groups
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Information to be collected about the stakeholders

• Knowledge about the International Conference on
  Population and Development and its Programme of
  Action
• Knowledge about the Reproductive Health and Birth
  spacing programme in the country
• Understanding of the inter-relationship between
  the population growth and distribution etc. and
  the country's development issues
• Understanding of reproductive health and its
  elements
• Understanding of and commitment to addressing the
  issues of women's empowerment, equity and
  equality, education, employment etc.
• Level of understanding and belief in men's
  participation in reproductive health and birth
  spacing

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Information to be

• Understanding of the need to develop and
  implement programmes aimed at reproductive health
  of adolescent and youth
• The extend and level of involvement of the
  respondent in the previous RH or birth spacing
  programmes
• Has the respondent publicly supported the RH - BS
  programme in the past?
• Has the respondent tried to access financial and
  human resources for the implementation of the RH-
  BS programmes?
• Has the respondent spoken to others about the
  RH-SP programmes and their benefits?
• Has the respondent spoken/written in support of
  RH-BS in mass media?
• Has the respondent visited RH BS
  projects/activities at the community level?

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Information to be

• Has the respondent spoken with the community
  about RH-BS programme?
• Where does the respondent get his/her information
  about the health and reproductive health issues?
• How often does the respondent read newspaper or
  magazine, what type of newspaper or magazine and
  which pages/articles?
• When and how often does the respondent listen to
  the radio? What types of programmes?
• When and how often does the respondent watch
  television? What types of programmes?
• Is the respondent interested and willing to
  participate in seminars/meetings on the issues of
  women's empowerment, RH, BS, etc?
• Is the respondent interested and willing to
  promote the issues of women's empowerment, RH and
  BS issues?

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Stakeholder analysis matrix
Stakeholder category Sub-groups Size location of of the groups Knowledge attitude on RH-BS issues Potential impact on advocacy efforts Obstacles and how to deal with them
Decision makers
Partners
Adversaries
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Key steps for strategy formulation

1. Identification and analysis of advocacy issues
2. Identification and analysis of stakeholders
3. Formulation of measurable objectives
4. Developing core advocacy messages
5. Developing the strategy ( approaches, techniques,
   messages and materials)
6. Developing advocacy action plan
7. Planning monitoring and evaluation

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Developing advocacy Objectives
S Specific M Measurable A Attainable R Res
ult-oriented T Time bound
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Key steps for strategy formulation

1. Identification and analysis of advocacy issues
2. Identification and analysis of stakeholders
3. Formulation of measurable objectives
4. Developing core advocacy messages
5. Developing the strategy ( approaches,
   techniques, messages and materials)
6. Developing advocacy action plan
7. Planning monitoring and evaluationh

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Advocacy message styles

• Emotional Vs Rational Appeals

• Positive Vs Negative Appeals

• Mass Vs Individual Appeals

• Definite Conclusion Vs Open Conclusion

• Repetitive Vs One time Appeals

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Key components of Advocacy message

• Key points to be addressed
• Description of the issue/problem
• Magnitude of the issue/problem
• Adverse impact of the problem on the population
  or groups of population
• What the stakeholder can do to address the issue

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Elements of a message

• Description of the issue/problem
• Magnitude of the issue/problem
• Adverse impact of the problem on the population
  or groups of population

Message for decision makers
Message for partners and allies
Message for resistant groups
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Developing core advocacy messages
Stakeholder/ audience group Issue/ problem Message style Advocacy message

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Key steps for strategy formulation

• Identification and analysis of advocacy issues
• Identification and analysis of stakeholders
• Formulation of measurable objectives
• Developing core advocacy messages
• Developing the strategy ( approaches, techniques,
  messages and materials)
• Developing advocacy action plan
• Planning monitoring and evaluation

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Key elements of advocacy strategy
Advocacy approaches
Advocacy techniques
Advocacy messages and materials
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Key approaches used in advocacy

• Involving leaders
• Working with mass media
• Building partnership
• Mobilizing the community groups
• Capacity building

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Persuasion techniques
Pressuring
Sensitizing
Debating
Negotiating
Dialoguing
Petitioning
Mobilizing
Media techniques
Lobbying
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Message formats for media

• Press release
• Press conference
• Fact sheets/ background sheets
• Press kit/media packets
• Editorials
• Letters to editor

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Features of a story that attracts media

• Controversial
• Sensational
• New discoveries
• Highly visual
• Fast moving
• Unusual and odd events

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How to involve media?

• Establish personal relation
• Letters, telephone calls, office calls
• Invitation to high profile events
• Orientation seminars
• In-country site visits
• Arranging interviews with high-profile people
• Regular dissemination of up-to-date
  information/data

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Advocacy materials
Print materials Fact sheets, hand outs,
leaflets, booklets Pictures audio-visual
materials Still pictures, slide sets, video
documentaries
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Advocacy strategy development matrix
Issue Stakeholder (sub-group) Core messages Advocacy techniques Advocacy materials ME indicators

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Key steps for strategy formulation

1. Identification and analysis of advocacy issues
2. Identification and analysis of stakeholders
3. Formulation of measurable objectives
4. Developing core advocacy messages
5. Developing the strategy ( approaches,
   techniques, messages and materials)
6. Developing advocacy action plan
7. Developing monitoring and evaluation plan

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Preparing advocacy action plan

• Develop the process
• The timelines
• Identify the role of those to be involved
• Role of allies and partner agencies
• Resources to be used

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Mechanisms for Implementation of Advocacy

• A mechanism for co-ordination
• Coalitions and networking
• Institutions to deliver technical products
• Effective partnership

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Advocacy action plan matrix
Objectives activities Time Frame Responsible party Partners Budget

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Key steps for strategy formulation

1. Identification and analysis of advocacy issues
2. Identification and analysis of stakeholders
3. Formulation of measurable objectives
4. Developing core advocacy messages
5. Developing the strategy ( approaches, techniques,
   messages and materials)
6. Developing advocacy action plan
7. Developing monitoring and evaluation plan

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Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitoring and evaluation are
• complementary functions
• Each provides a different type of
• performance information
• Both important for effective Result Based
  Management (RBM)

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Monitoring versus Evaluation

• Periodic
• In-depth analysis of actual vs. planned
  achievementsAnswers how and why results were
  achieved future impact
• Internal and/or external exercise
• Gives managers strategy and policy options

• Continuous
• Tracks Progress
• Answers what activities were implemented
  results achieved
• Self-assessment by project management
• Alerts managers to problems

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Types of monitoring

• Monitoring of Inputs Are project inputs
  (financial, human and material resources) in line
  with project design, workplan and budget?
• Monitoring of ActivitiesAre project activities
  taking place according to the schedule and
  project design?
• Monitoring Results Focuses on achievements of
  results whether actual results are achieved as
  planned?

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Why do we evaluate?

• To improve design and performance of an ongoing
  project/programme
• To make judgments about the effectiveness of a
  project/programme
• To generate knowledge about the best practices,
  lessons learned

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What do We Evaluate?
Effectiveness Achievement of results
Relevance Programme continues to meet needs
Efficiency Results vs costs
Evaluation is concerned with results focusing on
Sustainability Results sustained after
withdrawal of external support
Alternative Strategies Other possible ways of
addressing the problem
Unanticipated Results Significant effects of
performance
Causality Factors affecting performance
Validity of Design Logical and coherent
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Performance Measuring
Selecting Indicators for measuring
implementation progress and achievement of
results. The importance of indicator likely to
change over the projects life cycle. At first,
emphasis is given to input and activity
indicators, while shifting later to output and
result indicators.
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Phases of Performance Measuring

• Formulating project objectives defining precise
  and measurable statement of results to be
  achieved
• Selecting indicators for measuring achievements
• Monitoring performance data collecting actual
  data for each indicator
• Reviewing and reporting performance data
  analysis and reporting

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Monitoring and Evaluation table
Objectives/ activities Indicators Means of verification