Advocacy & Lobbying Advocacy The fundamentals of a campaign

Advocacy &
Lobbying
Contents includes
Advocacy
The fundamentals of a campaign
Lobbying
How to lobby your elected official
The contents of this resource have been compiled from a wide range of sources to cover topics requested
by Action Partners attending the Oxfam International Youth Parliament (OIYP) Indigenous Australian
Preparation Meeting July 2007 in Melbourne. It is important to note that this booklet is not a definitive guide
nor is it an official publication of Oxfam Australia or OIYP, as such the views or opinions expressed are
not those of OIYP or Oxfam Australia but are from a range of organisations that may be useful in shaping
initiatives for social change.
ADVOCACY
(This section has been compiled from components of the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament (SLYP) Action Partner
Skills Manual for young social activists, Module 4 - Advocacy, Lobbying and Awareness Raising.)
WHAT ARE THE THREE STAGES OF CHANGE?
Knowledge
Attitude
Practice / behaviour
WHO CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN?
Primary targets - Decision makers
Secondary targets - Groups that can influence the decision
HOW TO MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN - SOME PRACTICAL WAYS TO SEE IT HAPPEN
Communication Strategies
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Networking, coalition building
Opinion surveys, research, publications
Public meetings, rallies, protests and leaflet distribution
E-mail, e-mail lists and web-sites
Bureaucratic Strategies
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Participation in government consultations
Submissions to government or parliamentary committees
Developing relationships with government officials
Political Strategies
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Working with elected officials to provide information and solutions
Petitions and media pressure
Letter writing campaigns targeting elected officials
Legal Strategies
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Test case to review the legality of a government decision in the courts
Pressure on governments to abide by international conventions
Media Strategies
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Press releases, articles
Photo opportunities
PRIORITISING TARGET GROUPS
In carrying out your ‘campaign’ you need to identify your target groups. This can depend on or
be based on the following categories.
Impact
Easy to work with
Those directly affected
Some you can’t ignore
Knowing when to switch targets
There are some facts that affect your campaign that you will have no control over and these also
need to be taken into consideration when planning and implementing your action campaign.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF A CAMPAIGN
(This section has been adapted from ‘a campaigning workshop based on the Control Arms Campaign’ presented by Brett Solomon and Sauro Scarpelli from Amnesty International for the International Youth Parliament Sydney July 2004.)
Campaigning: An organised course of action to achieve change
A campaign is:
outcome driven
a conversation with society
it is often “public”, but not always
OUTCOME DRIVEN
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No campaign should start without clear goals.
No campaign should start unless there is a possibility that it can be won.
No campaign should start unless we intend to finish it off.
Agree a campaign goal and then stick to it. The strategy may change with events, the goal rarely does.
Look for a ‘critical-path’ - a trail of stepping stones. Stick at each stage until it is achieved.
A CONVERSATION WITH SOCIETY/PUBLIC
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Campaigns are communication exercises - a two-way process.
Effective motivation needs simplicity in message and purpose.
Start from where your audience is, not where you are.
It may involve mobilisation of public opinion
Do not try to communicate ‘the issue’, however tempting it may be.
BUILDING A CAMPAIGN
What do we want to change?
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Campaign objective
Who can make that change?
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Power analysis
What will make them change?
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Advocacy and Lobbying
How do we do it?
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Campaign activities
IMP A CT :
change in
people’s lives
1. What do
we want to
change?
C H A N G E in
policy or
practice
O U T C OME S
of our activity
A CT IV IT IE S
& outputs
+
E x t e r na l
F a c to rs
INP UT S
resources, context …
THE COMPONENTS OF A CAMPAIGN
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Activities
The things we do: issue press-releases, write letters, hold demonstrations, lobby officials.
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Outcomes
The immediate result of our activity: media coverage, a president receiving 1000 postcards, a question asked in parliament.
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Change
The change in a government’s policy or practice or an individual’s behaviour.
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Impact
The lasting results, an improvement in individuals’ lives.
SETTING THE CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVE
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External factors:
Gravity of problem
Relevance
Opportunity
Link to larger strategy
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Internal Factors:
Global priorities
Organisational objectives
Skills/expertise
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PASSION!
SET ONE CAMPAIGN GOAL
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If we set ourselves more than one campaign objective:
It will be difficult to make choices.
We will have problems communicating the campaign.
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We will not know when we have won.
SET SMART OBJECTIVES
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Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Realistic
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Time-limited
When we evaluate our campaign, S.M.A.R.T. objectives will help us evaluate progress against our
campaign objective.
SPECIFIC & MEASURABLE
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One clear campaign objective
There should be no doubt about when the objective is achieved. What is a win?
Get public support for...” or ”Raise awareness about...” are not ok.
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Get a specific law passed through parliament” is better.
ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC & TIMELY
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Can we actually DO something about it?
How can we take action?
Needs to be gauged in relation to external factors and opportunities.
Maximum 2-3 years
Otherwise it will become unmanageable.
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If 2-3 years is unrealistic – cut up your campaign in smaller chunks.
LOBBYING
(This section has been adapted from ‘a campaigning workshop based on the Control Arms Campaign’ presented by Brett Solomon and Sauro Scarpelli from Amnesty International for the International Youth Parliament Sydney July 2004.)
WHAT WILL MAKE THEM CHANGE?
There are many approaches to effecting change – media, popular campaigns,
membership action
Advocacy - the act of supporting or arguing in favour of a cause, policy or idea. It is undertaken
to influence public opinion and societal attitudes or to bring about changes in institutional, government, community or policies and practices.
Lobbying - Process of informing and persuading those with power or influence to act.
Why lobby? Membership/popular opinion give credibility. Security can make lobbying inappropriate or impossible
Simple Influence Map
National
Media
Catholic
Arch-Bishop
International
Donors
Judges
Minister of Justice
Family
etc
Part 2: Introduction to Campaigning Tools
Senate Committee
on Human Rights
Chains of Influence
Amnesty
Senate
Cttee
Minister
Amnesty
Lawyers
Courts
Amnesty
Parishioners
Clergy
Minister
Arch-Bishop
Minister
Part 2: Introduction to Campaigning Tools
MEETING WITH A DECISION MAKER
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Why? Because they are responsible
How?
Research – getting to know the decision maker
Research – getting to know the issue/arguments
Making contact – how to arrange a meeting
Who should meet – establishing trust
Prepare – what do you want? Secondary aims?
Meet – stick to the point, plan for different responses
Follow-up – achieving results, maintain dialogue
Next look at the practical aspects of lobbying in more detail
HOW TO LOBBY YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL
(This information in this section is from a presentation on advocacy & lobbying – presented by the
Public Interest Advocacy Centre, 7 July 2004 for the International Youth Parliament 2004.)
Establish your agenda and goals.
Listen well.
Be prepared, but don’t feel that you need to be an expert.
Don’t stay too long.
Remember you are there to build a relationship.
Follow-up is important.
It would help if you are ready with all relevant documents and are in the correct mind frame for a
meeting with whoever you intend to lobby. For that, you may need the following tools, resources
and guides.
LOBBYING KIT
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Clear brief summary document
No more than 1-2 pages
User-friendly language
Longer, supporting documents can be attached
Include other relevant material
THE DELEGATION
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2-4 appropriate and representative people
Allocate roles & stick to them
Have a mandate from your group & don’t exceed it
Present a united front
Don’t lie
Look for opportunity for follow up
Focus on outcome - be concrete
Describe issue clearly in 3-5 main points
Know what they can & can’t do
Keep their motivations in mind
Know your opposition & their arguments WHEN LOBBYING,
Politicians
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Work locally
Be prepared for the meeting to be cut short
Be aware of positions: backbenchers, party,
Pre-election commitments, parliamentary committees
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Beware of being a purist
Use their support to progress the issue
Don’t show up the bureaucrats
Try to identify a media angle
Public Servants
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Know government policy,
Pre-election commitments etc
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Assume they are an ally
Identify who has responsibility for what
Be aware of their constraints
Don’t name-drop
Have some understanding of the process
Corporations
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Be organised, professional, pro-active
Relate your issue to their core motivations:
Company reputation
Cost and benefits
Demonstrate community support for your position
Offer solutions
Maintain dialogue with them
Check your legal position
Follow up
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Send a thank you letter which includes your understanding of what was discussed and agreed on
Follow up issues which have arisen
Feed back to your organisation
Keep in contact with Minister’s staff
REFERENCES
This section has been compiled from components of the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament (SLYP) Action
Partner Skills Manual for young social activists, Module 4 - Advocacy, Lobbying and Awareness
Raising.
A Campaigning Workshop Based on the Control Arms Campaign were compiled from a presentation by Brett Solomon and Sauro Scarpelli from Amnesty International for the International Youth
Parliament Sydney July 2004
Advocacy & Lobbying – Presented by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre
7 July 2004 for the International Youth Parliament 2004
OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES
OIYP case study collection: Awareness raising & behavioural change, Strategies for change in the
OIYP Network, also available in Spanish and French. http://www.iyp.oxfam.org/news/publications/
Disability Awareness in Action – Consultation and Influence http://www.daa.org.uk/publications/
Reskit2.htm (available in English, Spanish & French)
Richard Sayers, Principles of awareness raising for informational literacy, a case study. Bangkok:
UNESCO Bangkok, 2006. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001476/147637e.pdf
Compiled and adapted by Nicole Woodfield on behalf of the Oxfam International Youth Partnerships
Program (OIYP), Indigenous Australian Preparation Meeting, July 2007, Melbourne.