Advocacy tools, social mobilisation and advocacy in practice
Advocacy tools
Interpersonal meetings are the most effective and participatory advocacy tools, but with the limited availability of advocates in the field, the potential number of people reached is limited and further expansion is costly. Other common tools used for advocacy include:
- lobbying to influence the policy process by working closely with key individuals in political and governmental structures;
- meetings, usually as part of a lobbying strategy
- negotiation, to reach a common position
- project visits, to demonstrate good practice.
Many advocacy initiatives involve members of the general public influencing policy makers. Tools for reaching the public include newsletters, e-mail/internet, flyers, pamphlets, booklets, fact sheets, posters, video and drama, petitions and canvassing.
The media (press, TV and radio) reach the general public and contribute to setting the agenda for politicians and policy makers. Many of these tools overlap or are used in conjunction with each other. For example, policy makers need to be personally contacted to benefit from dialogue and influence decisions.
On its own advocacy will not achieve much. Social mobilisation is also absolutely essential to achieving advocacy objectives.
Social mobilisation
Social mobilisation is the process of bringing together allies from various sectors to raise awareness of and demand for a particular development programme or policy change. The process mobilises allies at different levels in society to assist in the delivery of resources and services, to strengthen community participation for sustainability and self-reliance, and to bring about transparent and accountable decision-making. Social mobilisation is the glue that binds advocacy to planned and researched programme communication.
Programme communication is the process of identifying, segmenting and targeting specific groups and audiences with particular strategies, messages or training programmes; reaching them through various mass media and interpersonal channels, both traditional and non-traditional. Effective communication is a two-way dialogue, where senders and receivers of information interact on an equal footing and where this interchange of knowledge and experience leads to mutual discovery. During effective communication, planners, experts and field workers learn to listen to people about their concerns, needs and possibilities.
Advocacy in practice
WaterAid and other NGOs in the UK with project partners in the developing world have since 2000 have recognised and applied four dimensions of advocacy:
- policy dimension: changes in policy, attitudes, practices, programmes, direction of resource allocation, etc.;
- civil society dimension: the strengthening of capacity and power of civil society so that they could take their seat at the table and play an effective role in policy making and decision taking;
- democratic space dimension: improving the accountability of those who lead/govern, and increasing the legitimacy of civil society participation in policy making/decision taking;
- individual gain dimension: improving people's material gains in terms of quality of life, as well as expanding their awareness of themselves as citizens with rights and entitlements and the responsibility to act on them.
