1. Advocacy Planning

3. WHY ADVOCACY PLANNING IS
IMPORTANT?
• Use your resources wisely
• A lot of thought into what strategy you will
use
• Adaptable to changing circumstances and
capitalising on new opportunities
• People opposed to what you are trying to do
if its not
controversial you
would not need to
do advocacy

5. Planning is important because....
Head in the right direction
Break down your goals into manageable pieces or stepping
stones
Use the right tools
Use scarce resources wisely by making strategic choices
Make sure activities reinforce rather than undermine each
other
Get the timing right and start preparing early enough
Be prepared to counter opposition

7. Some common problems
 Unclear aims and objectives
 Undertaking activities without working out a strategy
or plan
 Asking decision makers to do something which is not in
their power
 Not having a clearly defined ‘ask’
 Getting the timing wrong and trying to influence a
process when key decisions have already been made
 Using poor messages which are confusing, don’t
motivate or fail to include a call to action

9. The Advocacy Planning
Cycle
 Advocacy planning is like
planning any project / program
you have to work with many
external actors, and you
usually have very little power
or control over
what they do

10. Exercise
• Find the correct order
Action
for the different stages
of the advocacy
Goal Issue
planning cycle
• Guess the mystery
circle
Planning Analysis
?

11. Answer
1. Analysis
5. Action 2. Issue
4. Planning 3. Goal
6.
Monitoring
and
Evaluation

12. Phases of the planning cycle
1. Identify
the
12. problem
Monitoring 2. Set the
and aim
Evaluation
11. Write 3.
your action Understand
plan the Context
Implementation
10. Develop
4. Decide of
core
objectives
messages
9. Identify 5. Identify
outcomes targets
8. Decide
6. Identify
strategy to
allies and
influence
7. Assess opponents
targets
strengths
and
weaknesses

13. Series of logical questions
• What is our vision of where we want to be?
• What is the particular problem facing us?
• What are its root causes?
• Is there a viable solution?
• What are the stepping stones needed to get to this solution?
• Who could make that solution happen?
• What will persuade and enable them to do this?

14. Some points to remember

16. Sneak preview
• Power mapping
• Public campaigning
• Frame messages
• Using the media
• Policy making process
• Lobbying

17. Thank you