Advocates plead in favor of a cause. They work for the things that matter to local communities.
- 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.
- Advocacy does not necessarily involve confrontation or conflict.
Several ingredients make for effective advocacy, including:
- The rightness of the cause.
- The power of the advocates. More of them is much better than less and who they are can bring more legitimacy to an issue. For example, having several downtown business owners on your side when advocating to make downtown a pedestrian-only area is more powerful than having the same number of regular citizens.
- 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.
For some people, advocacy is a new role. It may be uncomfortable — particularly if confrontation and conflict are involved. Good advocates know they must think very hard about any confrontation that's going to be necessary. That's one reason for careful planning of strategy and tactics. Even if the issue seems as clear as a bell, and your choice of actions seems just as obvious, it's a good idea to take another long, hard look.
Why and when would you choose advocacy?
Advocacy is a legitimate part of the public process; more than that, it is the responsibility of everyone who lives in a democracy to engage policymakers, the media, and other citizens in reasoned discussions about issues that effect the public.
Advocacy is best kept for when "routine" work such as gathering support for a cause, raising money, and recruiting members of a community initiative or program won't get you where you want to go.
The best time to start planning for an advocacy campaign is:
- When your direct experience or preliminary research shows you cannot achieve your goals in any other way;
- When you are sure you have (or will have) the capacity to carry it through;
- When you have enough enthusiasm and energy to last for what could be a long haul!
To sum it up
Advocacy is exciting work. You get the pleasure of fighting the good fight, and sometimes, the thrill of victory. In order to have that, though, you need to get through all of the day-to-day details and specifics. You'll need to keep an eye on the forest while working on the trees individually.
Visit the Ways to Advocate section for some ideas on how to be better prepared to bring about the changes that matter to your community.
Source: The Community Tool Box
