Advocacy Mapping - How will you measure success

Advocacy Mapping

How will you measure success? Policy change can take time, so don't just focus on the end point of your goal. Develop measurement benchmarks along the way so you'll know you're making progress and to help you refine your advocacy strategy as needed.

What are the most powerful messages? Use what you know about your decision-makers' interests to develop a compelling message about your advocacy goal. Your message should briefly introduce the issue, connect it to your decision-makers' interest, address the solution, and end with a clear "ask." It is important to also identify people who can deliver that message most e?ectively.

What are your tactics ? Be selective about your advocacy tactics. The best activities are the ones most likely to have an immediate and direct impact on your target decision-makers or key influencers. When designing your tactics, consider whether they address your decision-mak- ers’ interests, help lessen the influence of any opposing groups, and align with your advocacy assets.

Who are your key partners? Be strategic about the partners you choose and how you partner with them. Good partners bring new constituents to an issue, demonstrate wide-scale support, improve your ability to reach and persuade a wider set of decision-makers, help mitigate opposition, and yield additional expertise, skills, and resources.

What are your advocacy assets & gaps? Your assets are the skills, expertise, and resources you have to conduct advocacy activities. Conduct a thorough inventory of your assets, as well as anything you’re missing to get the job done.

What opposition & obstacles exist ? It’s important to understand who may resist or oppose

your goal in order to design tactics and messages to reduce their influence on key decision-makers. Also, identify

obstacles—like competing priorities, political controversy, or insu?cient resources—that might hinder progress.

What are their interests? Try to understand your issue from each of your decision-makers’

perspectives. Consider their level of awareness and current feelings about the issue and identify what might motivate them to be

supportive. The most e?ective strategy will meet your decision- makers where they are and move them toward your point of view.

Who are the decision-makers & influencers? Identify the specific decision-makers who have

the power to give you what you want and the influencers who can persuade them to act. These are the individuals

who can say yes or no to your goal, so be specific.

What is your advocacy goal? This is your policy solution to the issue—or what you'd like

a policymaker to do to address it. Describe the change you would like to see, how that change will happen, the timeframe,

and which institution needs to act to make it happen.

What is your advocacy issue? This is the first, and most critical, stage of the process. Your issue

should be specific and clear, align with your organization’s mission, and be realistically addressed through advocacy within five years.

You’ll also need evidence about why your issue is a problem.

Answers to these simple questions will provide an e?ective 10-PART PLAN to help you achieve important health policy changes and accountability

Map Your Advocacy Impact Strategy provides advocacy strategy development, skills training, small grant funding, peer mentoring, and technical assistance to make real health policy changes around the world. To date, we have reached: ? Over 600 individuals ? More than 100 organizations ? In 50+ countries

For more information, visit http://sites.path.org/advocacyimpact or email us at advocacyimpact@path.org

 

Mental health in urban areas.

How living in urban areas increases mental health issues.

The government, the governor

The protection of public health and safety.

Different world views of policymakers, and government funding.

Assets are my education as a social worker, communication, and social skills. Gaps are me becoming more confident with the the role of advocating.

Social workers, and other professionals in the community.

Public meetings, direct action, petitions, using the internet to gain awareness to the issue, and lobbying.

The mental affect that urbanization has on peoples mental health, and the need for more and better mental healthcare.

Will measure it based on the positive feedback I receive, and keep track of reporting and evaluating my advocacy efforts.