You understand how advocacy is different from other types of strategy:
___It involves actions that lead to a selected goal
___It usually involves getting government, an agency or private business to correct an unfair or harmful situation
___It is not the same as direct service
___It may or may not involve confrontation
You understand what you need for successful advocacy:
___Your cause needs to be right
___Your group should have some power in numbers and/or clout
___You should have thoroughly researched the issue, the opposition, and the climate of opinion in the community
___You should be skilled in using the tools available to you (including the media)
___You should pick your strategy and tactics carefully
When is advocacy appropriate?
___When a powerful agency, institution or company needs to change but will not
___When nothing else will work
___When you know you have the capacity to carry it through
Other sections of this chapter can help you with different aspects of preparation for advocacy
To understand the issue:
___Research the root cause of the problem
___Conduct an analysis of the power structure
To bring others into your campaign:
___Learn to recognize potential allies
___Choose them (and bring them on board) with care
To identify (and stand up to) opponents:
___Start with the cause for resistance, and from that identify the people or groups who are likely to oppose you
___Once you have identified opponents, prepare for opposition, and plan to counteract it
To make sure you conduct your advocacy campaign efficiently:
___Use the survival tips that will help you achieve your goals and stay out of trouble
To put it together:
___Make a master action plan that lets you consider all aspects of your campaign at once, so you can adjust different elements to fit
___Include your mission and objectives, your allies and opponents, your targets and agents of change, and your strategies and detailed action plan
When you look around for help:
___Check into groups that might normally be against you, but who may help with at least part of your goals
To make sure you are on track:
___Do a careful self-assessment to make sure you are reaching all your objectives and sticking to your timetable
___Check up on the process, to make sure your group is efficiently working together