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HIRTY-eight per cent of non-profit organisations in Ireland engage
in social-justice advocacy. Social-justice advocacy by community
and voluntary sector organisations like Amnesty International, the
St Vincent de Paul and the Irish Cancer Society seeks to make real
the principles of justice, equality, human rights, human dignity and social
inclusion. Advocacy involves planned, organised and sustained actions to
promote, or resist, the development or implementation of law and policy.
It can be anything from backroom lobbying to public demonstrations.
There appears to be a broader popular acceptance of the democratic
function of this advocacy than we often assume. % of the public believe
it is important for charities to campaign and lobby government. While
only % think charities and non-profits have an influence on law and
policy, % think they should be influential. It is the only sector that the
public would like to have more (rather than less) influence on government
(compared with trade unions, business, farmers, and religious bodies/
churches).
A forthcoming report from the Advocacy Initiative on the perceptions
of policy-makers will show they may not always view the work of social-
justice advocates positively, but they generally don’t dispute the democratic
purpose of such activity. Despite this broad popular support there is signifi-
cant evidence that both social-justice advocates and policy-makers need to
re-imagine social-justice advocacy and their relationship with each other.
Four common messages
are emerging from our
work – the four As of
advocacy.
Aim: Develop a clear
advocacy plan and focus.
A consistent factor in
success has been the
ability to make choices
and stay focused on
a specific, justified
demand. An Advocacy
Initiative study found
that only half of social-
justice advocates plan this work, and even fewer have systems in place to
evaluate their success. Policy-makers consistently raise focus and making
clear choices as critical to success.
Arm: Empower those affected by the advocacy and make sure they
are at the heart of any campaign. The sector has a unique contribution to
make to evidence-based policy-making, but this needs to be rooted in the
realities of those experiencing poverty. We know that this is our strength,
but sometimes we struggle to realise the value of participation. Policy-
makers see empowerment as not only a unique selling point, but also as
fundamental to credibility.
Associate: Collaborate within the community and voluntary sector
and beyond it and demonstrate how problems are systemic and significant.
“More collaboration” was the most frequently named response to the chal-
lenges facing social-justice advocacy identified in an Advocacy Initiative
study. % of organisations do work with others, and over two-thirds
rate this experience as positive. Policy-makers, while not always positive
about the diversity of organisations in the sector, identify particular value
in strong collaboration.
Animate: Be innovative and vibrant. When asked to name effective advo-
cacy strategies or campaigns, people within the sector and beyond identify
those with the capacity to be consistently energetic, and always to address
an issue creatively. Policy-makers emphasise the importance of being
engaging and fresh, and avoiding a feeling of stagnation or staleness.
It is possible to do strategic, participative, collaborative and imagina-
tive advocacy and still not effect social change. Social-justice advocates
do not rate the political system highly. % of organisations carrying out
advocacy believe it is difficult to get policy-makers to focus on the causes of
social problems. Only % agreed that policy decisions are underpinned
by hard evidence.
Questions remain about how social-justice advocacy will develop in the
future. How will this activity be regulated? How does state funding affect
independence? Does advocacy negatively affect state funding? Can we
develop better, stronger capacity within the sector? How will we measure
the impact of advocacy? Can we build new relationships with policy-mak-
ers and other stakeholders including trade unions and the media? Are
we operating in a changing political culture and how will this affect our
advocacy? The Advocacy Initiative will address these questions over the
next year.
Anna Visser is Director of The Advocacy Initiative, a three-year community and
voluntary sector project that promotes understanding, awareness and
anna visser
politics
Understanding groups that
lobby for justice
Success depends on strategy
84% of organisations
carrying out advocacy
policy-makers to focus
on the causes of social
problems
