Strategic planning can mean the difference between a campaign that flops and a campaign that achieves its aims. Learn how to plan your campaign strategically with this deck from WAN! You can learn more strategic advocacy in our Strategic Advocacy Course, available (for free!) from http://worldanimal.net/our-programs/strategic-advocacy-course-new/about

1. Strategic Planning
for Advocacy
Module 2

2. Defining Strategy
“Strategy is the pattern of activities to be
followed by an organization in pursuit of
its long-term purpose’. In simple terms:
 Where we are now
 Where we want to go
and
 How we intend to get
there

3. So What is Advocacy
Strategy?
The pattern of activities in advocacy strategy
include:
Ways of working effectively, given the
opportunities and challenges of the
environment
The allocation of a set of available resources
by the organization
Managing the network of relationships
between stakeholders
Using tailored messages to persuade target
audiences

4. Advocacy can be complicated…
But a well-focused and defined
strategy can simplify things by
providing a ‘route map’

5. "The secret of getting ahead is getting
started. The secret of getting started is
breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks
into small manageable tasks, then starting
on the first one.”
Mark Twain
The Secret!

6. Start with your Vision
Firm up your ideas of what you
want to achieve through your
advocacy
Kick off when deciding on your
issue
Finalize when issue solutions are
agreed
Use participatory and creative
techniques to develop a
common sense of purpose and
commitment

7. Next do your Strategic
Analysis
Main areas that need to be analyzed:
The issue
Environmental analysis (external situation)
Organizational analysis (the internal
situation, e.g. - skills, resources and other
plans). Include your ‘organizational niche’
Stakeholder analysis (e.g. allies,
competitors, adversaries and targets)
Risk analysis

8. There is more about the
research needed for strategic
analysis in Module 3

9. Issue
The choice of policy issue should be based on
thorough analysis, including:
Your organization’s programme priorities
Your organizations knowledge and
experience
The policy environment
Current threats and opportunities
Whether others are already working on it
(don’t duplicate, but consider potential
collaborations)
Potential animal welfare benefits
Likelihood of success

10. External Analysis
Analysis of the policy environment is vital in
advocacy
Both your own country’s and...
The international animal welfare policy
environment
A good understanding of the ‘drivers of
(policy) change’ helps you to focus your
strategy
 A force field analysis is an effective way of
analyzing the drivers (and restraining
factors) for policy change

11. Advocacy Targets
Targets are the people who you may wish
to influence
Primary (or priority) targets are those with
the ability to affect your objective(s)
directly
Secondary targets are those who can
influence primary targets
As well as who to target, you need to
decide the best channel for reaching
them, and how to target messages in ways
that achieve your advocacy objectives
The advocacy tools will help with this

12. Potential Collaboration
Explore potential partners and ways of joint
working
There is more about this in Module 4 –
Networking and Alliances
And more on the WAN web site (Our
Programs/Collaborations)
It’s not just about finding the right
collaborators, but also about the best way in
which to collaborate
Don’t ‘reinvent the wheel’ if there
are existing alliances

13. Then Your Strategic
Choice
Strategic choice is about:
Identifying your options
Evaluating these options and
Selecting a strategy
Hopefully a winning strategy!

14. The Strategy Process
1. Strategic
Analysis
2. Strategic
Choice
3. Strategic
Implementation
Stakeholder analysis:
Other players, allies,
opponents, potential
targets
Environmental analysis
External
Organizational skills
and resources analysis
Internal
Organization
structure and
changes
Planning &
allocating
resources
Project
Management
Managing/educating
stakeholders
Selecting a
strategy
Identifying
options
Evaluating
options
This is an overview of the strategy process – with
implementation included: Putting your advocacy
strategy into action... So it doesn’t stay on paper!

15. Elements of Advocacy
Strategy
Your advocacy strategy should include:
Overall strategic goal (or aim)
Objectives – Clear and focused (& SMART – Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-bound)
Indicators
Key ‘asks’
How and when you will achieve your strategy – the
Action Plan (Including activities and expected
outcomes, responsibilities and timings, monitoring &
evaluation)
Budget

16. “Strategy is the Great Work of the
organization
In situations of life or death, it is the Tao of
survival or extinction
Its study cannot be neglected”
-Sun Tzu’s Classic ‘The Art of War’
(Written about 480-221 BC)
The Great Work