Description

ADVOCACY is the act of providing information about an issue that concerns you and organizing support for your cause. Anyone can participate in advocacy, including individuals and nonprofits.

Advocacy attempts to cause political action, using methods such as civic education and public campaigns, in order to influence decision makers. Advocacy describes a method or approach used to: change policies and practices; the reform of institutions; change power relations; changing attitudes and behaviors; gives a wider impact.

LOBBYING is when you take a position on a specific piece of legislation and is the most direct form of advocacy.

Lobbying is limited to describing direct efforts to influence policy makers, public officials, or other decision makers through personal interviews and persuasion. However, some people use the term interchangeably with advocacy, and to them it covers all attempts to directly or indirectly influence any government policy, practice, or activity, and includes any attempt to influence legislators, their staff, official’s civilians and members of regulatory bodies’ agencies.
The goals of advocacy and lobbying are similar, but the processes are different

DETERMINING ADVOCACY TACTICS

There are several important factors to consider for successful advocacy. The first is to determine the goal you wish to achieve with your advocacy. This will inform the steps that follow. The next step is to identify the proper target of your advocacy efforts. Determining who you are representing will shape the type of message you present. If advocating or lobbying on behalf of an organization, you may need to keep specific records of your activity. Once you have identified your audience and the message you wish to convey, there are several ways to advocate with government officials and their staff (Brooke Schipporeit, 2021; 1)