By Jane Thurlow, Ethicore Associate
A couple of weeks on from Business Fights Poverty Oxford, we’ve been reflecting on the discussion we curated with our insightful panel and The Partnering Initiative at the Advocacy Partnership Zone. Our panel had some clear directions on what was needed next for more impactful advocacy partnerships.
Contributors acknowledged the scale of the challenge to deliver the SDG’s can only be achieved through collaboration between companies, civil society and governments. While agreeing that new models of partnerships are evolving, many felt more is required for advocacy collaborations to achieve greater clarity of purpose and impact. Six directions emerged from the discussion:
1.INVEST IN DATA AND EVIDENCE TO BUILD THE CASE INSIDE AND OUT
- Prioritise data and analysis upfront to build a robust partnership and clear advocacy asks
- Use evidence to promote shared understanding of the problem to solve, promote shared priorities and encourage trust
- Underpin external advocacy with empirical data for more influence with policy makers
2.AGREE CLEAR OBJECTIVES
- The most effective partnerships start from a sense of shared purpose, built on common goals:
- Identify the problem/challenge to address
- Build on data and evidence for robust, non partisan goals (see the case for data and evidence above)
- Establish clear partnership aims and principles to align with objectives and guide activities
- Break down long term policy goals to measurable targets and milestones to build agency and facilitate M & E (see effective impact measurement)
3.FOCUS PARTNERS FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT
- Be clear on the agency and potential for impact of both partners, using the strength of different voices collaboratively and independently:
- Companies have traction to influence government and advocate for responsible practices with sector peers
- NGOs provide an authentic external voice to spotlight issues and raise awareness, for advocacy rooted in the experiences of communities on the ground
- Be clear on the strengths of each partner and clarify targets and activities accordingly
4.EMBED CLEAR ‘REMIT TO OPERATE’
- Internal tensions within organisations can hamper the progress of advocacy partnerships. Conflict can exist between advocacy goals and commercial purposes in businesses; civil society can experience tension between programme, advocacy and funding objectives. Both require clear frameworks and governance to ensure engagement and follow through in their organisations.
- Ensure clear governance structure in organisations for advocacy partnerships
- In companies: designate accountability to an advocacy lead/group to consult and explore differences within organisation, agree framework and ensure approaches/policies are embedded
- Involve key internal teams (e.g. procurement) to ensure consistency between internal policies and practices and external advocacy goals
- In INGOs: establish cross functional working groups to agree framework, principles and approaches for partnership
- Consult with cross functional leads to ensure alignment within campaigning, programming and fundraising
5.EFFECTIVE IMPACT MEASUREMENT
- Recognising that policy makers respond to evidence, the need to develop more effective impact measurement is called for to define what success looks like for advocacy outcomes:
- Embed monitoring and evaluation into day-to-day partnership activities
- Use social and business measures for maximum traction internally and externally
- Engage in cross partner experimentation and dialogue to establish effective measures for behaviour change in companies
6.BUILD MORE CASE STUDIES FOR INFLUENCE
- Business Fights Poverty’s excellent report on advocacy partnerships, Advocating Together for the SDGs, identifies 8 influential case studies of advocacy partnerships as exemplars to stimulate multi-sectoral advocacy to advance the SDGS. The momentum is now on to create more case studies to engage and build learning:
- Use case studies to short-cut policy arguments, highlight issues and connect emotionally with decision makers
- Provide concrete examples of advocacy outcomes and successes
- Anchor to clear advocacy asks/recommendations
We’d love to hear more thoughts on what next for advocacy partnerships – let’s keep the discussion going, share your thoughts @ethicore #advocacy partnerships.
