Strategic opportunities utilised with decision makers

Indicator Phrasing

Number of strategic advocacy and influencing opportunities utilised with decision makers

Indicator Phrasing

INDICATOR PHRASING: Number of strategic advocacy and influencing opportunities utilised with decision makers

What is its purpose?

We want to identify strategic decision makers and influence them in collaboration with the colleagues, partners, churches and communities that we work with. This indicator seeks to measure the number of strategic advocacy and influencing opportunities utilised with decision makers, including ones that have taken place in coalition with others, and in conjunction with the colleagues, partners, churches and communities that we work with. For this indicator, you should only count ‘strategic’ opportunities utilised. By 'strategic', we mean opportunities that have the potential to result in meaningful progress towards the achievement of your advocacy objectives.

How to Collect and Analyse the Required Data

Count the number of strategic advocacy and influencing opportunities with decision makers utilised. In the narrative, briefly describe each of these strategic advocacy and influencing opportunities with decision makers. Where possible, explain why the opportunity was significant and what the outcome was - for example, did the decision maker take a step forward on the policy issue being raised?

You should only count ‘strategic’ opportunities utilised. By 'strategic', we mean opportunities that have the potential to result in meaningful progress towards the achievement of your advocacy objectives. You do not need to count every single meeting or email exchange that took place. 

 

In some cases, the 'strategic opportunity' may consist of a series of smaller engagements that together have the potential to result in progress towards a particular policy or practice change. For example, a series of roundtable discussions with a decision maker about a particular policy issue. You should generally count this as one single advocacy and influencing opportunity, unless each separate discussion resulted in a significant step forward by the decision maker.

 

Examples of influencing strategic decision makers activities could include:

Lobbying:

- Influence changes in national government policies and practices.

- Support partners, colleagues, churches and communities to influence changes in national government policies and practices.

- Amplify the voices of partners, colleagues, churches and communities by bringing their causes and issues before global and regional decision makers.

- Amplify the voices of partners, colleagues, churches and communities, who are impacted by humanitarian crises, before the UK government or another overseas government that has the potential to make decisions that will positively benefit their local or national context.

 

Relationship Building:

- Advocate as part of strategic coalitions, including in strategic leadership roles.

- Build and influence relationships with strategic advocacy stakeholders, government donors and peer agencies.

 

Convening Spaces for Advocacy:

- Enable church denominations, church mother bodies and peer agencies to collaborate on joint national advocacy.

- Enable public policy makers to meet with partners and colleagues.

- Facilitate forums for church denominations to create joint public policy position statements on issues of national interest.

 

Conference Platforms:

- Attend and speak at strategic conferences being attended by Heads of State and other influential decision makers.

Disaggregate by

This indicator does not tend to be disaggregated.

Important Comments

This indicator seeks to capture a broad range of advocacy and influencing opportunities, provided they are 'strategic', that is, have the potential for meaningful steps forward by the decision maker. An advocacy and influencing opportunity can be in the form of, for example, a meeting, an event you have hosted or where you were able to use your voice / influence, or a written submission such as a report / briefing / letter.

This guidance was prepared by Tearfund ©

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