Engagements with opinion formers

Demonstrates the reach and influence of your advocacy work through the number of important opinion formers (influential stakeholders) you have met or engaged with. Important opinion formers or influential stakeholders are people able to shape policy, practice, research agenda, public opinion or discourse around the issues you are advocating on in your context, for example through their position in politics, the media, the church, business, third sector. Meetings or events could be ones you have hosted, or simply ones you have attended where you have had some influence / voice.

Keep a tally - add up all opinion formers at any one meeting or engagement.
Engagements can include personal meetings, email exchanges, events, submission of policy proposals, and other forms of engagement where the advocated topic is discussed. 

You may wish to disaggregate by 'new' and 'existing' contacts, or by the type of opinion formers, the type of engagement, and other criteria relevant to the context and focus of the intervention, but only if this is useful for your own monitoring, evaluation and learning purposes.

Complement the value of this indicator with qualitative information on the outcomes of the 'engagements', such as what insights were gained, what was agreed, subsequent support provided by the opinion former towards the advocacy initiative, etc.