Toolbox Campaigning, Advocacy, PR

Digital Citizenship Toolkit
Key Guidance

Nalaka Gunawardene (ed.)

MinorMatters;National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (2020), xiv, 185 pp.

"This Digital Citizenship Toolkit (DCT) is an attempt to introduce key concepts related to digital citizenship while taking into account the local socio-economic realities, technology adoption patterns, societal actions and other considerations. For young people, in particular, the demarcation betwe ... more

Evaluating Hashtag Activism: Examining the Theoretical Challenges and Opportunities of #BlackLivesMatter

Diana Zulli

Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, volume 17, issue 1 (2020), pp. 197-216

"This paper argues for the reexamination of hashtag activism from the theoretical frameworks of liveness and appropriation. Scholarly discussions of online activism have, for the most part, focused on if and how technology revolutionizes social and political movements. Going in a different direction ... more

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Nonprofits in Policy Advocacy: Their Strategies and Stories

Sheldon Gen, Amy Conley Wright

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2020), xxviii, 238 pp.

"Policy advocacy is an increasingly important function of many nonprofit organizations, as they seek broad social changes in their concerning issues. Their advocacy practices, however, have often been guided by their own past experiences, anecdotes from peer networks, and consultant advice. Most of ... more

Construire une stratégie de plaidoyer: De l'analyse au suivi-évaluation. Boîte à outils à destination des organisations de la société civile

Anaïs Saint-Gal, Marine Gauthier

Paris: Sidaction (2020), 75 pp.

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Advocacy in restricted spaces: A toolkit for civil society organizations
Key Guidance

Inspiring Practice

Danya Greenfield

Lifeline Fund for Embattled CSOs;Freedom House (2020), 46 pp.

"There are many valuable resources on how to conduct advocacy that provide a detailed, step-by-step approach. These approaches include best practices for identifying stakeholders, developing a message, or planning a timeline. We will not go deeply into these topics, but we do want to provide an intr ... more

Conseils pratiques: Les étapes d’un plaidoyer efficace

EuroMed Rights (2020), 13 pp.

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Monitoring Advocacy Activities

Nigel Simister, Jenny Ross

INTRAC (2020), 5 pp.

"Most advocacy work is carried out in complex environments where there are many different influences on change. This has important consequences for how objectives and indicators are developed. CSOs need to understand the immediate and short-term changes resulting from different advocacy activities i ... more

Harnessing the Power of Social Media: Digital Disruption of Human Trafficking in Lithuanian Communities;Socialines žiniasklaidos Svarba: Kova Su Prekyba žmonemis Skaitmenineje Erdveje Lietuviu Bendruomenese

London: Stop the Traffik;Humankind Research (2020), 24 pp.

"During 2019, together with key Lithuanian partners KOPŽI and Missing Persons Families Support Centre, we developed and implemented a prevention campaign to raise awareness of the labour exploitation of Lithuanian people in the UK or those considering travelling to the UK to find work. The campaign ... more

Migration and Communication: Information and Awareness-Raising Campaigns in Countries of Origin and Transit. Austrian National EMN Conference 2019 Briefing Paper

Vienna: European Migration Network, National Contact Point Austria (2020), 6 pp.

"Information and awareness-raising campaigns for (potential) migrants in third countries constitute a central element of current migration strategies, both at the European and national level. However, little is known about the impact of these campaigns and how they influence migratory behaviour. Inf ... ormation and behaviour change: In light of these limitations, we can learn from findings of rigorous evaluations in other fields, such as behavioural economics, and apply those to how information and awareness-raising can influence behaviour. Therefore, information and awareness-raising campaigns must be built on a contextual understanding of how people form beliefs and expectations and how these are transformed into decisions. Randomized evaluations: Researchers, donors, EU Institutions and Member States are increasingly aware of the importance of creating rigorous evidence and using this evidence to inform policy decisions. To isolate the impact of information and awareness-raising campaigns on migratory behaviour, randomized evaluations are being implemented by some selected researchers and institutions. Lessons learned: Evaluations presented during the conference indicate that peer-to-peer information campaigns have the potential to raise awareness about the risks and opportunities associated with migration. Another example shows that information on the chances of obtaining a legal status in Europe impacts the inclination to migrate. Rigorous evaluations also shed light on how information campaigns compare against other policy interventions, such as providing economic opportunities at the local level. Most evaluations find that migrants and potential migrants respond to reliable and trustworthy information. Social networks: Beside rigorours evidence, which is still rare, qualitative evaluations suggest that campaigns should be built on trust: this can be achieved by using personal or peer-to-peer communication channels, a positive narrative, and messages of legal alternatives rather than deterrence. Finally, in order to create contextappropriate messages and to identify the right target group, diaspora communities and local experts are important stakeholders in the design and implementation of campaigns." (Main take-aways, page 2) more

Keeping Girls in the Picture: Community Radio Toolkit
Key Guidance

Paris: UNESCO (2020), 41 pp.

"We hope this toolkit will support you in creating exciting and memorable content for community radio programmes wherever you are. This toolkit contains the messages and facts from the global campaign. It has not been tailored for any specific region, country or area. We count on you to consider how ... more

Countering Cyberhate Against Roma: A Toolkit for Civil Society Organizations and Activists

Marco Cadena, Zsófia Farkas, Nicole Garbin

Budapest: Minority Rights Group Europe (2020), 51 pp.

"In Chapter 1, the international and European legal frameworks are outlined with a focus on the existing definitions of hate speech and current freedom of expression safeguards, the challenges posed by online hate speech, the role of IT companies in addressing these issues, and possible ways to resp ... more

Creating Change Through Digital Communities: How RNW Media's Digital Platforms Impact Young People's Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour

Hilversum: RNW Media (2020), 34 pp.

"The Theories of Change for both Citizens’ Voice [a programme focusing on social cohesion and inclusive governance] and the SRHR programme (which includes Love Matters [delivering information and media on love, sex and relationships to 18-30-year-olds]) contain a key assumption that through provid ... more

Behavioral Science Tips for COVID-19 Communications

Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU);University of Pennsylvania, Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics;Ideas42.org (2020), 2 pp.

"Human behavior plays a central role in reducing the spread of coronavirus. Communication by government entities and other trusted sources about desirable or mandated behaviors during the pandemic is critical. As policymakers, funders, and program staff, it is our responsibility to ensure that commu ... more

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M&E of Advocacy

Jenny Ross, Nigel Simister

INTRAC (2020), 6 pp.

"Monitoring and evaluating advocacy work involves unique challenges. These can usually be overcome provided expectations are realistic. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation carried out during advocacy interventions should enhance and support real-time decision-making. Advocacy evaluations should includ ... more

How to Perform Impact Assessments: Key Steps for Assessing Communication Interventions

James Dennison

International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD);EUROMED Migration (2020), 29 pp.

"This report brings together disparate terminology, findings and recommendations from the private and public sectors and academia to synthesise a set of five general steps for practitioners when performing impact assessments. Impact assessment (IA) compares a variable of interest after an interventi ... on (e.g. a communication campaign) to what it would it be if that intervention had never happened. Accompanying each of the five steps are examples of how migration communicators can assess the impact of campaigns to, first, change attitudes and, second, change behaviour. Step 1: Set objectives for the intervention that define what the desired effect is. Ideally, this should (1) meet the SMART criteria of specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timebound; (2) focus on ultimate outcomes, rather than only outputs; (3) avoid a number of common mistakes in setting objectives and (4) carefully consider what the—as specific as possible— target audience is. Step 2: Identify a measure of the impact(s) that the intervention has as its objective. These should be (1) clearly defined and unambiguous; (2) externally valid (they act reliably if used for other interventions) and (3) internally valid (they measure what they claim to measure). There already exist long-lists of measures (also known as indicators) to choose from. Step 3: Estimate what would have happened had there been no intervention, known as a ‘counterfactual’. Ideally, but not necessarily, this requires performing a pre-intervention measurement, also known as baseline assessment. However, this is not always possible. This should not dissuade practitioners but instead assumptions of any IA, as discussed below, should be made openly. A long list of methods for measurement, including sampling considerations, are provided. Step 4: Perform the intervention. This may involve separating a randomised sample into a treatment group(s)—that receives the intervention(s)—and a control group—that does not. If this is not feasible, other forms of counterfactual are possible that ‘construct’ a control group. This section also overviews: (1) types of communication campaigns; (2) the MINDSPACE checklist of behavioural influences for interventions; (3) key recommendations on persuasive interventions from ICMPD’s previous work; (4) recommendations on campaigns deterring irregular migration. Step 5: Post-intervention measurement and analysis: (1) those receiving the intervention should be measured post-intervention (ideally, as well as, either a genuine or constructed control group); (2) the impact must be calculated: usually the difference in the variable of interest pre- and post-intervention and/or between the treatment and control group; (3) theoretical consideration of why and what aspect of the campaign caused an impact; are the findings likely to be universalizable?; (4) creation (and, in some cases, incorporation) of recommendations based on combination of impact and theoretical considerations." (Executive summary) more

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Disability: Out in the Open. A Handbook for Civil Society Organisations Seeking to Promote the Best Interests of Disabled People
Key Guidance

Mike Jempson (comp.)

Media Diversity Institute;Macedonian Institute for Media;National Council of Persons with Disability Organizations of Macedonia (NSIOM) (2020), 78 pp.

"This handbook aims at helping Macedonian CSOs that work with people with disabilities to deal with some of the challenges they face on daily basis: the absence of quality reporting on people with disabilities; the perception of people with disabilities which is often burdened with negative stereoty ... more

Media Advocacy Toolkit

USAID (2020), 62 pp.

"You are about to embark on a journey of discovery. Within this toolkit you will find explanations, tips, examples from Sri Lanka and the world — everything you need to upgrade and enhance your own advocacy campaigns. The content has been adapted from a variety of sources, to illustrate best pract ... more

Digital Advocacy Toolkit
Key Guidance

Neema Iyer

Kampala: Pollicy (2020), 23 pp.

"To conduct digital advocacy effectively, one needs to have a clear plan in mind, a good understanding of the target audience, and a clear picture of the intended results. Explore our digital advocacy toolkit for effective and efficient digital advocacy campaigns." (https://pollicy.org)

How to perform impact assessments: Key steps for assessing communication interventions [Arabic]

James Dennison

International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD);EUROMED Migration (2020), 26 pp.