"Written by two practitioners with deep professional experience, this book introduces readers to public interest communications, which takes an evidence-based approach to using strategic communications to drive positive social change. Each chapter includes accessible, applicable insights, exercises
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and real-world examples undergirded by theories and research from a range of academic disciplines: social and cognitive science, communications, systems thinking and human-centered design. The authors provide step-by-step frameworks for practicing public interest communications and illustrate each framework with multiple perspectives through practitioner interviews. Through a focus on fairness and ethics, the book helps readers acquire the mindset of a public interest communicator. This book is an ideal resource for students in strategic communications, health and environmental communications, public relations, journalism, social entrepreneurship, political science and advertising, and in public interest communication courses specifically, who wish to promote lasting change on issues that advance the greater good. Accompanying online materials include worksheets and links to further resources such as videos and podcasts." (Publisher description)
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"The purpose of the training manual is to increase knowledge, skills, confidence and build the capacity of citizens and civil society organizations on evidence-based advocacy, and data driven advocacy. Through a combination of praxis and complementary activities, trainees will have an enhanced compr
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ehension of the key dimensions of advocacy and how to ensure effective advocacy with evidence-based data." (Introduction)
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"The pathway to securing change through advocacy may not be very clear - mainly because you don’t have control over those you are seeking to influence or the political processes through which they operate. So it’s good to develop a strategy that can act as a kind of `road map’. The development
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of a strategy will also help ensure that members of your coalition or organisation and those affected by the issue are following the same map! Sometimes advocates waste time reacting to political events that may be only tangentially connected to the change they are trying to secure. The development of a strategy will help ensure that those involved are proactive and strategic, rather than just reactive." (Page 7)
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"Inclusive advocacy is mindful of the impact of its goals and objectives on all members of society and ensures that those directly impacted are adequately represented. Strong and inclusive advocacy campaigns build commitment and a cohesive vision among those involved and speak with a strong and unit
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ed voice. Effective inclusive advocacy requires taking the time and investing resources into how you will reach, collaborate, and influence each of your audiences. Inclusive advocacy is critical in building relationships and credibility in order to have buy-in of the communities affected for longterm sustainability." (Page 1)
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"Your goals should always follow the SMART heuristic: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-Bound. From that list you can see how “fixing everything that’s wrong in the world,” though noble, isn’t a SMART goal. Instead you’ll want something far more manageable, like stopping a
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single bill from passing in a specific vote or enacting a new policy by a specific date. SMART goals are incredibly important when planning grassroots advocacy campaigns. Because the main actors in grassroots advocacy campaigns are regular people instead of nonprofit or advocacy professionals, they need specific guidance, reinforcement, and measurable benchmarks to stay on track. Without breaking down your goals into attainable steps and tackling them one at a time, your grassroots supporters will get discouraged by the lack of visible progress." (Page 5)
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"[...] this toolkit aims to support civil society generally, while explicitly accommodating the needs and contexts of the local partners that work with the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation. In this sense, it pays particular attention to creating and sharing advocacy campaigns
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that amplify the voices of survivors and address the holistic needs of communities emerging from conflict. This toolkit also offers suggestions for navigating complications that are common in post-conflict settings, including security concerns and taboos around discussing painful histories. Intended as a concise guide, it provides general advice on developing, implementing, and launching advocacy campaigns. The toolkit is made available alongside a range of images that were designed in partnership with Amplifier, a nonprofit design lab that builds art and media experiments to amplify the most important movements of our times." (About this toolkit)
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"SMART Advocacy has enabled many individuals and groups, from grassroots organizations to global fora, create effective advocacy that fuels progress. It is based on years of experience in developing and carrying out successful advocacy strategies. It is both practical and transformational. The SMART
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Advocacy approach focuses on what you can achieve in a short time—setting a SMART, near-term objective and determining how best to achieve an “advocacy win.” The approach is designed for a group of like-minded advocates, whether in a small, informal group or in a larger, more formal coalition. The process consists of nine steps divided into three phases. This guide takes you through these steps and provides customizable tools to help you plan concrete, specific actions tailored to your issue and environment. Along the way, you will make essential strategic choices so that, by the end, you will have an evidence-driven strategy and a SMART objective that everyone involved can take forward confidently. Repeating the process to forge a chain of related advocacy wins can lead to policy decisions that achieve your ultimate goal." (Page 2)
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"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
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their practices have largely escaped empirical and theoretical grounding that could better root their work in established theories of policy change. The first book of its kind, Nonprofits in Policy Advocacy bridges this gap by connecting real practices of on-the-ground policy advocates with the burgeoning academic literature in policy studies. In the process, it empirically identifies six distinct policy advocacy strategies, and their accompanying tactics, used by nonprofits. Case studies tell the stories of how advocates apply these strategies in a wide variety of issues including civil rights, criminal justice, education, energy, environment, public health, public infrastructure, and youth." (Publisher description)
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