Browse advocacy capacity tool Resources
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"A" Frame for Advocacy This publication defines six steps to an effective public policy advocacy effort:
- Analysis,
- Strategy,
- Mobilization,
- Action,
- Evaluation, and
- Continuity.
For each step, the tool offers key questions to be considered or actions to be taken. For example, in the second step, Strategy, one of the key actions is "Establish a working group to develop a strategy and plan activities."
Author: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 1, 1999
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ActionAid Update No. 3 The ActionAid Update newsletter series provides a summary of the impact of participatory policy work being undertaken by ActionAid, an international anti-poverty agency. The action research project was carried out over a period of three years in four countries: Brazil, Ghana, Nepal and Uganda. In each case, a research facilitator worked with 1-3 partner organizations to explore some of the challenges they were facing with their advocacy work. Author: ActionAid International Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Jul 1, 2003 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.71 MB) -
Advocacy & Policy Change Composite Logic Model and associated materials This collaborative work by more than 50 advocates, grantmakers, and evaluators offers a way to improve communication in the advocacy evaluation field by articulating common goals, outcomes, and indicators. Supplements to the Model include guiding questions, definitions, and samples based on hypothetical advocacy situations—one each for the intended "strategy" and "evaluation" uses of the Model. There is also an online tool based on the Model.
Author: Coffman, Julia, et al. Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Apr 1, 2007
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Advocacy Capacity Tool The Advocacy Capacity Tool (ACT) is for organizational assessment. ACT, released in May 2012, is a self-assessment tool that allows organizations of any size and issue area to gauge their advocacy skills, knowledge and abilities.
The Tool includes four sections of assessment, and gives users an individual scoring report as well as the ability to compare results with other organizations of similar size, issue area, and location.
Author: Bolder Advocacy (an initiative of Alliance for Justice) Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: May 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (719.51 KB) -
Advocacy Capacity Tool (ACT) Report: First 100 User Groups (Executive Summary) In September 2013, Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy Initiative released a report offering a glimpse into how nonprofit organizations view their capacity for public policy work. The report is based on data from the first 100 groups to complete AFJ’s online self-assessment tool, the Advocacy Capacity Tool.Author: Alliance for Justice Type: Research & Reports Date: Sep 1, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (703.04 KB) -
Advocacy Evaluation Update #10 In this issue:
ADVOCACY EVALUATION AND RIGOR - How to be Methodically Rigorous in the Field of Advocacy Evaluation By Lily Zandniapour and Kathy Brennan
PROFILES FROM THE FIELD - Dr. Paul Zeitz, The Global AIDS Alliance By Laura Ostenso
SPOTLIGHT A User’s Prospective on an Advocacy Evaluation Planning Tool from the Children’s Aid Society - By Moria Cappio and Melanie Reyes
EDITOR’S PICKS News, Events, and Resources
Author: Julia Coffman (ed.) Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Oct 1, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Download (425.54 KB) -
Advocacy Toolkit: Practical action in advocacy (Section C5, Evaluation) Part of Tearfund’s "Advocacy Toolkit" (Section C5) addresses advocacy evaluation. The section speaks generally about evaluation, differentiates between evaluation and monitoring, and proceeds to examine advocacy evaluation. The section also offers a tool for evaluating advocacy programs. Author: Tearfund Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2002
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AEA Presentation on Advocacy Progress Planner The following slides were presented on behalf of David Devlin-Foltz at the American Evaluation Association 2008 conference by Johanna Morariu of Innovation Network. This presentation provides a brief overview of Continuous Progress' Advocacy Progress Planner, which is available at www.continuousprogess.org.
The following resources were also presented during the same session at AEA:
Author: Devlin-Foltz, David; Weissburg, Josh Type: Presentation Slides Date: Jan 15, 2009 Be the first to review this resource! Download (782.5 KB) -
AEA Presentation: "Online Evaluation Resources: Knowledge Sharing for the Field" Sue Hoechstetter of Alliance for Justice presented the following slides at the American Evaluation Association 2008 conference. The presentation provides a brief overviews of AFJ's online tools for advocacy evaluation.
The following resources were also presented during the same session at AEA:
Author: Hoechstetter, Sue Type: Presentation Slides Date: Nov 5, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Download (8.09 MB) -
Alliance for Justice Advocacy Capacity Tool 2013: Public Aggregate Report In September 2013, Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy Initiative released a report offering a glimpse into how nonprofit organizations view their capacity for public policy work. The report is based on data from the first 100 groups to complete AFJ’s online self-assessment tool, the Advocacy Capacity Tool.Author: UW-Stout Applied Research Center Type: Research & Reports Date: Sep 1, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.76 MB) -
Anticipated Advocacy Outcomes Originally developed by Nader Tadros in 2001, this simple tool classifies outcomes into three stages: policy-focused, public involvement, and public empowerment. Author: Advocacy Institute Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Jan 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (40.7 KB) -
Assessing Capacity for Community Change Efforts: Learnings From an Adaptive Initiative (Presentation slides) Should community change efforts be focused on funding coalitions or funding a flexible group of community leaders? The Kansas Health Foundation has embraced a four-pronged community change model that targets community leaders as key agents of change within each of their funded communities. Author: Kat Athanasiades, Veena Pankaj, Deanna Van Hersh Type: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 17, 2013 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (682.32 KB) -
Assessing the Capacity of Community Coalitions to Advocate for Change (Presentation Handout) Research has shown that high-capacity coalitions are more successful in effecting community change. While a number of coalition assessment tools have been developed, documentation is scarce regarding how they are implemented, how the results are used, and whether they are predictive of coalition success in collaborative community change efforts.
Author: Veena Pankaj, Kat Athanasiades, Ann Emery, Johanna Morariu Type: Presentation Slides Date: May 22, 2013 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (377.49 KB) -
Background: Building Capacity for Public Policy Iniative The National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA) evaluated the Building Capacity for Public Policy (BCPP) project. The results of the evaluation are summarized in this newsletter. NCNA states that "the lessons learned are applicable to any nonprofit organization trying to focus their efforts, to evaluate their readiness to engage in or to enhance their public policy efforts." It offers eight indicators of capacity for state associations to effectively engage in public policy: Author: National Council of Nonprofit Associations Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Oct 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (549.21 KB) -
Coalition Assessment: Approaches for Measuring Capacity and Impact Why assess coalition capacity? How should a coalition be assessed? How can coalition assessment data be analyzed and used?
Author: Veena Pankaj, Kat Athanasiades, and Ann Emery Type: Research & Reports Date: Feb 4, 2014 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (768.05 KB) -
Continuous Progress: Better Advocacy Through Evaluation Continuous Progress is an online collection of planning and evaluation tools and services for advocates and funders. Continuous Progress "Strategic Services" is a consulting practice that provides planning, evaluation, and communications expertise. Their featured project, the "Advocacy Progress Planner," is an online tool based on the Advocacy & Policy Change Composite Logic Model (q.v.) The website also offers guides for domestic (U.S.) and global advocacy efforts. Author: Global Interdependence Initiative Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 1, 2006
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Evaluation Resource Guide This listing and description of resources has been developed to help Department staff evaluate and monitor the performance of Department programs. It also is intended to be useful for county staff and other service providers. Resources in the Guide range from evaluation manuals providing basic information to books with detailed information on specific topics such as logic models, data analysis or sampling. Also included are resources on identifying effective programs/best practices, evaluation standards, and contracting for evaluation.
Author: Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: May 1, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Download (223.14 KB) -
Gender and Poverty Project: Gender Analysis Tools Gender Analysis is a tool for examining the differences between the roles that women and men play, the different levels of power they hold, their differing needs, constraints and opportunities, and the impact of these differences on their lives.
This three-part Gender Analysis toolkit contains the following sections:
- Definitions
- Part I: The Basics
- Part II: Taking Steps to Do Gender Analysis in Our Communities
- Part III: Gender Analysis Tools
Author: Toby Goldberg Leong, Catherine Lang, and Marina Biasutti Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2005 Be the first to review this resource! Download (484.32 KB) -
Identify an Issue's Life Cycle Stage and the Next Steps for Advocates This one-page tool outlines six stages of an issue's development. For each stage of issue development, the tool offers characteristics of the issue, general next steps to take, and specific actions to support those next steps. Author: Advocacy Institute Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Sep 10, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (63.37 KB) -
Identify an Organization’s Life Cycle Stage and the Next Steps for Advocates This one-page tool describes six stages of organizational development and offers suggestions for actions advocates should consider at each stage. Author: Advocacy Institute Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Sep 10, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (110.5 KB) -
Keystone's Feedback App This free and easy web-based tool from Keystone Accountability is a simple way of getting anonymous feedback from your partners on what they really think about your work. The application starts by asking you to choose from a standard list of questions, such as "How strongly would you recommend [your organization] to a colleague or friend?" Answers are on a scale of 1 to 10 or open-ended. You can also add questions. Next, you provide a list of respondents to receive the short survey. Keystone keeps data anonymous and confidential. Author: Keystone Accountability Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Oct 31, 2009 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Online Outreach Tools Guide This quick-reference guide from Cause Communications is for those considering how to use the Internet and online tools to further their policy change agenda. Demystifying "high-tech" terms, the guide takes a high-level look at Web 2.0 tools like wikis, blogs, social networking sites, and Twitter, and their relative strengths and weaknesses for achieving different communications and policy objectives. The guide also suggests quantitative and qualitative metrics to use with each tool. Author: Cause Communications Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Oct 27, 2009 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (223.04 KB) -
Smart Chart 3.0 Spitfire Strategies produced Smart Chart (now in version 3.0) as "a tool to help nonprofits make smart communications choices." This free online tool is built around a chart with five "strategic decision sections":
Author: Spitfire Strategies Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Feb 1, 2004
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Strategic Communications Audits This Issue Brief, a Working Brief from the Communication Consortium Media Center's Media Evaluation Project, explains how a nonprofit organization can conduct an analysis of its communications efforts in the areas of Strategy, Implementation, and Support and Alignment. The Issue Brief can also be used as a tool, as it includes a table relating Essential Strategic Communications Practices and their corresponding Quality Criteria/Standards. Additionally, there is an organizational "Practice Maturity Scale" to assist a nonprofit in determining its level of communications expertise. Author: Coffman, Julia Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2004
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The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Strategies for a Prospective Evaluation Approach This publication begins with an overview of the advocacy evaluation field, noting challenges to evaluating advocacy, the current state of advocacy evaluation, and guiding principles for policy change evaluation. The report goes on to outline a "prospective evaluation approach" which (in contrast to a retrospective approach) allows evaluation to become a management and planning tool. The prospective advocacy evaluation approach involves four steps:
Author: Blueprint Research & Design Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Oct 1, 2006
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