Hello, and welcome to day two!
Today I am interested in specific tools for measuring success of advocacy initiatives in the global south. Feel free to answer one or both of these questions, thank you!
- What have you asked activists to do to measure the success of their campaigns?
- What kind of resources for evaluation of advocacy campaigns in the global south have you used or pointed your grantees towards?
I have a related follow up to something David said yesterday: "despite the long delay in seeing the legislation actually approved, I already see the campaign as something of a success." This is common- the long term nature of policy change. I am interested in resources and tools you have found useful in making the connection between the work you support and the shorter term situation and outcomes given ultimate goal not yet in play or in sight.
Yes you did provide some great resources yesterday! And yes we have also had many discussions of how very long term the outcomes of advocacy campaigns can be.
The short answer is that I don't ask partners a lot of questions about measuring their success! Mainly because achieving success is usually such a long-term endeavor as opposed to the timeframe of the proposal and the grant, which tends to be short-term even when it is a two or three-year grant ... Occasionnally, as mentioned before, there is an advocacy win in the form of a piece of legislation or a case won in court, but in the big picture much more is required to make a real difference.
Thinking about tools, opinion polls are one thing some partners are using to get a feel of the views of the general public on certain issues, and whether positions have evolved. In terms of campaigning and communications, I usually ask about numbers - how many views of a video clip, how many followers on social media. But that's not the same as measuring what change and impact will result from the campaign.
I'd be keen to hear what others' experiences are.
Thank you Soheila! Yes as others have stated the policy change goals are so long term that they are impossible to track during a regular grant cycle. It sounds like you have used some measures for tracking public opinion and engagement with a campaign, which is an outcome as well, if not the ultimate change you are looking for.
Have you seen any of your partners come up with their own measures of success during their campaigns?
Hi, opinion polls sound like a big undertaking. Can you give an example of who has used them, who did the actual polling and briefly what is involved? We support work in areas where this could be useful component for a learning agenda.
I would also be interested in details of how this works, thanks!
I came across two examples of opinion polls over the past few months, and you're right that they were big undertakings. In both cases, the organization actually worked with a polling company (the polls were about the use of drones and how did the public opinion and political parties feel about it), and I think that came at a cost. I am not sure if these companies, like advertising companies, are sometimes willing to work pro bono. But resorting to their expertise helped ensure it was done correctly and efficiently in terms of the question grids, sampling, presentation of the findings.
I saw this comment from Irit from yesterday about her process for gathering data from grantees that is relevant to today's discussion -
Thanks for the question, and the discussion. At AJWS we have in-country staff and consultants. They often come from the movements our grantees are engaged in. They provide grantees with we call 'accompaniment', which includes a broad range of tailored, needs-based support. They know our grantees work well. As part of their work, they also document and report on progress in a narrative form on an annual basis. These staff and consultants along with our Program Officers are providing the information, reaching out to grantees as needed. We developed this tool as a complement to our other reporting, that provides qualitative progress updates on how the movements and communities are coming together and advancing their issues.
Irit, to comment on your note here - would you be willing to share with group the reporting tool (or parts of it) that your in-country staff and consultants use for gathering this data? It sounds like it has worked very well for you to gather data that you need! (in combination with the right people administering it)
Of course. The reporting tool, which we call the Outcome Monitoring Form, is currently being revised. The form itself is being simplified, but the process will be more structured. I am happy to share the first iteration as well as the revised version. I am also happy to share the mapping tool, and would welcome feedback. We have rolled it out, but anticipate staff updates each year. This will provide us with an opportunity to make minor modifications.
I would love to see the first iteration, and the mapping tool, as I'm sure others would as well. It sounds like your tools have some concepts in common with outcome mapping, which is another method we have been looking into. Thank you!
In response to today’s questions – sorry for my delayed input today! We try to minimize our asks of grantee partners beyond their proposal and annual report on progress. We also recognize that the change they seek is something to which the constellation of our grantee partners and many others contribute. We really rely on our in country staff and consultants for measurement. These colleagues and our Program Officers provide grantee partners with accompaniment, including relevant resources. Resources are usually understood broadly, and include facilitating introductions to other organizations and/or stakeholders, peer exchanges / learning opportunities, capacity building grants, etc. I’m actually not sure which written or digital resources are shared, but I will see what I can find out…
Thank you that would be great!
Advocacy Accelerator is worth a look (advocacyaccelerator.org). I was involved in some conversations during the planning phase and was not sure they'd gain traction. However, the website seems useful, they have implemented a series of webinars and there was a job description posted on Pelican yesterday that focuses on curriculum development and facilitation. So they seem to be emerging as a viable educator/trainer/coach around advocacy and advocacy evaluation.
Thank you Jackie, yes I have looked at the Advocacy Accelerator a bit as well. It looks like they are building some momentum in the field. They could be a potential partner in what we are building as well.
A few additional responses I wanted to add regarding how we measure our work: