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A Different Perspective
Hugo Twopeny
Advocacy has always been an uphill battle in the for-purpose sector. It’s notoriously difficult to gain traction, hold attention and build influence.
Right now it’s harder again. The foundations most organisations built their approach on are shifting faster than they can adapt.
There are more initiatives than ever seeking support and greater pressure on government funding as donor streams shift or diminish. At the same time, governments are becoming more discerning about who they fund and why, given the austere conditions they face.
For-purpose organisations have also been asked to do more with less. Meeting that challenge means approaching advocacy and funding with more precision than before.
This shift is as psychological as it is mechanical. By focusing on these three shifts, organisations can change how they engage, how they understand themselves and importantly, how effective they can be with stakeholders who matter.
Moving from a handout mindset to a hand-open one.
Treating brand positioning and reputation as critical priorities within their advocacy strategy.
Moving from aspirational, values-led positioning towards demonstrated credibility, a proven track record and a clear account of how support will lead to change.
So what does a hand-open mindset mean and why does it matter?
Governments are operating under greater constraints. There simply isn’t enough money to please everyone and there probably won’t be for some time.
In this environment, the strength of an organisation’s need won’t be enough to distinguish it. Those seeking influence via advocacy, whether through changing legislation, seeking funding or seeking access, should be asking one question before they begin:
What are we doing or solving for that contributes to the problems governments, stakeholders and institutions are trying to address?
Rather than simply asking how government can fund our cause or support us (hand out), a hand-open approach asks what value we can bring to the existing priorities of the stakeholders in our world.
This requires a deep understanding of the environments you are seeking to influence: the pressures they face, the trade-offs they’re making and how your issue fits within their world. It also requires clear thinking about what your organisation does, has or owns that could be valuable in the eyes of the stakeholders across from you.
The second focus is brand and reputation.
A strong brand is clear and distinct on who you are, what you’re solving for and what you’re working to achieve. When done well, its value shows up before you’re in the room and makes you recognisable, credible and worth backing. When your brand is unclear, you might get the meeting, but spend the first 20 minutes explaining who you are and why you matter.
Many treat meetings as the point. But a strong brand does its work before you arrive. By the time you sit down, those across the table have already done their research and formed a view on how you fit into their world.
The third shift is moving from aspiration to demonstration.
The for-purpose sector is often very good at describing the world it wants to create and what it’s solving for.
It’s often far less clear about what exactly needs to be done, how it fits into the current policy environment and what specific components of legislative change it’s seeking to shift.
Having a vision alone isn’t enough. You need to show the thinking behind the vision and help decision-makers understand that you’re not only coming with what they need, but with a credible pathway for how it will be implemented and why it matters to the government’s existing agenda.
Trust is increasingly built through what you’ve done, not what you say you can do. Organisations with a proven track record will be better placed to demonstrate their value and show a credible pathway between the future they describe and the actions required to reach it.
The organisations that can do this well are easier to trust, easier to support and easier to see as part of the solutions governments are trying to create.
Structural and strategic shifts matter, they’re underpinned by a psychological shift as well: moving away from what we can get towards what we can give and how we can create change that aligns with the interests of the world around us.
