Top skills to succeed in global development advocacy

The role of advocacy is cross-cutting in global development, and critical to organizations in securing funding, shaping programs and creating sustainable change. While specific mandates vary from one organization to another, advocacy professionals are focused on influencing decisions within political, economic and social systems to better support their organization’s mission and benefit stakeholders. Global development organizations can be engaged in advocacy at a local, national or international level and often have positions dedicated to these efforts. Inge Brees, senior European Union advocacy officer at CARE International, heads up the organization's advocacy in Brussels and focuses on influencing policies at an EU level. However, she says that in practice, the nature of advocacy as a cross-cutting issue means people often wear multiple hats — country directors, for example, who are responsible for program management might also practice advocacy to some extent through discussions with local authorities and in ensuring civil society space for their partners to work. Whether it is your full time job or only a portion of your role, succeeding as a global development advocate requires the smart use of soft skills. Here is what advocacy experts say are the top skills you should hone. Learn to listen The ability to listen — to local communities, staff in the field or other stakeholders — is a fundamental skill for advocacy, critical to developing your understanding of issues and the potential challenges you face in creating change. Michelle Thulkanam, communications and advocacy officer at the World Health Organization Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, explained that listening forms the basis for any arguement. “Listen to what your partners are talking about and know what are the key issues. There is no use talking about something when it’s not on the radar for policy makers or the community, it has to be relevant to them, so listen to what the key issues are, then link it to what’s in the news or the media,” Thulkanam explained. Team work “Like all great successes, advocacy depends on teamwork,” says Aftab Alim Khan, international advocacy and policy manager with ActionAid International, who is based in Islamabad and coordinates with his colleagues across Africa and Asia on advocacy issues in those regions. Khan stressed the importance of working with other units and members of the organization to strategize together. Thulkman agreed that teamwork is extremely important, particularly in working with technical experts and engaging other sectors. To work towards the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health agendas she believes a multi-discipline approach and collective action is needed. “If we can all work together, to find common messages and opportunities to raise awareness of a common concern, if we are all working together using our different mandates and our different skills, then the more effective our call to action,” says Thulkanam. Networking Advocacy involves both internal and external collaboration so networking is a skill to master. And while it is not a must, according to Brees, an extrovert personality can help, as advocacy roles imply networking whenever and wherever you can. It’s about “relationship building — internally in your organization so you get the intel you need, but most obvious of all, externally with whoever you are trying to influence. It is very rare that you achieve something on your own, you always need allies who are really relevant for that particular topic and who can help you deliver. It involves a lot of coordination behind the scenes,” she explained. Analytical skills An interest in power analysis and the ability to think things through is critical in allowing you to recognize who the influencers are on any given issue, where best to put your efforts and what the impact can be. According to Thulkanam it is important to understand the structure of governments or organizations, for example the United Nations, and to understand how these political systems and mechanisms work. Khan agreed that understanding the political dynamics within the given context is essential for success. “I think power mapping is very important to understand the duty bearers who are responsible for those policy options and implementations,” says Khan, including “who are the actors that can play a positive or negative role for any cause.” Possessing the knowledge and skills to evaluate policy and its potential impact is also fundamental to advocacy. Analytical and creative thinking are both key skills says Ramiro Muniz, advocacy and research officer at the Spanish Commission for Refugees. “Analyzing legal proposals and political agreements are some of the responsibilities that someone working in advocacy has to carry out on a regular basis. Identifying gaps and obstacles for the target group for which we are advocating is essential,” he explained. Communication Advocacy is about getting your message out there and this can mean engaging numerous different players — from local communities where the aim is to influence cultural norms or raise awareness of an issue, to delivering speeches to decision makers directly. Working in advocacy may involve contributing to the development of the organization's communication materials and messaging, and supporting the production of press releases. Upon gathering and understanding the evidence related to any policy, advocacy is about conveying it in “simpler, more usable language and tailoring that to your target audience,” says Thulkanam. “I would say a communications person has a lot of the communication skills to understand what makes news, how to design a campaign or a multimedia global campaign, what are the tools available to raise awareness around that issue, and then using that, with powerful messages, to reach policy makers or community influencers. There’s so much information out there that you need to break through the clutter. The more convincing those messages, the more likely your advocacy is going to be taken up,” she added. Skills in the use of social media are also helpful in allowing you to multiply your outreach and more effectively engage your audience on an issue. In addition to developing the above skills, here are some additional tips for success in global development advocacy. Spend some time in the field As with most jobs in the development sector, experience in the field is regarded as valuable. Even if that means starting out as an intern or volunteer. “You really learn on the job because it also opens your eyes. It is different from reading it in books or from courses, and you need that to then be able to become a good advocate, whether in the field or then back home. Even afterwards when you are in a job, it is still important to go on mission and to be connected to the other people who are field-based and get that intel so you never forget why you are doing this,” said Brees. While advocacy professionals often have a background in political science, international relations, human rights law, journalism or communications, other development professionals with a technical expertise may find opportunities to transition into advocacy roles. With a background in agriculture and economics, and experience in programing, Aftab highlights the importance of field and technical experience in shaping his understanding of issues and “getting a holistic perspective of development work.” “This helped me a lot to understand the challenges at a local level, and how to connect those with the national and international policy issues, and also how to understand the perspectives of the rights holders,” he explained. Stay informed Knowing what is going on in the world, and keeping up-to-date with local, national and global news on the issues you work on is absolutely critical. “Being able to react in the right time is very important when working in advocacy,” says Muniz. “Especially in asylum and refugee contexts,” he adds, noting the rapidly changing environment. His final piece of advice, for anyone who is passionate about a global development issue and interested in working in advocacy, is to focus on a topic of interest and develop an in-depth knowledge on that area. Looking to make a career move? Visit our career center for expert advice on how to navigate your job search — all you need is a Devex Career Account to get started.