Advocacy and Policy Influencing Strategy for NGOs Training Course
Design advocacy strategy that shifts policy rather than producing statements no decision maker reads.
5 Days
Duration
Certificate
Included
Instructor-Led
Delivery
Advanced
Level
Advocacy and Policy Influencing Strategy for NGOs Training Course
Starting From
$700
per participant
Flexible Delivery
In-Person, Live Online
Language
English
Dedicated Support
Pre & post training
Course Overview
This advanced course develops technical skills in advocacy and policy influencing strategy, covering power mapping, coalition building and evidence-based campaign design. Participants work through real policy influencing decisions rather than advocacy messaging alone, examining what separates campaigns that move decision makers from those that only reach sympathetic audiences. The course closes with a policy influencing strategy built around a live advocacy objective.
Introduction
Advocacy is meant to change policy or practice, yet a great deal of what NGOs call advocacy amounts to position papers and press statements that never reach the decision makers with power to act on them.
African civil society operates across widely varying political spaces, from relatively open policy environments to highly constrained ones where advocacy carries genuine risk. This advanced course moves beyond advocacy messaging into the power mapping, coalition building and tactical sequencing decisions that determine whether an advocacy campaign actually shifts policy.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the components of an effective policy influencing strategy
- Conduct power mapping to identify genuine decision makers
- Design coalition building strategies matched to advocacy objectives
- Structure evidence-based advocacy messaging for specific audiences
- Assess political space and risk in constrained advocacy environments
- Sequence advocacy tactics against a realistic policy timeline
- Evaluate advocacy campaign progress using appropriate indicators
- Manage advocacy positioning alongside service delivery relationships
- Advise organisations on advocacy and policy influencing strategy
Who Should Attend
This training is suitable for:
- Advocacy and policy programme managers
- Civil society coalition coordinators
- Research and evidence staff supporting advocacy
- Communications staff working on policy campaigns
- Country directors overseeing advocacy programming
- Donor governance and civil society support staff
- Legal and policy analysis staff
- Community-based organisation leadership engaged in advocacy
Training Methodology
The programme is delivered through facilitator-led technical sessions combined with power mapping exercises, coalition strategy case studies and a campaign design simulation, structured around small-group work and real or anonymised advocacy case material rather than lecture alone. Each module closes with a short applied task so participants leave with working tools rather than notes alone.
Organizational Impact
Organisations that send staff to this course can expect:
- Advocacy strategy grounded in genuine power mapping and analysis
- Stronger coalition building expanding policy influence
- More credible, evidence-based advocacy messaging
- Better-sequenced advocacy tactics matched to policy timelines
- Improved measurement of advocacy progress and influence
- Reduced advocacy risk in constrained political environments
- Increased policy influence relative to advocacy investment
- A documented advocacy and policy influencing strategy
- Stronger organisational credibility in policy spaces
Personal Impact
Participants leave this course with:
- Advanced technical skill in advocacy and policy influencing strategy
- Confidence to conduct power mapping and decision maker analysis
- Sharper coalition building and management skills
- Practical experience developing evidence-based advocacy messaging
- Stronger standing in advocacy and policy discussions
- A completed policy influencing strategy for direct application
- Improved ability to sequence advocacy tactics strategically
- A specialist network across African advocacy practice
- A foundation for senior advocacy and policy leadership roles
Course Outline
- Principles and components of effective policy influencing strategies
- Advocacy, policy influencing, campaigning, public engagement and strategic communications
- Understanding policy cycles, windows of opportunity and pathways to policy change
- Analysing the political, institutional and policy environment for advocacy
- Reviewing African advocacy campaigns and lessons from successful and unsuccessful efforts
- Common reasons advocacy campaigns fail to influence policy decisions
- Defining clear policy objectives, desired outcomes and influence pathways
- Assessing political space, operating constraints and advocacy risks
- Aligning advocacy objectives with organisational mandate, evidence and comparative advantage
Practical session: Assess an advocacy campaign for strategic clarity, policy focus and influence potential
- Principles and methodologies for power and influence mapping
- Identifying formal and informal decision-makers and sources of influence
- Understanding institutional structures, political incentives and decision-making processes
- Analysing decision-maker interests, motivations, priorities and constraints
- Mapping allies, opponents, influencers and persuadable actors
- Identifying gatekeepers, champions and potential policy entrepreneurs
- Assessing relationships, networks and informal sources of political influence
- Developing stakeholder engagement strategies based on power and interest
- Updating power and stakeholder maps as political and institutional contexts evolve
Practical session: Develop a comprehensive power and influence map for a defined policy objective
- Strategic approaches to coalition building for policy influence
- Identifying genuine common ground across diverse organisations and interests
- Assessing potential coalition partners, complementary capabilities and influence
- Designing coalition structures, governance arrangements and decision-making processes
- Managing competing interests, power imbalances and internal coalition dynamics
- Building trust, accountability and collective ownership among coalition partners
- Coordinating advocacy positions while protecting individual organisational interests
- Managing coalition communications, representation and external positioning
- Sustaining strategic alliances beyond individual campaigns or policy windows
Practical session: Design a coalition and partnership strategy for a defined advocacy objective
- Building credible evidence bases for policy influencing
- Translating research, data and technical findings into policy-relevant arguments
- Evidence standards, credibility and strategic use of research in advocacy
- Understanding decision-maker information needs and policy priorities
- Audience segmentation and tailoring advocacy messages to different decision-makers
- Framing issues to shape policy narratives, perceptions and public debate
- Developing compelling narratives that connect evidence with policy solutions
- Using case studies, lived experience and strategic communications to strengthen advocacy
- Maintaining message coherence across coalitions and advocacy partners
Practical session: Develop an evidence-based advocacy narrative and tailored messaging for a specific decision-maker audience
- Selecting and sequencing advocacy tactics across the policy cycle
- Insider and outsider advocacy approaches, opportunities and trade-offs
- Direct engagement, policy dialogue, strategic communications and public mobilisation
- Identifying and exploiting policy windows and moments of political opportunity
- Developing advocacy plans around legislative, budgetary and policy timelines
- Measuring advocacy progress, influence, contribution and policy change
- Developing indicators for changes in relationships, decision-maker positions and policy outcomes
- Managing advocacy risks in politically constrained or sensitive environments
- Balancing advocacy positioning with government, donor, partner and service-delivery relationships
- Building organisational capability for sustained policy influence
Capstone practical session: Develop and present a comprehensive policy influencing strategy for a live advocacy objective
Certification
At Strategic Revenue Africa, our certification goes beyond proof of attendance—it represents practical competence and measurable capability. Upon successful completion of our training programs, participants are awarded a Certificate of Completion from Strategic Revenue Africa, recognizing their ability to apply acquired knowledge in real-world settings. As an organization focused on architecting sustainable revenue and strengthening organizational performance, our certifications signal that participants are equipped with skills that drive results, not just theory.
Programme Inclusions
- Course materials & workbook
- Certificate of completion
- Post-training support (6 months)
Prerequisites
Prior experience in advocacy, policy work or civil society programming is expected. This is an advanced, practitioner-level course.
Schedule & Investment
Upcoming Dates & Fees
Accommodation & Transfer
Accommodation and airport transfer are arranged upon request. Contact the Training Officer to reserve.
Payment
Transfer payment to the Strategic Revenue Africa account before the course starts. Send proof of payment to:
training@strategicrevenueafrica.comCourse Fee Includes
- Course tuition & training materials
- Two break refreshments and lunch
- Certificate of completion
- Post-training support (6 months)
Travel, visa, insurance and personal expenses are the participant's responsibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Advocacy and Policy Influencing Strategy for NGOs Training Course
Advocacy and policy programme managers, coalition coordinators, research and evidence staff and communications staff working on policy campaigns.
No. This is an advanced course assuming prior advocacy, policy or civil society programming experience, focused on strategic power mapping and coalition design.
Yes. A dedicated session covers assessing political space and managing advocacy risk in more constrained contexts.
Yes. A full day covers coalition structure, governance and sustaining coalitions beyond a single campaign.
Yes. The final module addresses measuring advocacy progress and policy influence using appropriate indicators.
Yes. The final exercise produces a policy influencing strategy participants can adapt to their own live advocacy objective.
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