What is advocacy,
who does it and what is its role?
Joan O’Donnell
The Advocacy Initiative
www.advocacyinitiative.ie
Social Justice Advocacy
What
Why
Who
So what?
Advocacy
Lobbying
Lobbying
Role of Advocacy
1. Participation and cohesion
2. Improved, better policies
3. Expertise
4. Long-term perspective
5. Watchdog role
6. Views of minorities
7. Ground truth and new issues
8. Communication and buy-in
9. Help in implementation
10. Also as a nursery
“There was hardly a major voluntary
organization in the country that didn’t have
its hand out for cash. This was because
former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern brought
dissent into the semi-State world by
subsidizing interest groups to beat their own
drums from public money.”
Michael McDowell, referring to the INOU and NWCI
Irish Times, 27th February 2012
“I welcome that decision. It is a matter for
the organs for this state to determine what
should be matters for public inquiry. I do not
believe that any privately-sponsored body
has the right to determine what is right or
wrong.”
Senator Brian Hayes on the decision to withdraw funding from
the anti-corruption advocacy NGO, the Centre for Public
Inquiry. Seanad Eireann, Debates, 8th December 2005
“Asked about the 35% cut in funding for the
National Women’s Council, the Minister for
Justice & Equality … decided to favour
organizations providing services over those
providing advocacy or research activities, which
meant difficult choices, in some cases the
elimination of funding and the closure of
projects”
Minister Allan Shatter, Dail Eireann, Debates, 7th February 2012
Reported in www.oireachtasbrief.ie
“All of this highlights just how little influence
social actors have had on key state policy
through the many fora of social partnership.
They have been co-opted into an elite-driven
consensus which has offered no real
prospect of achieving a greater balance
between goals of efficiency and equity in the
Irish political economy.”
Publication for The Community Platform
Murphy and Kirby (2008) A Better Ireland is Possible
“the state and the sector each recognise their
mutual right to constructively critique one
another’s actions and policies”
White Paper, Supporting Voluntray Activity
Government of Ireland, 2000
“The contribution made by the voluntary sector
is essential and cannot be measured in
monetary terms alone – voluntary organisations
have a great capacity to harness the concern
and altruism of people... They also are pivotal in
raising awareness of the issue and advocating
for change. While at times this may cause a
degree of tribulation in a Minister’s office, robust
and evidence based criticism is something that I
value and welcome.”
Launch of the Homeless Policy Statement
Minister Jan O’Sullivan, February 2013
Allan Kavanagh, 2012
39% of nonprofit
organisation say they
do Social Justice
Advocacy
• 17 year old service provider, 25 or less
staff, with 2 FT and 2 PT staff working on
advocacy
• Top sectors: social services, CD & Housing,
Education & research (followed by
religious and health)
50% focus locally (with
32% national, 10%
regional and 7%
international)
Key issues :
Children and families (10%)
Poverty (8%)
Education (8%)
Employment (7%)
Local development (6%)
Social services (5%)
Older people (5%)
Disability (5%)
Homelessness and housing (5%)
And many more…
Types of advocacy:
Public awareness (11%)
Networking (9%)
Committees (9%)
Lobbying (8%)
National networks (8%)
Consultation with policy makers (7%)
Conferences/seminars (7%)
Press and media research (6%)
Public meetings (5%)
And many more…

Public (16%)
Local committees (15%)
Government departments (9%)
Social partnership structures (9%)
Councils (7%)
Others NGOs (6%)
Ministers (6%)
52% focus on
internal,
48% on
external
55%
planned,
45%
unplanned
69% rate
themselves as
effective or
very effective
but …
• 84% agreed that policy decision making in
Ireland is fragmented
• 89% disagreed that values that underpin policy
making are explicit
• Just over half agreed that policy decisions are
underpinned by evidence
What does the public think?
72% believe it is important for charities to campaign and
lobby government.
Roughly
25-30%
have a reasonable
understanding of the
specifics of social
justice advocacy
Perceived influence
Desired influence
70
60
59
53
55
53
50
46
40
40
41
36
30
17
20
15
10
0
Trade Unions
Businesses
Farmers
Religious bodies/Churches Charities and non-profit
groups
Anna Visser
THE ADVOCACY INITIATIVE
www.advocacyinitiative.ie
anna@advocacyinitiative.ie
@amvisser