10 MUSTs to organize successful advocacy/awareness-raising activities
- Map out the policy landscape
- Identify key stakeholders
- Identify the unmet needs in your country
- Know your audience
- Define clear key messages tailored to your audience
- Identify potential partners and build alliances
- Adopt an action plan: Define the appropriate action(s) to best channel your messages
- Share and report on your activities to a wider network
- Assess the impact of your activities and adapt future activities based on results
- Adjust your strategy as often as needed to meet your goals.
Defining Key Messages
To maximize your chances of success, it will be important to define clear messages based on your objectives for each opportunity pursued and to adapt key messages to your target audience.
See here a list of suggested key messages in relation to kidney donation and transplantation.
Download the one pager including top tips to define and channel key messages.
Organising a Contact Programme
Organising a contact programme is a good way to make yourself know and your messages heard by the various stakeholders and a good starting point for advocacy efforts as it can lead to future opportunities thanks to information gained.
Download the one pager including top tips to set and roll out a contact programme.
Participating in an event
A good way to harness existing momentum for building awareness around organ donation and transplantation is use the occasion of an event that already has a high profile or which gathers some of your key stakeholders. Some ideas include:
- Events of national patient/user groups or foundations;
- Events of national professional associations;
- Celebrations organised as part of World Kidney Day, etc.
You may want to simply attend these events or ask for a speaking slot to deliver a presentation. To do so, reach out to the organizers and identify potential opportunities.
Organizing an event
There are different types of events that can be organized to raise awareness on your issues. Options include policy meetings/ conferences, policy roundtables, parliamentary events etc.
Download the one pager including top tips to set and organize the appropriate event.
Organising an awareness-raising campaign
An awareness-raising campaign is a series of awareness activities geared towards obtaining increased attention or action from governments & public authorities, the general public or other relevant stakeholders in the field, on a specific issue. With the emergence of internet, online platforms and social media, most awareness-raising campaigns include a significant “online” component or are “online only”.
Download the one pager including top tips to roll out an awareness raising campaign.
Tabling an issue in a policy forum
Parliament and Congress are meant to be direct representatives of the citizens and therefore constitute a strong vehicle to address health and social issues in your country. Your national Parliament or Congress should be considered as a central player and a platform to raise and put pressure on the government to take action.
Download the one pager including top tips to roll out an awareness raising campaign.
Press activities
The media is a channel to amplify and communicate the views of stakeholders.
Download the one pager including top tips to organise press activities.