Evaluating Advocacy

On this episode, we chat with Shannon Williams, Director of Bolder Advocacy’s Operations and Evaluation, to learn more about the use of evaluation tools to make our organizations better advocates. Measuring success is much more than identifying wins and losses, it includes improving capacity and other incremental steps to achieving policy goals.

Our Speakers for This Episode:

Shannon Williams Tim Mooney

Summary:

• Understanding Evaluation
• Differences between advocacy and program evaluation.
• Beyond Wins & Losses
  • Importance of considering interim milestones and not just the end goals.
  • The “attribution conundrum.”
  • Embracing complexity, focusing on contribution rather than attribution.
  • Building power and capacity as evaluation metrics.
  • Importance of sustainability and setting up for long-term success.
  • Understanding the vision of an organization and using the Theory of Change to achieve it.

Resources:

• A User’s Guide to Advocacy Evaluation Planning (Harvard Family Research Project)*
• The Advocacy Strategy Framework (Center for Evaluation Innovation)*
• Data Playbook (Schusterman Philanthropies)*
• Getting Started: A Self-Directed Guide to Outcome Map Development (ORS Impact)*
• When the Best Offense is a Good Defense: Understanding and Measuring Advocacy on the Defense (ORS Impact)*
• Advocacy Capacity Tool (ACT!) and ACT! Quick*
• Amplifying Nonprofit Voices: Bridging the Advocacy Evaluation Gap 
• Advocacy That Builds Power: Transforming Policies and Systems for Health and Racial Equity (Center for Evaluation Innovation)
• Gigi Barsom,“A New Framework for Understanding Power Building,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, July 17, 2023
• Bolder Advocacy’s TA hotline: 866-NP-LOBBY
• Email us at advocacy@afj.org
• Our website is bolderadvocacy.org