Non-profit organisations now better equipped to advocate

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In doing so, these institutions and individuals have given a voice to the voiceless through the facilitation of services and programmes that see to redress some of society's wicked problems.

Advocacy entails planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating activities or programmes that attempt to improve policies and practices surrounding the NPOs issue of concern or focus area. Thus for our advocacy programmes to be successful, they need to lead to sustainable changes that ensure that issue of concern can be improved, in a supportive environment.

At the core of advocacy is transformative purpose - however, the extend of the transformation remains malleable to the context of different communities and social make up. The power of advocacy, in a digital age, is the ability to create support and mobilisation that is not confined to geography or physical restriction. Hence the influence can transcend to create an insurmountable virtual movement that speaks for the vulnerable.

Professional staff

NPOs are now better equipped to advocate and campaign; increased investment and capacity within their campaigning and fundraising departments have seen professional, qualified, experience and media-savvy staff now fill advocacy roles.

By incorporating both traditional and digital media, NPOs can increasingly become distinct organisations that not only influence and form public opinion, but can also play an increasingly important role in policy formation both at national and global levels.

Effectively NPOs, should aim to positioning themselves as global or local development organisations. In addition, their advocacy efforts should occur in tandem with the programmes that respond to the issues they support and firmly place them prominently in the public eye and on public agendas.

Nuanced efforts

However, it is still critical for NPOs to achieve all this whilst still remaining transparent and independent as their close proximity to government, institutions and corporates can be seen to be fertile land for non-neutrality and biased agendas. To achieve this, advocacy efforts have to be nuanced, distinguishable from the status quo and supported by evidence and research.

When considering advocacy programmes, NPOs should also invest in assessing the risks of action and the risks of inaction. Establishing the impact, positive or otherwise, that advocacy could have is extremely important for organisations which operate to guard against damage. Certain issues may bear higher risks than others although, at the same time, advocacy work in these fields is often most needed.