Community Advocacy

Advocacy is taking action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their
interests and obtain the services they need. Advocacy and advocacy services work in partnership
with the people they support and take their side. Advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality
and social justice.”

Community Advocacy can be delivered by professional advocates, or in some areas by citizen or

peer advocates.

Community advocates support people to:

 Express their views and wishes

 Secure their rights
 Have their interests represented
 Access information and services
 Explore choices and options

Some examples may help clarify just what advocacy is:

 You join a group that helps build houses for the poor--that's wonderful, but it's not
advocacy (it's a service)
 You organize and agitate to get a proportion of apartments in a new development
designated as low to moderate income housing - that's advocacy
 You spend your Saturdays helping sort out goods at the recycling center - that's not
advocacy (it's a service)
 You hear that land used for the recycling center is going to be closed down and you band
together with many others to get the city to preserve this site, or find you a new one.
Some of you even think about blocking the bulldozers, if necessary - that's advocacy

Advocacy usually involves getting government, business, schools, or some other large institution
(also known as Goliath) to correct an unfair or harmful situation affecting people in the
community (also known as David, and friends). The situation may be resolved through
persuasion, by forcing Goliath to buckle under pressure, by compromise, or through political or
legal action.

Several ingredients make for effective advocacy, including:

 The rightness of the cause

 The power of the advocates (i.e., more of them is much better than less)
 The thoroughness with which the advocates researched the issues, the opposition, and the
climate of opinion about the issue in the community
 Their skill in using the advocacy tools available (including the media)
 Above all, the selection of effective strategies and tactics

For some people, advocacy is a new role. It may be uncomfortable--particularly if confrontation

and conflict are involved. But, for others, advocacy is more attractive than setting up and running
service programs in the community.

Advocacy can be glamorous: the David vs. Goliath image, manning the barricades, making
waves. But the decision to put major resources into advocacy is not one to be taken lightly. If it
doesn't work--if you stick your necks way out and don't succeed--not only will you fail, but you
may do so in public, discrediting your cause, perhaps making conditions worse for the people
you set out to help

DOES ADVOCACY ALWAYS INVOLVE CONFRONTATION?

Advocacy can be confrontational, but conflict is usually a bad place to start. Good advocates
know they must think very hard about any confrontation that's going to be necessary. That's one
reason for careful planning of strategy and tactics. Even if the issue seems as clear as a bell, and
your choice of actions seems just as obvious, it's a good idea to take another long, hard look.

WHY AND WHEN WOULD YOU CHOOSE ADVOCACY?

Advocacy is best kept for when "routine" work such as gathering support for a cause, raising
money, and recruiting members of a community initiative or program won't get you where you
want to go.

In most cases, it's a good idea to think twice before launching yourselves (or your group) as
advocates, because it's a strategy that's more effective if there isn't too much of it around.
Imagine a city where there were public demonstrations every day, where City Hall was besieged
constantly by groups with special petitions, resolutions, and assorted agitations. The community
would quickly develop advocacy fatigue. So would the advocates.

The best time to start planning for an advocacy campaign is:

 When your direct experience or preliminary research shows you cannot achieve your
goals in any other way
 When you are sure you have (or will have) the capacity to carry it through
 When you have enough enthusiasm and energy to last for what could be a long haul!

Who is a community advocate?

A community advocate is someone who offers advocacy that is not based on a legal right. In
other words, it is not offered to you because the law says you have to be offered it.

Community advocacy can be done by a paid professional or a volunteer or 'citizen advocate'.

What will a community advocate do?

An advocate will meet with you and listen to what you want. They will agree a plan with you
based on what you want to happen.

Then the advocate will support you to achieve your goals.

They will support you to:

 gain the skills and confidence to tell people what you want, and they may speak up for
you themselves, if you ask them to
 understand your rights and the choices that you have
 make a decision yourself and tell people what your decision is

Advocates are independent. They are not connected to the careers or to the services which are
involved in supporting you.

An advocate will always:

 Be on your side
  Listen to what you want
 Make sure people listen to you

An advocate can work with you to:

 Speak out at meetings or to professionals

 Find information so you can make choices and sort out problems
 Change your services if you want to
 Know about your rights and make sure they are respected
 Make difficult decisions
 Make a complaint if you are not happy about something

Who can use community advocacy?

This is a tricky question to answer because it depends very much on what your local council
decides.

Community Advocacy is paid for by local councils and therefore what is offered depends on
what they can afford and who they decide needs the service the most in their area.

Some councils might only offer advocacy to people who have mental health illnesses and who
have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Others might offer it to a whole range of
people, including those with:

Mental health illness

Dementia

Learning Disabilities

Autistic Spectrum conditions

Visual or Hearing Impairments

Acquired Brain Injuries

 Substance Misuse
 Looked After Children
  Young People moving to adult services

You can find out what is being offered in your local area by visiting your local page

Forms of advocacy

There are several forms of advocacy, each representing a different approach in a way to initiate
changes in the society. One of the most popular forms is social justice advocacy The initial
definition does not encompass the notions of power relations, people's participation and a vision
of a just society as promoted by social justice advocates. For them, advocacy represents the
series of actions taken and issues highlighted to change the “what is” into a “what should be”,
considering that this “what should be” is a more decent and a more just society Those actions,
which vary with the political, economic and social environment in which they are conducted,
have several points in common] They:

 Question the way policy is administered

 Participate in the agenda-setting as they raise significant issues
 Target political systems "because those systems are not responding to people's needs"
 Are inclusive and engaging
 Propose policy solutions
 Open up space for public argumentation

Other forms of advocacy include:

 Budget advocacy: another aspect of advocacy that ensures proactive engagement of Civil
Society Organizations with the government budget to make the government more
accountable to the people and promote transparency. Budget advocacy also enables citizens
and social action groups to compel the government to be more alert to the needs and
aspirations of people in general and the deprived sections of the community.
 Bureaucratic advocacy: people considered "experts" have more chance to succeed at
presenting their issues to decision-makers. They use bureaucratic advocacy to influence the
agenda, although at a slower pace.
 Health advocacy: supports and promotes patients' health care rights as well as enhance
community health and policy initiatives that focus on the availability, safety and quality of
care.
 Ideological advocacy: in this approach, groups fight, sometimes during protests, to advance
their ideas in the decision-making circles.
 Interest-group advocacy: lobbying is the main tool used by interest groups doing mass
advocacy. It is a form of action that does not always succeed at influencing political
decision-makers as it requires resources and organization to be effective.
 Legislative advocacy: the "reliance on the state or federal legislative process" as part of a
strategy to create change
 Mass advocacy: any type of action taken by large groups (petitions, demonstrations, etc.)
 Media advocacy: "the strategic use of the mass media as a resource to advance a social or
public policy initiative" (Jernigan and Wright, 1996). In Canada, for example, the Manitoba
Public Insurance campaigns illustrate how media advocacy was used to fight alcohol and
tobacco-related health issues.
 Special education advocacy: advocacy with a "specific focus on the educational rights of
students with disabilities."

Different contexts in which advocacy is used:

 In a legal/law context: An "advocate" is the title of a specific person who is

authorized/appointed in some way to speak on behalf of a person in a legal process.
 In a political context: An "advocacy group" is an organized collection of people who seek to
influence political decisions and policy, without seeking election to public office.
 In a social care context: Both terms (and more specific ones such as "independent
advocacy") are used in the UK in the context of a network of interconnected organizations
and projects which seek to benefit people who are in difficulty (primarily in the context of
disability and mental health).
 In the context of inclusion: Citizen Advocacy organizations (or programs) seek to cause
benefit by reconnecting people who have become isolated. Their practice was defined in two
key documents: CAPE, and Learning from Citizen Advocacy Programs.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF ADVOCACY?
Each of these components is addressed in greater depth in the following sections of this chapter,
but this is a broad overview of how to advocate for your issue.

you in court. At the very least, there's a risk of spinning your wheels if you don't go about the
many tasks of advocacy

SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR ADVOCATES

Once you go public with an advocacy campaign, you may draw the attention of a number of
people, not all of whom will wish you well. If things go wrong, you could end up looking very
silly in the local news, which would not be good for your future campaigns. Even worse, in some
circumstances a wrong step could land efficiently.

For example, to look at a worst-case scenario, think of what could go wrong with a campaign to
promote better health for the poor:

 You accuse the local hospital of turning away a sick patient, without checking your facts.
The hospital proves that it treated the man, but he discharged himself early.
 You push your allies out of shape by launching a press release that uses their name,
without checking the wording with them first.
 You announce a big demonstration outside the hospital, and only three people show up.

It's amateur night!

In the next section of this chapter, we've gathered 20 tips that will help members of your group
avoid disasters. They'll be able to take on their tasks efficiently, confidently, and with a low risk
of tripping over their shoelaces.

UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE

You probably already have a pretty good idea of what the issue or problem is.

For example:

 You are aware of a growing problem of homelessness, particularly among people with
small children
  You feel that not nearly enough is being done in your community to prevent youth
smoking
 Your group is afraid that a new industrial park up river will pollute the water

However, it is important to develop a deeper unstanding of the issue, including research

to analyze of who has power. Remember, advocacy is about power--who can influence things
that matter. You will need to know where the power of your opponents lies, and how you can
most effectively influence or confront it.

RECOGNIZING ALLIES

If you are the only people in town who want something done about the problem you have
identified, your cause could be in trouble. It's one thing to fight city hall: much harder to take on
a whole community of hostile or indifferent people. If there are only a handful of people on your
side, it may be all too easy for those in power to dismiss you as the lunatic fringe. One of your
jobs will be to make that "fringe" start to look like a representative slice of the whole population
affected by the issue. Then people in power will take notice.

Somewhere, there are allies - people who can band together with you and give your cause bulk,
visibility, and clout. You can use methods such as a "power grid" that will help you pinpoint
those groups and agencies in town that have the power to help your group. This grid will also
help you identify specific ways in which these potential allies can help.

Of course, you'll need to be careful about who you invite on board--some allies may bring
baggage that you don't need. We'll help you balance potential benefits against potential risks, and
come up with some useful backers who will help, rather than hinder, your cause - whether you
want to build a full-fledged coalition, or an informal alliance or network.

In addition to deciding whether other groups have an interest in your cause, it's important to find
out if an alliance with them is in your interest. For example, suppose you are planning to make
life difficult for retailers who sell cigarettes to kids, and you know that the American Cancer
Society, a couple of local youth groups, and a pair of enlightened churches have the same goals.
Just how can you best help each other? Do you want a close relationship? Suppose these people
are limited by their own charters in the type of action they can get involved in? Suppose they
might want to take over the direction of the whole campaign? Suppose they are with your
interests on some matters, and against you in others?

IDENTIFYING OPPONENTS AND RESISTANCE

Although it's possible to advocate without having an opponent (for example, you may be
working largely to overcome ignorance and inertia), most advocacy campaigns have a
recognizable Goliath--or even several big (and potentially mean) kids on the block. Who are
your opponents? Why are they putting up resistance? And what can you do about it?

Those questions should be answered together. There's not much point knowing the names of
your opponents unless you also know why they are opposing you. Sometimes, this may not be
for the most obvious reasons, so you'll need to know what's going on.

Starting with the cause for resistance is often more fruitful than starting with a list of people you
expect to be bad guys: you may get some surprises. For example, a big developer might turn out
to support your drive for more low-cost housing, because he recognizes that the presence of
homeless people in the neighborhood can deter rich people from buying his expensive houses.
Similarly, people from whom you might expect support might turn out to oppose you. Perhaps a
big agency that seems to share your goals is bent out of shape because you seem to be
trespassing on their turf or accusing them of ineffectiveness in the past. You can't take anything
for granted.

ENCOURAGING INVOLVEMENT OF POTENTIAL OPPONENTS AS WELL AS ALLIES

Once you have a plan, you'll know where you are going, and how to get there. That will give you
confidence, and that confidence will give you clout. Armed with that, you may be able to
approach certain groups or individuals whom you thought were opposed to you. Maybe they still
are, but you may find that you can find help in unexpected quarters. Now that your plan makes
you more business-like, people may decide to cut a deal. Or, now that your position can be made
clear to others as well as to yourselves, you may find that although a certain group still may
oppose you on some issues, you are on the same side of others.

DEVELOPING A PLAN FOR ADVOCACY

Planning for advocacy is often a complex program because we have to deal with power and
opposition. As you know by now, an advocate will usually have to overcome obstacles much
greater than "mere" inertia, or lack of funds, which are often the main barriers where other types
of community development projects are concerned. In advocacy situations, there are likely to be
well-prepared opponents waiting in the tall grass. And they will need to be out-planned.

You will need to develop a plan based on your knowledge of who those opponents are; and
knowledge of who can help you.

For a useful analogy, we'll invite you to think of the overall campaign as a building project:

 Your vision and mission is to provide a place to live that is warm and safe
 Your objective is to build a house
 Your strategy will take the form of blueprints for the house
 Your action plan will include the specifics: who will pour the concrete for the foundation,
put up a frame, add the roof, et cetera, and when will they do it

And all will go together as part of one big action plan.

Aims

Advocacy in all its forms seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable
in society, are able to]

 Have their voice heard on issues that are important to them

 Defend and safeguard their rights
 Have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about
their lives
 Express their views and concerns

 Access information and services

 Explore choices and options
Topics

People advocate for a large number and variety of topics. Some of these are clear-cut social
issues that are universally agreed to be problematic and worth solving,

such as human trafficking, poverty, water and sanitation as a human right.

Others—such as abortion—are much more divisive and inspire strongly-held opinions on both
sides. There may never be a consensus on this latter type of issues, but intense advocacy is likely
to remain. In the United States, any issue of widespread debate and deeply-divided opinion can
be referred to as a social issue. The Library of Congress has assembled an extensive list of social
issues in the United States, ranging from vast ones like abortion to same-sex marriage to smaller
ones like hacking and academic cheating.[10]

Topics that appear to involve advancing a certain positive ideal are often known as causes. A
particular cause may be very expansive in nature — for instance, increasing liberty or fixing a
broken political system. For instance in 2008, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama utilized
such a meaning when he said, "this was the moment when we tore down barriers that have
divided us for too long; when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common causeTopics
upon which there is universal agreement that they need to be solved include, for example,

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY INVOLVING OPPONENTS?

It seems obvious that you would want to involve your allies in your group's plans. However, you
probably haven't considered involving your potential opponents as well. The idea may sound far-
fetched, to say the least; it may even seem harmful to your group's goals.

But think again. Maybe your opponents can indeed help you, in unexpected ways. As you will
find out, collaborating with people with different goals and values - at least partially different--
can be beneficial to you, and also to them. Both of you can win.

WHY SHOULD YOU WANT TO INVOLVE AN OPPONENT?

Collaboration with people you might otherwise think of as opponents can give you and your
group several advantages, such as:

 You might be removing, or neutralizing, a potentially harmful critic.

 You might gain insight into the workings of your opponent.
  You might gain access to a group that has been previously closed to you.
 You could acquire new resources to solve a common problem (to solve tough problems,
the energy of many groups may be required).
 You can find common values and beliefs you didn't know were there.
 You can get to know your opponents as people.
 You can build a base of trust that might be helpful to you in the future.
 Involving your opponents can change the status quo and help you make progress.

ARE THEY REALLY MY OPPONENTS? SOME USEFUL FACTS ABOUT

OPPOSITION

 Opponents come in varying degrees. Not everyone who might oppose you will defend his
position until his dying breath. Those who are slightly or mildly opposed are potential
targets for change. And some people may oppose you because they don't understand your
issue, or simply out of habit--they're just not used to agreeing with you! When you talk
with them further, you might find they are not your opponents at all.
 Opposition depends upon the issue. Someone may be opposed to you on issue A; but that
doesn't mean they will be opposed on issue B. On issue B, they could be your strongest
ally. So be careful about making generalizations.
 Opposition is not forever. Your opponents' position may change over time. Your position
may change. This means that keeping polite (if not necessarily friendly) relations with
your opponents is a good idea more often than not. You never know when it might pay
off.

Here's a basic point to keep in mind: Someone who disagrees with you is not necessarily an
opponent!
WHEN SHOULD YOU INVOLVE OPPONENTS?

THREE GOOD INDICATORS ARE:

 When the lines of communication are still relatively open - and especially when you
believe your opponent is willing to talk with you
 When you see common values and opportunities - even if your opponent doesn't see them
yet
 When, from your opponent's point of view, the cost of getting involved with you is not
too great

WHEN NOT TO INVOLVE OPPONENTS: SOME RED FLAGS

But not every situation calls for collaboration. Sometimes involving your opponents would be
very difficult, if not also damaging to your efforts. For example, when:

 There is a history of distrust, or actual deception, between you and your opponent
 Your respective positions on this particular issue are strongly held, deeply entrenched,
and completely opposed to each other
 Your opponents are unwilling to talk with you
 The time and energy costs in collaborating with your opponent on this issue would be just
too great

On some issues, it's certainly possible to "agree to disagree" in a respectful way. Remember,
though: this doesn't mean you will be disagreeing the next time around.

HOW CAN YOU INVOLVE OPPONENTS?

Suppose you decide that it might not be such a bad idea to involve your opponents in your cause.
It's good that you're open to the idea. But since you may be on unfamiliar territory, just how
should you go about doing this? What do you do first?
WE SUGGEST YOU CONSIDER USING THE FOLLOWING STEPS AS A GUIDE:

 Decide that you want to involve your opponents. This is the first and possibly most
important step; you need to make that basic decision before you can proceed further.
 Narrow your targets. Whom would you like to involve? Probably not all opponents,
rather only certain ones. But which ones? Try these criteria:
o Those who have the power to help you get what you want
o Those who have cooperated with you in the past
o Those who agree with at least some of what you stand for
o Those who could sway other opponents
o Those who seem approachable, and whom you feel comfortable approaching

Some careful thinking ahead here is worth your while.

CLARIFY YOUR GOALS

What do you want to accomplish through your involvement attempt? What would you like to see
happen as a result? You probably don't want to shoot for the moon, but you can aim for some
closer target on earth. This could mean:

 An agreement that your opponents will not oppose you publicly

 An agreement to try your ideas for a limited time, followed by impartial review
 An agreement to work together on a related issue

Or some other specific achievement you can count as a win - or, better yet, as a mutual win.

MAKE THE COMMITMENT

Are you personally ready to work with your opponents? It may not be easy. It may be a bumpy
ride. You may fail. So are you truly prepared to invest the real time and energy to make this
outreach attempt? Take a pause here - because in a moment, you'll be plunging in.
IDENTIFY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

That is, other people in the community will be affected by the issue or problem you care about -
it's not just you and your opponent. We often call these people "stakeholders." For example, if
the issue is the cleanup of a polluted river, there are many possible polluters, just as there are
many river users. Both groups (and possibly others) are stakeholders in the condition of the river.

It's best to keep in touch with stakeholders and consult with them at the beginning. Why?
Because (a) they may have sound insights into the problem, as well as good ideas for
solutions; (b) if they aren't consulted, they can disrupt the process or the outcome; and also
because (c) they will have to live with any solutions that are adopted - so they should
legitimately have a voice. Therefore, ask: "Who else is involved? How can we learn about and
utilize their ideas?"

MAKE THE CONTACT WITH YOUR OPPONENT

Get some discussion under way. But this will not be ordinary talk or casual conversation; it will
be planned-in-advance talk, with specific goals in mind.

As you start, are there some basic techniques you can use? There certainly are. Each situation is
different - and take a close look at yours - but some of the techniques below might apply:

ESTABLISH GROUND RULES

These are agreements on how you and your opponents will interact, before any interaction
actually takes place. Ground rules can remove some of the uncertainty of participants, and lower
the chance of misunderstandings. Some common examples: the meeting site; the meeting time;
the people attending. More possibilities: media relations; confidentiality; use of outside experts.
And finally: setting an agenda.

SET AN AGENDA

This is one of the most important ground rules, which can and usually should be done in
advance, together. The agenda specifically includes the items you plan to discuss; but more
broadly, it also implies the goals of the meeting and suggests the general spirit in which the
meetings will be conducted.
ORGANIZE SUBGROUPS

If your issue is very broad or complex, it may help to create subgroups or task forces. This will
take more time and effort -- but the advantage is that you can approach and deal with several
distinct issues simultaneously. The subgroups can later report back to the main group. One key to
effective subgroups is keeping them diverse, so that a wide range of input can be collected on an
issue.

SEARCH FOR INFORMATION

More times than you'd think, groups oppose each other because they don't have access to the
facts. Both groups think they know what the facts are - but both could be wrong. The "facts"
could be incomplete, out-of-date, misinterpreted, or all of the above. So ask, "Do we have
enough information to understand the issues and arrive at solutions?" You and your opponents
might decide to review data together, or gather new data, perhaps using unbiased experts. This
can give you a common basis for discussion.

FIND A MEDIATOR

A mediator, facilitator, or other outside person can sometimes be helpful in your discussions.
This is especially so if both sides really do want to talk, but when distrust has run high; when
emotions might slip out of control; when you don't trust your own one-on-one communication
skills; and when a good mediator is in fact available.

INVOLVE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

The most common discussion format is one-on-one, but that's not the only way to get the job
done. Other concerned groups can get in on the discussions too. (A good mediator here can
definitely make things easier.) A variation of this would be to have one-on-one discussions at the
beginning, then to open things up to other groups as the discussions proceed or move to a
conclusion.
HOLD AN EXPLORATORY MEETING

If the issue is particularly difficult or complicated, you and your opponent can begin just by
talking about the issue, and your feelings surrounding it--without making any requests, or any
commitments whatsoever. Such an exploratory meeting can lay the groundwork for a more
business-oriented meeting later on.

MEET MORE THAN ONCE

Depending upon the people involved, your own goals, and the complexity of the issue, your
discussions may take more than one meeting. It's fine to arrange another time to talk some more,
especially if the matter is important to you and you sense signs of progress.

There's more to say about making the contact. Here are some more brief "talking points" that will
apply to most situations you run across.

Talking points for dealing with possible opponents

 Think in advance about your opponent's interests and values. You won't agree on
everything; but look for areas where you have interests and values in common. You'll
probably find some.
 Go in with the expectation that you are going to get something done, that you can in fact
do some business together.
 Start slowly. Don't expect too much at the beginning.
 Be cordial and polite. Treat the other person as you would like to be treated.
 Begin with some small talk, to build rapport, and to set the tone for the more serious work
ahead.
 Engage in some informal conversation about the issue. Do some sounding out. This will
give you a clearer idea of what strategies are likely to work.
 Make some specific propositions. Don't be hesitant about saying what your interests are
and what you want.
 Show how your proposals will meet the other person's interests. Those others will think,
or say, "What's in it for me?" You should have a good answer. So look for proposals
where you both can win.
  Listen very attentively to what the other person has to say - and how it gets said.
 Be willing to compromise.
 Have some back-up ideas in mind, in case your original proposals are rejected.
 Make sure a variety of options have been explored before choosing any alternatives.

CLOSE THE DEAL

The last step in your discussions is to reach agreement and close the deal, if you have one. What
kind of deal are we talking about?

 The best kind is a commitment to a particular course of action. For example, your former
opponent agrees to endorse your anti-violence program, or to lend its name to an ad in the
paper, or simply not to take sides on an issue. These victories may be small in themselves
(or maybe not so small), but they might also be precedent-setting.
 If you can't get an action commitment, then you can agree on some general values and
goals. Your former opponent says, "We will work toward reducing youth violence in our
community." Or, "We support the expansion of affordable housing programs."
 If you can't get that far just yet, another variation is to "agree in principle" on a general
framework, from which details of agreement can be worked out later. For instance, "We
agree that affordable housing is a real concern in our community, and we hope to be part
of future discussions on how it can best come about." More talk will be necessary, but
even getting this much agreement (in some cases) can mean you have come a long way.

The best way to express agreements, especially among people who have been opponents, is to
put them in writing. The printed word lowers the chances of miscommunication. More than that:
it gives both sides a sense of clarity and security. Your written agreement can be in the form of a
one-paragraph note, or a longer "memorandum of understanding," or whatever name you both
wish to give it. But both sides should sign it, with copies all around. Handshakes, too. Even a
small bow.

If multiple issues are to be decided, you can use a "building block" approach where you make
separate agreements (or commitments) on separate issues, tackling the easiest issues first.)
Now you've got the involvement of your opponent on paper, but your work is not quite over.
This is because you have to persuade others that the involvement you have obtained--and any
agreements you have reached--are good deals all around. And then you need to see that everyone
(yourself included) lives up to their end of the bargain.

SELL THE DEAL

The deal is made. Now you need to convince others to support you. This means three types of
groups in particular:

 First, your own supporters, particularly supporters not part of the earlier discussions. Of
course, they should have been made aware that those discussions were going on. But now
you need to show them that you got the best possible deal, and why. They need to know
why trade-offs (if any) were made, and that any agreements made will be beneficial to
everyone concerned. Otherwise, you run the risk of your supporters backing you
grudgingly, or not at all -- and then you will truly be out on a limb.
 Second, other stakeholders. Convincing your supporters -- or at least getting them to go
along -- is probably the easy part. But others will be concerned too, such as the
stakeholders. Are these stakeholders crucial to your success? Absolutely, because it's
these people who will be implementing the agreements you have reached. They are on
the front lines; they have to buy in.

Suppose you and corporation X agree on local minority hiring targets. Fine; but what about local
businesses Y and Z down the road, who are next in line to be approached? In this case, they are
stakeholders, whose support-in-principle (at the least) is very desirable before you knock at their
door.

 Third, the general public. They may naturally wonder why you and your opponents are
now working together. They may be suspicious, and think something is up. (They are
correct.) They deserve an explanation, on practical grounds if for no other reason. That is,
the general public too will need to understand and live with any agreements you reach.
IN BUILDING SUPPORT FOR ANY AGREEMENT, CLEAR COMMUNICATION IS
THE KEY TO SUCCESS.

Structure the agreement

Now that you have a final plan, do you have a structure to support it, both in the short and long
term? That is, how do you know the agreements won't fall through? What's going to prevent your
former opponents from wiggling out at the last moment, or backing out altogether, or even
opposing you all over again? To avoid these consequences, and to prevent your deal from
collapsing, you need some kind of structure to keep it standing up. In other words, you want to
"institutionalize the deal."

How to do it? You could have regular meetings every so often for a little while. Or possibly open
meetings, with others involved. Or the involvement of a third party, if desired, upon request of
either group. Or a formal review of the situation a few months later. These are examples of
agreement-maintaining (or institutionalizing) structures, which can and should be built into the
agreement during the time of the original discussions. Doing so can save you a lot of grief later
on.

Monitor the agreement

That structure is good; but you've also got to check on events, and monitor the agreement to
make sure things are going according to plan. Somebody has to use those structures to make sure
things are heading in the right direction. Specifically: You need to watch your former opponent's
actions, not just their words. Are their actions open for public inspection? Are they really doing
what they said they would do? To verify this, you can keep notes and records - and this
monitoring process can be built into the original agreement itself.

IN SUMMARY

If you've followed the above steps, chances are good that you can arrive at some agreement with
your former opponent, and some common actions as well. The chances are good, too, that your
former opponent will comply. (Of course, you need to comply just as diligently, and perhaps go
the extra mile in showing good-faith effort.)
In that case, congratulations for doing good community work! -- work that may not only lead to
good outcomes now, but which can build a foundation for other collaborative action together in
the future.

Course work

Identify an issue in your community that needs to be advocated for and give reasons why?