We build better ways to become advocates for all issues.
By responding to the needs of advocates and harvesting good practice, we have become a center for good practice and wisdom for advocacy across the continent. We are the center of a network that fuses good practices from across Africa and the globe. Via in-person learning and online media, we provide a structure for horizontal learning and sharing and provide open access to our library of good practice.
We believe that better public services arise from more accountable governments. It is advocates who amplify the voices of their communities – speaking truth to power. We listen to, collect and enhance the very best of advocacy across Africa. Advocates need relevant skills. We build these by enabling exchange and learning.
Our platforms will enable donors to be part of these exchanges, and we also build the capacities of TAs to link with advocates. We build the sustainability of country-based advocacy – ensuring that your funding investments are sustainable. Five things you need to know about the Advocacy Accelerator:
1. We understand the advocacy ecosystem. We focus on building competence while changing mindsets about what individuals and organizations need to do advocacy.
2. We are an enabler, catalyst, and thought/strategy partner. We do not advocate but work with advocates and partners to accelerate their success.
3. We are a learning organization. We are serious about harvesting, analyzing, documenting sharing context-specific analysis and insight with all advocacy actors.
4. We are a linking organization that builds partnerships within and across sectors, issues and geographies, reducing redundancies and fostering greater collaboration within advocacy spaces.
5. Our endgame is stronger advocacy practices that drive accountability and impact within the health and development sector.
We build skills using a spectrum of approaches:
● In-person learning
● Mentoring and coaching
● Online learning
● Peer-to-peer exchange.
We have four priorities arising from our consultation with local partners;
1. Monitoring and evaluation
2. Advocacy communications
3. Policy development, implementation and monitoring
4. Resource mobilisation.
One example is related to resource mobilization, which is the most highly requested skill in any interaction with advocates. Based on the expressed needs of advocates, the Advocacy Accelerator developed and implemented three different levels of resource mobilisation training, ranging from a two-day in-person resource mobilization for advocacy training to a comprehensive approach involving in-person training coupled with mentoring and coaching implemented over six months. The trainings held to date have been very well-received, with attendees describing them in evaluations as "engaging" and "informative" and requesting that additional training is held. As one participant explained:
“My minimal investment in this 2-day training changed my thinking, and the results are amazing, a whopping 12,000 pounds in return within less than 2 months courtesy of your practical guidance during the Kampala training. I now make reference to a man called Bill (the trainer) in our office as the development prophet.” – Emunyu Samuel, BIDS Foundation Uganda
What the Advocacy Accelerator can do for you:
● We can identify gaps, assess your advocacy partners' basic needs, and develop a capacity-strengthening plan through our interactive and participatory capacity review. Build comprehensive skills through targeted and interactive in-person training in:
● advocacy strategy development
● M&E
● resource mobilisation
● knowledge management,
● monitoring policy-making and implementation
● engaging with elected officials
● message development
● using data visualization We provide:
● Mentoring
● Peer learning
● Deep dives into essential topics through webinars and conference calls
We provide in-person learning and knowledge exchange. We design new solutions for advocacy challenges by creating platforms for dialogue between funders, policymakers and advocates.
VOICE targets minority groups such as indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and the age discriminated (youth and elderly) and women at risk of experiencing violence and sexual exploitation. The Advocacy Accelerator’s is able to track key issues that arise and develop tailored, user-driven responses that address their needs. We have invested $30,000 to establish the processes to engage and track the progress of these audiences.
What the Advocacy Accelerator can do for you:
● Strengthen the representative capacities of advocacy coalitions through a unique linking and learning platform. These will align with your grantees’ advocacy themes, geographies, age, and accessibility considerations.
● Facilitate and track participant engagement to identify gaps and ensure outreach strategies are meeting their needs.
What the Advocacy Accelerator can do for you:
Our studies into the advocacy ecosystem can provide you with high-quality research on the state of advocacy, and what is working (and not). We can share this information with advocates. We are currently engaging donors and advocates to better understand the trends and behaviors of the advocacy funding landscape. The Donor Scoping Study will be launched in 2024. In addition, we will be releasing the State of Advocacy reports for Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, laying out current trends and needs in the advocacy space, as well as hosting the second annual advocacy lecture series focused on key issues related to advocacy in Africa.
What the Advocacy Accelerator can do for you:
● Conduct targeted research and analysis on current advocacy topics that are of interest to you
● Develop research reports and supplemental materials that can be shared widely through our platforms
*About Us
Established in 2017, the Accelerator team is experienced and multi-skilled, based at The Youth Cafe in Nairobi, Kenya. Our current priority countries include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Senegal, while advocates across the continent engage through our online platforms. In the last two years, we have reached over 350 advocates through our in-person events, almost one-quarter of whom are youth, and over 250 advocates through our series of webinars. Our funding partners include the
Suggested Summary
*Our Beliefs
We believe that better public services arise from more accountable governments. It is advocates who amplify the voices of their communities – speaking truth to power.
*Our Principles
Our endgame is stronger advocacy practices that drive accountability and impact within the health and development sector. We understand the advocacy ecosystem. We focus on building competence while changing mindsets about what individuals and organizations need to do advocacy. We build better ways to become advocates for all issues.
*Our Approach
By responding to the needs of advocates and harvesting good practice, we have become a center for good practice and wisdom for advocacy across the continent. We are the center of a network that fuses good practices from across Africa and the globe.
We listen to, collect and enhance the very best of advocacy across Africa. We build the sustainability of country-based advocacy – ensuring that advocacy resources are applied effectively.
Our platforms will enable donors and policymakers to be part of these exchanges, and we also build the capacities of TAs to link with advocates.
*Our Methodology
In response to the consultation, we build comprehensive skills through targeted and interactive in-person training in:
● advocacy strategy development
● M&E
● resource mobilisation
● knowledge management,
● monitoring policy-making and implementation
● engaging with elected officials
● message development
● using data visualization
Via in-person learning and online media, we provide a structure for horizontal learning and sharing, providing open access to our library of good practices. We build skills using a spectrum of approaches:
● In-person learning
● Mentoring and coaching
● Online learning
● Peer-to-peer exchange
● Deep dives into essential topics through webinars and online conferences.
Examples
Resource mobilisation is the most highly requested skill in any interaction with advocates. Based on the expressed needs of advocates, the Advocacy Accelerator developed and implemented three different levels of resource mobilisation training, ranging from a two-day in-person resource mobilisation for advocacy training to a comprehensive approach involving in-person training coupled with mentoring and coaching implemented over six months. The trainings held to date have been very well-received, with attendees describing them in evaluations as "engaging" and "informative" and requesting that additional training is held. As one participant explained:
“My minimal investment in this 2-day training, changed my thinking and the results are amazing, a whopping 12,000 pounds in return within less than 2 months courtesy of your practical guidance during the Kampala training. I now make reference to a man called Bill (the trainer) in our office as the development prophet.” – Emunyu Samuel, BIDS Foundation Uganda VOICE targets minority groups such as indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and the age discriminated (youth and elderly) and women at risk of experiencing violence and sexual exploitation. The Advocacy Accelerator’s is able to track key issues that arise and develop tailored, user-driven responses that address their needs. We have invested $30,000 to establish the processes to engage and track the progress of these audiences.
*Our Offer to Donors
Understanding the Advocacy Environment
Conduct targeted research and analysis on current advocacy topics that are of interest to you. Develop research reports and supplemental materials that can be shared widely through our platforms
Our studies into the advocacy ecosystem can provide you with high-quality research on the state of advocacy, and what is working (and not) and we can share this information with advocates.
We are currently engaging donors and advocates to better understand the trends and behaviors of the advocacy funding landscape. The Donor Scoping Study will be launched in 2019. In addition, we will be releasing the State of Advocacy reports for Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, laying out current trends and needs in the advocacy space, as well as hosting the second annual advocacy lecture series focused on key issues related to advocacy in Africa.
Bringing Cohesion to the Advocacy Sector
Strengthen the representative capacities of advocacy coalitions through a unique linking and learning platform. These will align with your grantees’ advocacy themes, geographies, age, and accessibility considerations.
Facilitate and track participant engagement to identify gaps and ensure outreach strategies are meeting their needs. We can identify gaps and assess the basic needs of your advocacy partners and develop a capacity-strengthening plan through our interactive and participatory capacity review.
