Organisations that seek to shape public policy operate under growing scrutiny. Donors demand evidence of controls, regulators watch how influence is exercised and the public asks who is paying for which message. Weak governance around advocacy and partnerships exposes an organisation to reputational damage, funding suspension and legal action, however worthy its cause.

This programme brings governance and compliance discipline to every stage of an influence initiative. It starts with the rules of the game: the difference between advocacy, lobbying and political activity, transparency expectations and the duties of boards and senior managers. Participants then work through stakeholder analysis, risk registers, partner screening and due diligence, drafting partnership agreements, managing pooled funds and sub-grants, and monitoring compliance during delivery. Later sessions deal with ethics, safeguarding, data handling, record keeping, external reporting and how to respond when a breach is suspected.

Learning is practical. Participants analyse realistic campaign and coalition scenarios, test draft policies against them and build tools they can take back to work. By the final session each person has a compliance checklist, a partnership due diligence template and an action plan tailored to their organisation.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish advocacy, lobbying and political activity and apply the limits that govern each.
• Translate donor conditions and sanctions requirements into working rules for campaign teams.
• Conduct stakeholder and risk mapping before committing to a policy influence initiative.
• Carry out proportionate due diligence on prospective partners and coalition members.
• Draft partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding that allocate duties and controls clearly.
• Maintain conflict of interest, gifts and engagement registers that stand up to audit.
• Report policy engagement transparently to boards, donors and the public.
• Respond to suspected breaches through proper escalation and corrective action.

The course is intended for people who plan, fund, oversee or assure influence and partnership work, including:

• Advocacy, policy and campaigns managers in NGOs
• Partnership and alliance coordinators
• Compliance, risk and legal officers
• Programme managers responsible for sub-grants
• Government relations and public affairs officers
• Board members and governance committee members
• Foundation and donor programme officers
• Policy advisers in ministries and county governments
• Corporate sustainability and stakeholder engagement staff

Participants leave with practical tools and clearer judgement, including:

• A compliance checklist for advocacy campaigns from design to close-out.
• A partner due diligence template with risk scoring guidance.
• Model clauses for partnership agreements covering integrity, data and audit rights.
• A draft conflict of interest and engagement register ready to adapt.
• An escalation flowchart for handling suspected breaches.
• A personal action plan for strengthening governance in their own unit.

Teaching is scenario-driven and centred on the dilemmas that advocacy and partnership teams meet in practice:

• Expert-led briefings on regulatory and donor requirements
• Anonymised case files of campaigns and partnerships that succeeded or failed
• Group clinics drafting policies, clauses and registers
• Role plays on difficult conversations with donors and partners
• Peer review of each participant's compliance toolkit

Participants who attend the sessions and complete the practical exercises are awarded a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.