Civil society organisations, professional associations, businesses and development partners all seek to shape public policy, whether the goal is a fairer tax measure, a better-funded health service or a regulation that works for small enterprises. Influence of this kind is rarely won through a single report or event. It depends on a clear strategy, credible evidence, a careful reading of political interests and partnerships that can sustain pressure over several budget and legislative cycles.

The Strategic Advocacy, Policy Influence & Partnerships Training Course guides participants through that whole process. It begins with defining the policy problem and the change sought, then analyses how decisions are actually made, who holds formal and informal power and where the windows of opportunity lie. Participants learn to package evidence for policymakers, craft messages for different audiences and choose between insider and outsider tactics. The second half of the week focuses on building and governing coalitions and multi-stakeholder partnerships, managing reputational and political risk, and monitoring influence so that strategies can be adjusted as circumstances change.

Teaching combines short expert inputs with simulations and practical drafting. Participants work on an issue from their own organisation, and by the end have a campaign plan, a policy brief outline and a partnership framework they can take straight back to their teams.

After the five days, participants will be equipped to:

• Define an advocacy goal, objectives and policy asks grounded in a clear problem analysis.
• Map formal and informal power, allies, opponents and decision-making processes.
• Construct an advocacy theory of change linking activities to policy outcomes.
• Package research and programme evidence into briefs that policymakers will read.
• Select influencing tactics, channels and messengers suited to each target audience.
• Build and govern coalitions and partnerships with shared goals and clear roles.
• Monitor and evaluate influence using outcome harvesting and policy change logs.

Participants typically come from NGOs, civil society, business and government, in roles such as:

• Advocacy, campaigns and policy officers
• Executive directors and senior managers of NGOs and community-based organisations
• Policy analysts and researchers in think tanks and universities
• Government relations and public affairs managers in companies
• Communications and media relations staff supporting policy work
• Partnership and resource mobilisation managers
• Programme managers at development partners and UN agencies
• Officials of business membership organisations and professional associations

Every participant goes home with:

• A one-page advocacy strategy for a live issue, with goal, targets, asks and timeline.
• A power and stakeholder map identifying primary and secondary targets.
• An outline policy brief and a set of tailored key messages.
• A coalition charter template setting out decision-making, branding and conflict resolution.
• A simple influence monitoring log and a set of outcome harvesting questions.
• A risk register covering political, legal and reputational exposure.

Participants learn by planning real influencing work, supported by:

• Short inputs on advocacy models, the policy cycle and partnership practice
• Simulated committee hearings and stakeholder meetings with assigned roles
• Drafting clinics for policy briefs, key messages and coalition charters
• Comparative case studies of campaigns in health, governance, trade and climate policy
• Peer review of each participant's campaign plan on the final day

Attendance at all sessions, together with submission of the campaign plan exercise, earns a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.