How can you integrate community consultation into a broader advocacy campaign?

2 Analyze your stakeholders

The next step is to identify and analyze the stakeholders who are involved or affected by your advocacy issue. Stakeholders are the people or groups who have an interest, influence, or power over the problem or solution. They can be allies, opponents, or neutral parties. You need to map out who they are, what they want, what they can do, and how they relate to each other. This will help you understand the context, opportunities, and challenges of your advocacy campaign, and prioritize who to consult with.

3 Choose your methods

There are many methods you can use to consult with the community, depending on your goals, stakeholders, resources, and timeline. Some of the common methods are surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, forums, and participatory tools. You need to choose the methods that are appropriate for your target audience, your research questions, and your ethical standards. You also need to consider how to recruit, inform, and engage the participants, and how to collect, store, and analyze the data.

4 Conduct your consultation

The consultation process should be respectful, inclusive, and transparent. You need to explain the purpose, scope, and expected outcomes of the consultation to the participants, and obtain their consent and feedback. You need to ask open-ended, relevant, and respectful questions that elicit meaningful and diverse responses. You need to listen actively, empathetically, and critically to the participants, and acknowledge their contributions. You need to document and record the data accurately and securely, and protect the privacy and confidentiality of the participants.

5 Use your findings

The consultation findings should inform and guide your advocacy campaign. You need to analyze and synthesize the data, and identify the key themes, insights, and recommendations. You need to report and share the findings with the participants, the decision-makers, and the public, and acknowledge the sources and limitations of the data. You need to use the findings to refine your advocacy goal, strategy, and tactics, and to demonstrate the legitimacy, credibility, and relevance of your campaign.

6 Evaluate your consultation

The consultation process should be evaluated and improved continuously. You need to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the consultation, and identify the strengths, weaknesses, and lessons learned. You need to solicit and incorporate the feedback and suggestions from the participants, the decision-makers, and the stakeholders. You need to monitor and measure the changes and outcomes of your advocacy campaign, and report and celebrate the achievements and challenges.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?