1. How to Move Your Organization’s Funding for AdvocacyForward™
A Presentation by
The Advocacy Collaborative, LLC
YWCA Capacity Building & Leadership Institute
Palm Springs, Feb 4, 2016 ™

2. Copyright © 2015, The Advocacy Collaborative. All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2015, The Advocacy Collaborative. All Rights Reserved. No part of this presentation or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author.
This presentation was provided by Laurel O’Sullivan at the 2016 YWCA Leadership and Capacity Building Institute. Laurel O’Sullivan, is the Principal and Founder of the Advocacy Collaborative, LLC., For more information about Advocacy Collaborative services, please contact Laurel at or
Posted to the YWCA Resource Library spring, Please note: this information is presented as a resource, not advice. YWCA resource materials are reserved for YWCA use only and copyright restrictions apply. For the development of any major agreement or plans, be sure to engage appropriate counsel.

3. Our Roadmap Introductions Assessment Exercise: Exploring the Gap
5 Pre Proposal Considerations
5 Steps to A Successful Proposal
Exercise
Insert the roadmap visual or the overview of the entire curriculum.
February 4, 2016

4. Laurel’s Background Practice Lawyer, Policy Advocate
Capacity Building Architect, Social Justice Board Member
Theory
Writer, Teacher, Speaker
Advising, Consulting & Coaching 

5. Policy Advocacy - def
A leadership strategy for advancing mission that requires taking a public position on a cause or issue to influence decision making.

6. 5 Pre-Steps to Preparing Advocacy Proposal
1. Know Your Value!
2. It’s All About Them - Understand Your Funders!
3. It’s All About You!
4. Identify & Prepare Your Team
5. Arrive at Shared Understanding of Project Goals

7. Know Your Value! Stakeholders Past Success? Reputation?
Positioning/Access?
Recent Media Coverage
Programs
Are you a collaborator, deal maker, influencer? Self awareness is important
Psychologicall this is important for all fundraising, it’s the foundation and basis for all that follows. And be clear on this is should rive and influence the process and proposal. Be consistent and undrstand how that translates into the proposal.
February 4, 2016

8. How Does Advocacy Fit in Their Mission?
Know Your Funder
Private Foundation?
Community Foundation?
Individual Donor?
How Does Advocacy Fit in Their Mission?
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You know one foundation, you know one foundation
Lsat year 25, 639 private foundations in the US gave away $6.3 billion. This is $11,000 a second. Donors will give money to meet their needs and interests, not yours. The name of the game is to find a good marriage.
Their Mission
The Type of Foundation
Their Experience with Advocacy
Their Need for Outcomes

9. Remember....Its a Mutual Relationship
Leadership Position
Advancing Your Mission –Impacting public policy
For most nonprofits, government funds > 50% of total
Look at Annual Report (available online in most cases) or annual budget materials provided to board members
How would your agency respond if this sector’s funding for core programs was cut dramatically
February 4, 2016

10. Your Homework Before Meeting
1. Know the legal rules
2. Know their policies on funding advocacy
3 . Do meet in advance to decide on direction & general scope of proposal, including terms.

11. Core Management Functions
Don’t Silo Advocacy
DIT not....DIY!
Core Management Functions
Finance
Fundraising
Program Strategy
Board Development
Advocacy .
1. Share Donors Forum Story about siloing
Advocacy was added to the mission, but we weren’t aligned across the organizaiton
That meant there was a separate “dept” responsible for advocacy, supporting it---with communications, all our funding, grants, programming was separate rather than leveraging programming staff.
Forces for Good statistic – on cost. Dramatically reduced costs of position by spreading responsibility across more than one position. Spent 8% of budget by spreading across organization and were able to leverage resources from across organizaiton AND it meant there was greater awareness.

12. Prepare Your Team Who is Needed to Complete the Work?
Ideally cross departmental team
Leverages Resources
Demonstrates full organizational support to funders
Leadership Position
Advancing Your Mission –Impacting public policy
For most nonprofits, government funds > 50% of total
Look at Annual Report (available online in most cases) or annual budget materials provided to board members
How would your agency respond if this sector’s funding for core programs was cut dramatically
February 4, 2016

13. Arrive at Shared Understanding
Questions:
What Are Your Agreed Upon Goals?
What Does Success Look Like?
What are Everyone’s Roles?
February 4, 2016

14. Exploring the Gap Exercise
Take the Assessment & Score
Line up!
Where Is Your Organization in terms of Fundraising Readiness for Advocacy?
Level 1: 1-10
Level 2: 11-19
Level 3: 20-29
Level 4: 30-40
February 4, 2016

15. 5 Steps to Preparing A Winning Advocacy Proposal
Engage – tell your story
Leverage Your Assets - Connect the Dots with Your Strategies
Be Accountable By Being Clear & Realistic
Be Credible – Define Clear Outcomes
Don’t Undersell Yourself
Know Your Costs!
In some ways advocacy is not unique from other fundraising, but there many things that make it unique
February 4, 2016

16. What is a Proposal?
A representation of your program – you don’t get second chances!
A request – don’t forget to ask for the money!
A persuasion
A promise
A plan
Purpose: Gives you opportunity to get very clear on project idea by organizing concepts and ideas
DO:
February 4, 2016

17. Engage Funders With Your Compelling Story
Introduce Your Organization
Define the Problem
Describe the Change you Seek
Define Success
This becomes your outline or template
Introduce org - Highlight Your Thing of Value
2- data to demonsrate as proof
Objectives
Includes 3 things: methods, & means for evaluating success

18. Leverage Your Resources – Connect Your Organizational Dots for Funders
Advocacy
Strategic Plan
Operations
Programs
Funding
The Board
Connect to strategy & Operations
February 4, 2016

19. Be Accountable – Define Your Outcomes & How You will Measure Them
Evaluation is the collection & measurement of data. It has two purposes: Learning & Impact. Decide
Its ok to start simple with data collection
Being clear and specific is most important
Interim outcomes become important!
Contribution not Attribution
Unique characteristics of advocacy can make it challenging....anticipate & demonstrate to funder some knowledge and willingness to adapt.
Complexity & attribution
2)Extended & often unending timeframe
3)Changing Milestones
4)Shifting context and strategies
5)Tight resources
Implications for Advocacy:
1)Complexity & attribution
February 4, 2016

20. A Helpful Framework for Demonstrating Accountability
Lack of specificity about who will change and how they will change
Sticking to outputs—or even outcomes—that are no longer relevant
Assuming that “more” is better
Mismatch between the tactics used and the outcomes expected
Unrealistic expectations for change within the measurement period
Establish your contribution Focus on interim outcomes & progress Use an approach that is quickly adaptable Re-think how you interpret success Consider timing and keep burden low
February 4, 2016

21. A Helpful Framework to Avoid Common Mistakes in Measuring Advocacy
Lack of specificity about who will change and how they will change
Sticking to outputs—or even outcomes—that are no longer relevant
Assuming that “more” is better
Mismatch between the tactics used and the outcomes expected
Unrealistic expectations for change within the measurement period
Establish your contribution Focus on interim outcomes & progress Use an approach that is quickly adaptable Re-think how you interpret success Consider timing and keep burden low
February 4, 2016

22. Be Accountable! Know Your Costs
Salaries & Benefits
ABC Foundation Contribution to Budget
Other Sources
CEO
10,000
5,000
Advocacy Director
30,000
Communications Staff
20,000
Office Supplies
$1,000
$2,000
Travel
2,000
1,000
Consultant
TOTAL
$25,000
60,000
The budget "should be a realistic estimate of all costs involved in implementing and operating the project
Cost estimates should be broken down into logical categories, such as salaries, supplies, rent, etc." 
A budget not only outlines how the requested funds will be spent, but also how the money received from other sources will be allocated.  
Example:
February 4, 2016

23. 4 Reasons Proposals Don’t Get Funded
1. Funders don’t believe you understand the problem
2. Funders don’t believe in your solution
3. Funders don’t believe in your qualifications
4. Funders don’t believe or trust your budget
So much of this comes back to relationsihps

24. Exercise! Briefly Discuss 4 Part Proposal With a Partner & Identify One Key Challenge & How to Address. Bring Challenge to the Group Time: 10 minutes Sharing-10 Minutes
Remember it’s a two way street.
February 4, 2016

25. Questions, Comments--- Let’s Stay in Touch
Laurel O’Sullivan, J.D.
Principal & Founder
The Advocacy Collaborative, LLC –
Contact:
@npoadvocacy.com
Connect on Linked In!
Copyright © 2015, The Advocacy Collaborative. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this document or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author.