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Background

 

The Centre for Non-profit Management’s Summer School in 2008 addressed the theme of Relationships and Representation: Irish Civil Society at the Crossroads. Participants at the Summer School agreed to support an initiative to explore the current state of ‘advocacy and the sector’.  Subsequently, a ‘café workshop’ was held in October 2008 in All Hallows College.  The workshop sought the views and drew on the experience of people in the sector around the question of ‘advocacy and the non-profit or civil society sector’.  A copy of the report on the workshop is available at http://www.cnm.tcd.ie/dialogue/advocacy.php

 

At the end of the workshop Kieran Murphy, National Director, Society of St Vincent de Paul extended an invitation to others with a similar interest in developing thinking on this question to contact him and a number of people did so. This resulted in a number of meetings taking place leading to the setting up of a Steering Group to lead the project and agreement on Terms of Reference for a proposed Advocacy Initiative. 

           

Purpose

 

Arising out of the discussion and concerns expressed at the Summer School and Workshop, the Advocacy Initiative considers that a developed and robust civil society sector is critical to contemporary forms of participative democracy. We share a concern that within the Irish context generally there is a lack of clarity and understanding about the importance of this role and the types of processes that are vital to its conduct. The Advocacy Initiative has been formed to address this problem and sees advocacy as a key tool in a functioning civil society.

 

The need for the Advocacy Initiative was identified for the following specific reasons:

a)     Advocacy is a fundamental cross-cutting question affecting all civil society organisations (CSOs);

b)     Advocacy is seen as an essential part of the role and purpose of CSOs;

c)     There is a strongly held belief amongst CSOs that advocacy by sector organisations is under deliberate threat;

d)     There is a lack of clarity and confidence generally within civil society, and specifically within CSOs, as to the status, role and function of advocacy in a democratic State. 

 

The Advocacy Initiative has a three-fold function:

a)     Contribute to the body of knowledge on the question of advocacy at a sectoral level;

b)     Generate informed debate within the sector, and with the State;

c)     Enhance capacity in exercising advocacy within the sector through a range of measures, for example through the promotion of best practice “Rules of Engagement”.

 

Whose Involved?

 

The leadership of the Advocacy Initiative is being driven by a Steering Group whose membership is as follows:

 

Kieran Murphy, Chair (National Director, Society of St Vincent de Paul), Frances Byrne (OPEN), Anthony Carrick (Disability Federation of Ireland), Sheila Nordon (ICTR), Noeline Blackwell and Edel Quinn (FLAC), Mike Allen (Focus Ireland), Ava Battles (Carmichael Centre), Noeleen Hartigan (Amnesty), Mary McDermott, Kathleen O’Meara (Irish Cancer Society), Patrick Burke (Simon Communities of Ireland), Sheila Cannon (Glencree), June Tinsley (Barnardos), Eugene Flynn (54 Degrees), Andrew O’Regan (Centre for Non-profit Management). 

 

The current research project is being overseen by a Project Management Group selected from the Steering Group.

 

The work of the Steering Group is transparent.  A wide number of groups are informed through an email circulation list which is open for anyone with an interest in this Initiative to join.  It was agreed at the outset that the Advocacy Initiative will not duplicate advocacy work being carried out by other organisations, but rather would seek to deepen debate within the sector with regard to the purpose and practice of advocacy.  This is a task oriented Initiative which includes considering extending this project upon successful conclusion of the Terms of Reference outlined below. 

 

 

Terms of Reference

 

1. Identify:

  • Principles and diverse models of advocacy used internationally across the public, private and 3rd sectors in the context of the role of Civil Society in contemporary democracies.
  • Draw on the experience of international experts in this area
  • Convene a Forum to deepen our understanding of the experience of NGO advocacy in Ireland and to stimulate some fresh thinking about how that experience could be improved.

 

2. Describe and distil the contemporary practices of advocacy i.e. what is done, how is it done, and is there a problem?

  • Review the role, practice and function of civil society advocacy from several perspectives (CSOs to civil servants)
  • Is there a problem regarding organisations ability to advocate as a direct result of government/public sector policy and intervention
  • Assess the nature and extent of such a problem. 
  • Explore the subjective experiences of advocates.
  • Convene a forum of stakeholders, and a Conference aimed at a wider audience, to examine and explore implications of the research findings.

 

3. Develop a proposal for a follow on project to enhance sectoral capacity and promote effective advocacy amongst key actors (community and voluntary sector organisations, statutory agencies, elected representatives, government and civil servants).

 

 

Current Activities

 

The Initiative's Steering Group has appointed Montague Communications Limited (www.montaguecomms.ie) and Middlequarter Limited (www.middlequarter.com) to jointly manage the research project for the Initiative.   

 

One of the key elements of the Advocacy Initiative’s research programme is a survey on advocacy activity in the sector which was sent out to a range of NGOs around the country in mid February. Please note that the survey report will reflect the overall response of participants without identifying individual organisations. The participation of as many organisations as possible within the sector will be an important contribution to the overall success of the Initiative so if you would like to take part in this survey please send your contact details including email address to advocacy@middlequarter.com. 

 

This survey is the first stage in activities planned for 2010.  Further activities will include an Advocacy Forum (25 March) and a Conference (10 June) over the coming months.  Further information on these activities will be provided in due course.

 

 

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