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Advocacy Methods for NGOs
2008 | 2007 | 2005 | Archived Articles
2008
Generation NGO (March 21, 2008)
Large NGOs often discourage students’ volunteering ambitions with grueling application requirements. So, “rather than fight[ing] the power,” students are “stealing it” by launching a new kind of non-profit organization. These youth-run outfits operate through blogs and Facebook networks, relying on short bursts of labor. This new style of volunteering is luring expertise away from traditional, long-standing NGOs. (Globe and Mail)2007
How Liberal Activists Outfoxed Fox (June 19, 2007)
The successful documentary, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, and the public protest that followed, exemplify activists’ ability to have an influence on media and politics. Using testimonial footage, the film questions whether Fox Network reports unbiased, valid news. Activists created informational blogs and got thousands of people to sign petitions, which grabbed both media and government officials’ attention. Film maker Robert Greenwald affirms that, “With no money spent on traditional publicity you can reach millions of people." (Tom Paine)Stepping Beyond Civil Society: Prospects for the Multitudes of Resistance (April 5, 2007)
While “power elites” and states often claim that free markets and a globalized economy promote democracy, this Toward Freedom article argues that these systems actually widen North-South disparities. The author claims that “NGOs are often expected to fill in the gaps,” however states repress and marginalize civil society. NGOs must partner and build strong networks in order to effect change.NGO Umbrellas Leap Regional Borders (March 23, 2007)
A number of Latin American and European NGOs convened in Santiago, Chile, to discuss how better to meet their common goals of “deepening” democratic processes and promoting economic and social justice. Participants spoke of the need to increase coordination amongst their organizations not only in policy initiatives but also in fundraising strategies. The presence of government officials and individuals from the private sector at the seminar demonstrates growing recognition that NGOs have become increasingly influential in global decision-making. (Inter Press Service)Whither All The War Protesters? (January 19, 2007)
This Christian Science Monitor piece compares opposition to the 2003 US-led war in Iraq and ensuing occupation to anti-war activism during the Vietnam War. The article rejects the notion that the anti-war movement is dying and, instead, suggests that the less overt forms of protest nowadays, including weblogs, e-mail and online petitions, reflect technological advances. Further, the author states that, compared to the Vietnam War era, public opposition to the Iraq war grew more rapidly – and began at an earlier stage.2005
Quid Pro Quo: A Journalistic Look at NGO-Media Interaction in Africa (2005)
This paper shows how NGOs in Africa use the media as a powerful advocacy tool. Where governments disseminate misinformation, NGOs can inform communities through the media about problems like HIV/AIDS. Some NGOs also support news networks, which cannot afford journalists with a scientific education, by providing expert statements on health issues. The author concludes from case studies in Kenya and South Africa that NGOs and the media “cannot serve the public effectively without assistance and support from the other.” (Brown Journal of World Affairs)How to ‘Sell’ Forgotten Emergencies (October 5, 2005)
For NGOs, media relations are important but often-underused outlets for meaningful networking. This “tip sheet,” put together by AlertNet, details strategies NGOs can use to bring attention to issues that may otherwise go unnoticed by the general public, and to raise awareness among potential partner NGOs.Civil Society Launches 2005 UN World Summit Website (August 18, 2005)
In an effort to democratize the debate over UN reform, the organizers of the upcoming DPI/NGO conference have launched a website that is open to the public. The website developers recognized the contradiction in advocating for a more democratic UN while simultaneously organizing a conference on that topic that would not be publicly accessible. The website features updated conference news, as well as webcasts of events and live discussions on relevant issues. (UN News)Something New in the Latin American Air (January 31, 2005)
NGOs and journalists alike have long considered South America's communication as sub-par. But TV Brazil, launched at the 2005 Porto Alegre World Social Forum, has become the first state-run television network to broadcast event images outside its own borders. The project marks a first step towards an integrated communication system that can aid citizens and NGO activists in influencing local, national and international policy. (TerraViva)Engaging the New Pan-Africanism: Strategies for Civil Society (2005)
In a joint initiative, ActionAid International and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa produced this guide for African civil society. The guide provides a basic framework for the mobilization of enhanced regional and continental action on the part of NGOs in Africa, by Africans.
