In today’s world, advocacy is more than raising your voice — it’s about shifting systems, breaking barriers, and unlocking lasting change. But let’s be honest: advocacy is tough. The journey is riddled with obstacles that can derail even the most well-intentioned efforts. From entrenched political resistance and limited resources to misinformation wars, coalition tensions, and advocacy fatigue, the path to impact is rarely straightforward.

In this piece, I draw on my experience managing country-level and multi-country advocacy and policy influencing initiatives with organizations such as Frontline AIDS, Equal Measures 2030, CARE USA, Amref Health Africa, HelpAge International, and the Advocacy Accelerator.

"Along the way, I have observed a clear gap in resources that define what truly constitutes “advocacy excellence.” I also recognize that the meaning of excellence in advocacy is not universal — it shifts depending on context, shaped by local realities, priorities, and power dynamics"

Before we explore what drives excellence in advocacy, it’s important to understand the roadblocks that stand in the way. These challenges — from navigating powerful institutions and resource constraints, to measuring long-term impact and ensuring inclusivity — set the stage for why advocacy must be smarter, bolder, and more adaptive than ever. Equally, these challenges also reinforces why Advocacy has always proved to be “hard to measure”.

The Roadblocks We Face in Advocacy

Throughout my career, I have found out that one of the most persistent challenges we face in conducting effective advocacy is political and institutional resistance. Powerful elites and entrenched systems resist reforms that threaten the status quo. Whether it is cultural conservatism stalling gender-transformative policies or bureaucratic inertia delaying health reforms, resistance from above can choke momentum before change takes root.

Another challenge is the reality of limited resources. The Evaluation in Innovation Report (2023) highlights that nonprofit organizations face significant resource constraints, with 84% citing limited staff time and 62% noting insufficient financial resources as barriers to effective advocacy and operations. Grassroots organizations receive less external funding and rely heavily on member support, with most organisations receiving five years (if lucky) or less in funding. Effective and impactful advocacy requires consistent funding for research, mobilization, and communication. Without resources, even the most urgent issues risk being sidelined.

Another hurdle lies in the difficulty of measuring advocacy impact. Systemic change unfolds gradually and unevenly (nothing is linear and should not be assumed to be so), making it difficult to link specific progress directly back to advocacy efforts. Evaluating advocacy is especially challenging because its goals involve long-term outcomes, evolving strategies, and contributions from many actors — making attribution complex and uncertain. This complexity is even more pronounced for campaigns that aim to transform social norms, such as those targeting gender equality. Traditional metrics fall short in capturing normative shifts, necessitating nuanced tools and long-term monitoring that go beyond quantitative data (Elizabeth et al., 2019)

I have also found out that building coalitions is only half the battle — sustaining them is a formidable challenge in itself. Partnerships that span governments, donors, and civil society must constantly navigate shifting priorities and embedded power dynamics. Without careful, adaptive management, these alliances risk fragmenting just when unity matters most. Research echoes this reality: civil society networks struggle due to difficult relationships with financial donors, where lack of flexibility and misaligned expectations erode their effectiveness and legitimacy (Okeke et al., 2021). Similarly, collaborative governance models — which bring diverse stakeholders together — face structural hurdles such as unequal power, stakeholder fatigue, and dwindling clarity of purpose over time.

The rise of digital media has added a new layer of complexity. Misinformation circulates faster than factual content — driven by social media norms that favor emotional, sensational stories — undermining public trust in evidence and eroding the credibility of advocacy campaigns. Bots and coordinated disinformation attacks further amplify this threat, distorting narratives and shaping perceptions with alarming speed. Tackling false narratives now demands sophisticated digital engagement strategies — things like proactive “prebunking,” real-time fact checking, and media literacy initiatives — but many organizations lack the resources, technical know-how, or strategic frameworks to deploy them effectively (Pica et al., 2021). Internews Network is doing a great work on this.

Equally critical is the challenge of ensuring inclusion and intersectionality. Too often, advocacy efforts fail to account for overlapping forms of discrimination, effectively leaving behind groups such as adolescent girls, refugees, or people with disabilities. This neglect not only diminishes the legitimacy of advocacy but also undermines its impact. Intersectionality — a concept introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw — recognizes that individuals experience overlapping and interconnected systems of oppression, which cannot be understood or addressed in isolation. When advocacy lacks this lens, it risks creating an illusion of inclusion, where surface-level diversity obscures deeper structural inequalities. As a result, campaigns that sideline the most marginalized — those at the intersections of multiple identities — fail to advance equitable change.

Finally, advocacy must constantly adapt to dynamic and unpredictable contexts. Sudden shifts in political leadership, economic upheavals, or humanitarian crises can change the rules of the game overnight. Yet too often, rigid funding cycles and narrowly defined project structures prevent organizations from responding swiftly or seizing emerging opportunities. For example, peacebuilding work suffers when funding is short-term and inflexible — locked into compartmentalized projects with heavy reporting requirements — making it hard to sustain long-term relationships or pivot as needed. Over time, these structural constraints and unchanging program designs lead to advocacy fatigue, as activists and communities grow weary of pushing for change against persistent barriers and with few visible wins (Chen et al., 2015)

What Drives Advocacy Excellence?

So how can organizations overcome these hurdles and truly drive excellence in advocacy? What turns advocacy from isolated efforts into a force for lasting change? From my experience, several elements consistently stand out as critical. In this piece, I highlight those that have shaped my own journey — acknowledging that while these are significant, there are certainly others that deserve to be documented and explored further.

The first cornerstone of advocacy excellence is grounding efforts in evidence. Data-driven advocacy gives campaigns credibility and urgency, making it far harder for decision-makers to look the other way. Solid research, backed by rigorous monitoring, doesn’t just reveal the scale of the problem — it frames it in ways that spark action, turning abstract issues into undeniable realities that demand a response. This is exactly what organizations like Equal Measures 2030 are doing: equipping advocates with the data and tools they need to hold governments accountable. Other organizations that are strongly leveraging evidence to power their advocacy include Frontline AIDS, Data2X (a United Nations Foundation initiative), Kidogo Early Years, Transparency International, and Evidence Action, among others.

Excellence also demands inclusive and participatory approaches. Systemic change cannot be achieved without the voices of those most affected. The PITCH programme, implemented by Frontline AIDS and Aidsfonds, worked hand in hand with marginalized communities to co-create strategies that reflected their realities and amplified their leadership in shaping policy agendas. Similarly, Kidogo Early Years has shown the power of participation in the childcare space by engaging “mamapreneurs” and parents directly in designing solutions that meet community needs.

A strong theory of change (ToC) is another cornerstone of effective advocacy. By mapping how activities lead to outcomes, a ToC creates clarity, alignment, and shared purpose among diverse stakeholders. One powerful example — and a personal success story — is the PITCH programme, where I had the privilege of serving as the Global MEL Technical Lead. The PITCH programme exemplified this approach by developing a robust global theory of change that articulated its overarching vision for policy influence and systemic change. Crucially, this global ToC was not a one-size-fits-all model; PITCH engaged marginalized communities in co-creating country and community-specific theories of change that were directly nested within the global framework. This participatory process ensured that while the programme advanced a coherent global strategy, it remained deeply rooted in local realities and responsive to the lived experiences of the very communities it sought to serve. For me, PITCH was more than a programme; it was proof that when robust MEL systems are paired with inclusive approaches, advocacy becomes sharper, more credible, and ultimately more impactful.

Advocacy must embrace systems thinking. This approach shifts the lens from isolated issues to interconnected structures — helping us understand how actions ripple through complex systems. In fields like health policy and systems research (HPSR), systems thinking is foundational: it treats health systems as dynamic, complex adaptive systems, enabling more resilient and context-sensitive interventions that are better suited to real-world challenges. Several organizations are already demonstrating how systems thinking can transform advocacy. The World Health Organization, through its Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, has shown how health systems function as complex adaptive systems, shaping reforms that account for interdependencies across financing, governance, and service delivery. CARE International has embedded systems thinking into its Vision 2030 strategy, tackling gender inequality not as an isolated issue but as one woven into broader social, economic, and political structures. Oxfam applies similar approaches in its inequality and fiscal justice campaigns, using system mapping to reveal how tax evasion, weak governance, and underfunded public services reinforce one another. Equal Measures 2030 bridges gender data and accountability frameworks across the SDGs, showing how systemic barriers to equality cut across health, education, climate, and governance.

Excellence in advocacy also thrives on partnerships. Systemic change is never driven by a single actor — it requires governments, civil society, grassroots movements, and donors to align their efforts and amplify impact. However, building and sustaining these alliances remains one of advocacy’s greatest challenges. Studies conducted using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) highlighted that effective coalition coordination depends on aligned belief systems, trust, and resource access — all of which are often difficult to maintain in changing political landscapes. Grassroots organizations, in particular, face steep hurdles: competition for visibility, scarce financial and human resources, and pressures of unequal power dynamics can undercut collaborative efforts, making it hard to sustain unity and drive enduring change.

Because contexts are never static, flexibility and adaptive management are essential in advocacy. Political shifts, changing donor priorities, and evolving societal needs demand that advocates remain responsive and resilient. Internews Network offers a solid model for this in practice: its humanitarian communication strategies are built on real-time feedback loops — collecting and responding to community information as contexts evolve — which allows campaigns to recalibrate and stay relevant under changing conditions. From a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) perspective, advocacy programs should go beyond documenting programmatic wins to also capture shifts in context — both positive and negative (Significant Moment of Change). This ensures that advocacy remains grounded in reality and allows strategies to be recalibrated when conditions change. The PITCH programme by Frontline AIDS offers a clear example: by systematically tracking contextual shifts — such as changing political climates and restrictive legal environments — it was able to adapt its advocacy strategies in real time. For instance, when laws affecting LGBTQI communities in Uganda and other countries became more restrictive, PITCH partners adjusted their approaches, focusing on safeguarding community voices while still pushing for policy change. Frontline AIDS “Measuring Up: Learning from Practice” reinforces this in detail.

Put simply, advocacy excellence is not just about speaking up — it’s about making real, lasting change. It means working smarter, not just louder: using evidence to back our arguments, making sure the right people are included, staying strategic, adapting when things shift, and holding ourselves accountable along the way. When we bring all these pieces together, advocacy moves beyond one-off campaigns. It becomes a powerful force that breaks down barriers, improves lives, and helps reshape societies for the better.

Why It Matters Now?

Advocacy is not about one-off wins. It’s about rewiring systems so that equity is not a privilege but the norm. The stakes could not be higher — climate justice, gender equality, universal health care, and dignity for every person. These are not abstract ideals; they are urgent imperatives. And the truth is clear: business as usual will not get us there.

Excellence in advocacy is therefore more than a technical exercise. It is a call to courage and persistence, to keep pushing even when resistance is fierce and progress feels slow. It is about building coalitions that cross borders and sectors, amplifying voices that have long been silenced, and believing, even in the hardest moments, that change is not only possible — it is inevitable when we act boldly and together.

Now is the time to raise the bar. To root our advocacy in evidence that cannot be ignored, to power it with people whose lived experiences light the way, to sharpen it with systems thinking that addresses root causes, and to fuel it with learning so that every campaign becomes smarter, stronger, and more effective.

Because in the end, the world doesn’t just need more voices shouting into the void. It needs advocacy that drives impact — advocacy that dismantles barriers, reshapes institutions, and builds a future where justice and equity are not exceptions but expectations.

The message is simple but urgent: let’s be bold, let’s be excellent, and let’s be relentless. The future we want depends on the advocacy we choose today.