Advocating is worth doing well

There is no shame in advocating for yourself – letting the world know how effective you are, and, most of all, letting the government know how policy changes and budget lines can make a big difference.

Not-for-profits can confidently draw on their frontline experience and take a vocal position in interactions with both government and philanthropic trusts. Your insights, born from hard-won experience and evidence you have gathered, can be invaluable in shaping solutions that directly address the needs of those you work with, but only if you make the time and spend the resources to share your stories.

Advocacy can look like self-promotion if it comes across as marketing, but an approach of “If one rises, all can rise" can benefit your organisation as well as your whole sector.

This means advocating for your cause, not for yourself. It means focusing on what can be done in the future, not on the mistakes of the past.

You may not have all the answers as an organisation, but you are likely to have some of the sticky questions that the public should be asking when they choose which causes to support.

This type of sector leadership will see your legacy as a leader and as a leading organisation last well into the future and ripple beyond the four walls of your office.