Advocacy Explained — Definition, Types, Examples

Advocacy plays a crucial role across industries, professions and cultures, but what does it really mean? And what are the different types of advocacy? This guide will break down the concept, explore the various types and show how it looks to different people, preparing you to tackle the next challenge or issue that comes your way.

What Is Advocacy?

Advocacy refers to the act of supporting or campaigning for a specific cause, issue, policy or individual. It often involves taking action to raise awareness or promote a specific point of view with the goal of bringing about positive change or protecting certain rights.

What Are the Different Scales of Advocacy?

There are many different scales of advocacy, some of which may overlap. Some of the most common ones include:

• Self-advocacy refers to the act of speaking up for yourself, expressing your needs and desires and making decisions that impact your life.
  • Examples: Asking for reasonable accommodations at school, speaking up to your doctor about your hesitations with a medical treatment plan, negotiating for a raise at work
• Individual advocacy, distinct from self-advocacy, involves speaking up on behalf of another person to ensure their needs, rights or interests are met.
  • Examples: Helping a colleague who is facing workplace discrimination, accompanying a friend to a medical appointment to ensure their questions are answered, working with teachers to secure special services for a child with learning challenges
• Group advocacy is carried out by a group with shared interests or goals.
  • Examples: A labor union fighting for higher wages and better working conditions, a parent-teacher association advocating for more school funding
• Social advocacy is aimed at changing policies, laws, practices, and so on on a systemic level.
  • Examples: Civil rights organizations working to combat systemic racism, the LGBTQ+ rights movement, nonprofits pushing for urgent action to combat climate change

Other Types of Advocacy You Should Be Aware of

There are also many niche, specialized forms of support that often intersect with broader areas such as group and social advocacy.

• Healthcare and/or patient advocacy is a broad-based term that often overlaps with public health and social justice initiatives. It focuses on empowering patients, ensuring equitable healthcare access and addressing systemic challenges within the system.

• Legal advocacy leverages processes, procedures and expertise to drive change, shape policies and uphold citizens’ rights.
• Case advocacy encompasses advocating on behalf of a specific person or case, often to navigate a particular system such as healthcare or social services. It could also mean representing someone in a legal matter.
• Victim advocacy focuses on providing support to individuals who have experienced violence, crime or trauma. It often involves providing physical and/or emotional support and offering resources and guidance.
• Grassroots advocacy refers to efforts within a community to inspire collective action.

• Digital advocacy,a relatively new approach enabled by the rise of computers, social media and smartphones, leverages online platforms to amplify messages and causes.
• Paid independent advocacy refers to individuals who are compensated for their efforts to represent a cause or client. This can include a public relations professional advocating for a specific brand or organization or a lobbyist working to influence policies or legislation.
• Citizen advocacy often refers to when individuals act as advocates on behalf of people in their community.
• Statutory advocacy involves advocating for legal rights that are mandated by specific government policies.
• Environmental advocacy can take the form of conservation advocacy — speaking up for nonhuman lifeforms or entire ecosystems — or grassroots efforts that support communities disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and pollution.

What Does Advocacy Look Like?

Advocacy can take many forms, and what it looks like for you might be different from someone else’s approach. Consider how you would tackle a specific problem or issue. Sometimes it’s as simple as speaking up and asking questions. Your answer may depend on the situation, the cause and the people involved. In general, advocacy often looks like this:

• Writing emails, letters and petitions to organizations, politicians and others
• Researching policy reform and procedural changes
• Using social media to raise national or global awareness
• Engaging in on-the-ground activities such as fundraisers, town hall meetings, workshops and peaceful protests
• Organizing petitions or online drives to gather support for a particular cause
• Lobbying government officials to enact or change laws
• Using art, writing or music to spread awareness
• Participating in panels, webinars or workshops to share knowledge and promote visibility
• Using legal action in court to protect rights

Principles of Advocacy

Principles of advocacy refer to the core values or guidelines that dictate how you should advocate for something, ensuring your efforts are both effective and ethical. While this is not an exhaustive list, some of the most important principles include:

• Equity and justice
• Transparency
• Respect and dignity
• Accountability
• Non-violence
• Inclusivity

It’s also important to understand the “boomerang model” of advocacy, which occurs when people or groups are blocked or ignored by their own government. In response, they turn to international allies or prominent organizations, such as lobbying groups, to amplify their message. These external actors then exert pressure back onto the government, sending the message back in like a boomerang.

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