Table 1.

Steps to launch an advocacy campaign included in the Advocacy Tool Kit

SUGGESTED STEPS	RECOMMENDED ACTION
Step 1: identify the issue	Research the issue and explore the political climate How does it relate to your organization’s activities or mandate?
Step 2: connect with allies; join a coalition or build your own	Identify peer partners and learn from people with lived experience Are other team members working on similar issues? Who else might be interested in the issue? -Community organizations and unions -Academic institutions and professional organizations -Media contacts
Step 3: set a campaign objective and target	Set a SMART objective Who can effect change? -Organization -Municipal, provincial, or federal government Determine your available resources
Step 4: choose your strategy and tools	Individual action vs coordinated campaign Determine specific messaging Choose a strategy and use advocacy tools based on your SMART objectives -Direct action, eg, rally, march, sit-in, demonstration -Editorials and blogs -Media releases, press conferences -Online or paper petitions, eg, Change.org -Public education or town halls -Lobbying of institutions and politicians -Deputations and submissions to government -Legal action, eg, human rights tribunal -Social media blitzes or campaigns -Clinical tools and education -Research, eg, participatory action research
Step 5: determine how you will identify yourself	Determine how you will identify yourself -City-based health care provider -University affiliate -Organizational staff member
Step 6: implement and evaluate	How will you measure success? What are your intended outputs? Evaluate strategies, messaging, and partnerships

SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound.

Reprinted with permission from the St Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team.