THE POWER OF
SMART ADVOCACY
DISCIPLINED YET
FLEXIBLE
SMART Advocacy is a disciplined yet flexible approach to build momentum and deliver results. Its power is rooted in its simplicity — identifying near-term advocacy opportunities and the decision-makers who can act on them. Once realized, these opportunities become incremental changes that build on one another to achieve big goals.
SMART Advocacy was borne out of a need for a strategic, locally led advocacy effort to increase political and financial support for family planning. Through the 12-year, multi-country Advance Family Planning (AFP) initiative and the experiences of many others, SMART Advocacy has proven to be effective everywhere it is applied.
SMART Advocacy galvanized more than 2,800 financial commitments, policy improvements, and visibility gains in 25 countries
RESULTS OF AFP INVESTMENTS
Partners achieved 2,835 advocacy wins since 2009
Using SMART Advocacy, the AFP initiative has achieved more than 2,800 policy and funding changes at global, regional, national, and subnational levels since 2009. Most of these changes are new, improved, or sustained financial allocations for family planning followed by policy improvements and visibility gains. More than 203.9 million women of reproductive age potentially benefited from Advance Family Planning’s SMART Advocacy efforts.
Nearly US $170 million mobilized using SMART Advocacy
AFP has mobilized US $169.7 million for family planning from national and subnational governments and corporations from 2012 through 2021. Between 2012 and 2021, domestic funds mobilized for family planning in our focus geographies increased by 340%. And the number of government units allocating for family planning grew 29-fold.
SMART Advocacy creates a lasting impact
Governments reached through SMART Advocacy show a strong commitment to sustaining funding for family planning. Of the geographies that allocated funds in 2019-2020, 91% have allocated funds for at least two years, and 68% have done so for three or more years.
More than 300 organizations use SMART Advocacy for family planning and other issues
Of 304 organizations in 42 countries who report using SMART Advocacy, 67% (202) are local organizations and 65% (196) use it with their own funds.
See the list of organizations using SMART Advocacy.
“Applying the SMART approach to our advocacy work helped remove 17 restrictions limiting access to reproductive health services for women and girls… [The] SMART approach helps us keep on track and motivated even in the most challenging and restricted environments.”
Bethan Cobley
Marie Stopes International, UK
“SMART has been instrumental in advocacy planning, results tracking and evaluation. The approach does not only attract our partners, but also funders. Health Promotion Tanzania has secured funding from GMT, ACTION and Options by submitting concept notes and later full proposals tailored to [the] SMART approach.”
Peter Bujari
Health Promotion Tanzania
START YOUR JOURNEY
We invite you to download the guide and start your journey with SMART Advocacy today.