This worksheet from "When the Best Offense is a Good Defense" helps advocates take periodic stock of short-term policy goals and document progress, including when progress means maintaining a past win or defending against an unanticipated threat. Use this tool at two points in time: 1) when identifying policy-related goals in specific areas for an upcoming legislative session, and 2) when later reflecting and documenting progress on these policy goals, as well as additional, unplanned positive changes and disadvantageous policies that were avoided. This tool is meant to be modified to fit different contexts and serve as a starting point for discussing variations of advocacy work.  

The Gates Foundation engaged ORS Impact (ORS) to develop a culturally relevant, methodologically rigorous tool to learn more about successful capacity building. The ORS team’s approach brought constituent needs and voice to the forefront throughout the process of tool development as well as its implementation. This brief shares the Gates Foundation’s tool, which can help advocates and foundations understand what constitutes strong advocacy and communications as well as opportunities to build capacity. The tool can also help organizations and foundations understand how advocacy and communications capacity is changing over time.