Advocacy is an important activity in every society, no matter how large or small. It allows citizens and organisations to influence policy, improve public services, and create positive social change. But getting your message across and influencing the decision makers can actually be quite a complex process. A well-crafted government relations strategy combined with a robust public affairs campaign can help campaigners achieve their desired outcomes at all levels of the government – local, state/provincial, national or international – while also improving relationships between advocacy groups and policymakers. In this blog post we’ll discuss what constitutes an effective strategy for successful advocacy efforts – from understanding the basic principles of both government relations & public affairs campaigns to writing concise pitches that capture the attention of key stakeholders.