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Identifying the goals of your advocacy can help you understand which activities would be most effective for achieving them.

You may like to consider using the SMART analysis template and the action plan template to develop impactful advocacy goals and a plan to achieving them.

 

What is SMART analysis?

SMART analysis is a method of developing goals that are right for you and can deliver impactful results. SMART criteria are:

Specific – What will be accomplished? What actions will you take?

Measurable – What data will measure the goal?

Achievable – Is the goal doable?

Relevant – How does the goal align with broader goals? Is it the right goal for the resources you have?

Time-bound – What is the time frame for accomplishing the goal?

View the SMART analysis template
 
View the Action plan template
 

Examples of SMART advocacy goals:

  • Accelerate the speed of diagnosis for Wilson’s disease by raising awareness of the condition among primary care clinicians, hepatologists, neurologists, psychiatrists and psychologists. This could be achieved by conducting a two-year engagement programme with relevant decision-makers to call for inclusion of Wilson’s disease in clinical undergraduate programmes and postgraduate training opportunities.
  • Improve funding and support for Wilson’s disease care by collaborating with patient and clinical organisations working on other rare diseases to advocate for an up-to-date, financed rare disease strategy that supports the needs of people living with Wilson’s disease. This could be achieved by activities such as letter-writing campaigns, meetings and other events to target policymakers and build support across a two-year period.
  • Empower people living with Wilson’s disease to take control of decisions around their care by spending one year developing and disseminating educational materials to the community on the benefits and adverse effects of different Wilson’s disease treatments.
  • Raise the profile of Wilson’s disease on the political agenda by publishing an evidence-based policy brief by the end of 2025, targeted at policymakers, that outlines the challenges facing people living with the condition.
  • Drive policy change to improve the lives of people living with Wilson’s disease by hosting an event in the national parliament within six months that focuses on Wilson’s disease-related challenges and calls for action to be taken. Examples of policy change include (see Key policy asks for more detail):
    • Health system leaders raising awareness of Wilson’s disease among key groups of healthcare professionals to increase the speed of diagnosis.
    • Policymakers addressing inequalities in access to best-practice care for people living with Wilson’s disease.
    • Policymakers ensuring an up-to-date national rare disease strategy is in place that addresses the needs of people living with Wilson’s disease.
    • Health system leaders supporting better data collection on Wilson’s disease.
    • Health system leaders addressing treatment non-adherence, especially among high-risk groups.