Volunteering and influencing policy(makers)

A practical approach

Eva HambachVSVw vzw

6th of July 2010

2

Introduction

• Importance of volunteering is clear– Research– Public opinion (partly)– Policymakers

• Volunteering brings added value– In general– In particular also towards decisionmaking

3

Volunteering & policymaking

• Volunteers and their organisations do contribute– Directly– Indirectly

• Key-issue: volunteering belongs– To everyone– To no-one– > affects influencing policymakers

4

Volunteering & policymaking

• Challenges:– Find the keyperson/keypersons to whom to

direct to– Formulate the issue in a clear way– Translate “problems” into “solutions”– Find consensus

• between organisations themselves• Find consensus between volunteers• Find consensus at all

5

Volunteering & policymaking

• Develop a strategy – To convince policymakers/ political parties– On how to communicate what we want– By agreeing on essential vs. extra demands– How to react on set backs– Use your network or create a new one

• Ongoing follow up and communication• Don’t forget the policymakers

6

Best practices

• Basis of the choice made– Different levels of ‘influencing’– Different types of organisation– Different policy levels– Involvement or not of volunteers

• Best practices:– Daedalus– Toad action– Volunteers’law– EYV2011 Alliance

7

First best practice

• Group Daedalus– Citizens engaged in organisation

• Mostly higher educated persons (mostly only volunteers)

– Against night flights over Brussels– What did they reach.

• Flying ban at certain hours• Possible sanction if the ban is broken• To influence the debate on political level• To get a lot of media-attention

– Core-element: twist

8

Second best practice

• Toad action – Started as a one person action– Gained support form

• Other volunteers• Environment movement• Community/ loacal authorities

– Core-element: co-operation

9

Third best practice

• Protection of volunteers within volunteers law

• Action from sector of volunteering “against“ insurances-lobby

• Result: settlement developed by politicians

• Core-element: lobby and counterlobby

10

Fourth best practise

• Declaration of the EYV2011• Action of CEV: Manifesto• Actions taken by EP• Creation of a large Alliance of Eungo’s• Influencing EC, until decision and

declaration• Core-element: building up case, strong

file, cooperation and lobby

11

Conclusions

• To be successful in influencing, it requires:– Knowledge of content– Knowledge of procedures– Networking– Finding ‘friends’ – support– Discretion– Knowing whom to address to – Knowing possible ‘enemies’– Being persuasive