TIP: Look for competing or misaligned assumptions about how change occurs. Organizations involved in a collaborative advocacy effort might have different ideas about how best to achieve policy change. Some might feel that a professional advocate-led approach that uses largely insider advocacy tactics is most efficient and effective. Others might feel that a grassroots approach would make room for those affected by the policies on which the advocacy was focused to participate and help shape the advocacy agenda, and ultimately lead to change that is more sustainable. Even when organizations collaborate, they may be unaware that competing theories of change are in play, and that those differing notions are causing conflicts among the groups involved. TIP: Exploring assumptions about politics and the policy process might surface new insights about which audiences need to be targeted, or which tactics will work under what circumstances. It can be useful to revisit the first two questions after this step to determine whether the strategy should be positioned differently or if specific audiences need more attention. 4) Who else is working on this and how? Advocacy often features multiple voices working on the same issue—aligned or in opposition. The framework has the advantage of allowing for the mapping of multiple advocacy strategies onto the same framework. This kind of mapping can be used to identify where other organizations or collaborators are positioned and how they are or are not complementary. Identifying collaborators’ positioning puts the strategy in context, shows where and how it will add value, and flags potential points of conflict. It also illustrates potential points of synergy that might not already exist. This mapping allows for questions such as: • How are advocates complementing one another? • Is there unnecessary duplication of effort? • Are strategies unintentionally working in opposition? • What does the opposition’s positioning indicate about how advocates should respond? The exercise of overlaying how others are positioned in the framework also facilitates a clearer articulation of how a particular advocacy organization is contributing to a policy goal. 8