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In the process of developing a VAWG influencing strategy, it’s important to consider different tactics to help influence change. Oxfam’s Influencing for Impact Guide provides the following examples of influencing tactics:

Research and policy development
Lobbying and direct advocacy
Convening and facilitating engagement and dialogue with key stakeholders and decision makers 
Supporting community engagement on issues 
Supporting women and men to become change-makers and influencers
Communications and media
Alliances and network building
Supporting civil society organisations
M…

A key element of developing an influencing strategy is mapping all potential people, groups and institutions to engage with. Think about which stakeholders hold power and influence. What are their roles, interests, and potential contributions to addressing VAWG? Are they potential champions, or could they block progress? Are there allies you could work with to create synergies? There are many tools available to accomplish this, including interviewing women’s rights organisations, or via a stakeholder mapping, social network analysis, power analysis, or political economy analysis. As an example…

Effective influencing strategies have a clear goal that sets out a transformational vision of change to motivate and engage people. To achieve this overarching goal, it’s helpful to identify a set of clear, measurable, and time bound objectives for the influencing work. This can be organised into an operational framework or action plan, to ensure all partners share these goals, and monitor progress and results of influencing activities. The following table is an example:

Goal:

Objective
Priority Target
Powerholder/ ally/opponent
Approach/ tactics to apply
Rationale for…

When developing an influencing strategy, it’s useful to begin by clearly identifying the issue which needs addressing, and then analysing its causes and possible solutions. For example, it might be gaps in the current laws or perhaps the need to address new forms of violence (e.g. online violence). Think about what needs to change, who needs to change, and the possible routes to effect change. There are many tools available to undertake a problem analysis, including a SWOT analysis, fishbone diagram, or problem tree analysis.

Understanding the local context, including cultural, social…

Monitoring and evaluating capacity building efforts can support programmes to learn and build from what has worked well and what could be improved. Programmes should consider conducting pre- and post-training assessments; participant feedback surveys; self-assessment tools, training facilitator surveys; satisfaction surveys; and progress reports. These should be linked to baselines that are set at the start of the capacity building process. Employing multiple evaluation methods in the short, medium and long-term supports comprehensive evaluations which can capture learning and be used to…

EVAWG coalitions do important work for ending VAWG. However, their activities, how these are implemented, and the impact of these are often not recorded. Initiatives supporting EVAWG coalition strengthening could fund and provide capacity strengthening to support coalitions to develop stronger monitoring and evaluation and lessons sharing plans.

Building a culture of learning and collaboration takes time. It involves encouraging open dialogue and knowledge sharing among a diversity of voices, from programme staff and volunteers to external stakeholders, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. Feedback and learning should be actively sought through regular sessions where people can discuss successes, challenges and lessons learned in a safe, supportive environment. Ideally, these lessons should be documented and shared more widely so that others can learn. The Spotlight Initiative aimed to build a culture of learning, both…

People and organisations learn in different ways, and it is important to share learning in ways that are accessible and tailored to target audiences, particularly practitioners and policymakers working to address violence. Various methods can be used to share findings, including developing learning briefs and video explainers, in-person group meetings, communities of practice (e.g. via Spotlight Initiative’s SHINE hub), dialogues, learning circles and spaces for reflective practice.

Determining the most suitable activities to capture learning in VAWG programmes requires careful consideration of time, resources, and the types of data needed. Ensure the chosen methods - whether interviews, surveys, observational studies, communities of practice, or another approach - fit the programme timelines and budget constraints. The following diagram and table helps to understand the overlaps and different methods used for M&E and learning.

M&E
M&E + Learning
Learning

Day-to-day monitoring for project management
Development of stories exclusively for marketing…

Actively involving a diverse group of stakeholders can help create a more impactful learning agenda. Collaboration with others brings unique expertise and perspectives, while also increasing buy-in and making it more likely that stakeholders will support and share key learnings. It also avoids duplication of efforts on topics already explored. Engage stakeholders early on to gain insights into the feasibility, potential costs and learning needs, as well as understanding how best to increase the uptake of learning. Practitioners, women’s rights organisations, local leaders and civil society…