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When developing the methods of an EVAWG campaign, programmes should work with WROs and CSOs to identify which channels will likely be most effective for affecting change in communities or among particular target groups. For example, programmes could consider:

Written materials such as pamphlets and flyers
Posters and visual materials with images in clear locations
Dance, music, theatre and other performance art
Social media campaigns
Marches, sit-ins, lobbying decision-makers, and other forms of protest
Television and radio shows
Partnering with organisations and institutions…

Effective campaigns often have a few clear messages that they communicate to their audience in a verbal and visual language that they understand. Programmes should think about what they want their audience to know or how they want their audience to act at the end of the campaign. They should work closely with communication experts, WROs, and target audience representatives to identify and refine catchy messages that capture what the campaign is trying to articulate in a context-appropriate and impactful way. Messages should be short and memorable and consideration needs to be given to language…

Campaigns are most effective when they are targeted towards particular audiences. EVAWG initiatives should conduct stakeholder mappings in advance of a campaign to identify the target audience(s), their interests, priorities and the channels through which they access information and messaging. For example, a campaign focused on changing a law or policy may target decision-makers or voters, while a campaign focused on ending school-based violence may target teachers, parents and adolescents. Identifying the audience(s) of a campaign will help ensure that the campaign is designed and…

Once an EVAWG initiative has identified the types of VAWG its campaign seeks to address, it may be useful to conduct an in-depth contextual analysis of the social norms that drive this violence. These can include norms around what it means to be a man or woman, gender roles inside and outside the home, family privacy, sexuality, and the acceptability of violence. For example, a campaign focused on preventing intimate partner violence might aim to transform social norms around family privacy, couple communication and the acceptability of violence. See the page on understanding and transforming…

EVAWG programmes planning to run campaigns, whether on a regional, national or local scale, should start by working with women's rights organisations (WROs) to identify their priorities and shape the campaign's objectives. WROs are usually best placed to identify the needs of women and girls in their communities and what specific campaign focus would be most appropriate and useful. They can also help develop strategies to handle resistance or backlash.

For capacity building efforts to be truly responsive to the needs of partners, it is important for initiatives to be flexible. While programmes should try to identify needs during initial capacity assessments, new needs may emerge during the programme. Programmes will be well placed to meet emerging needs if they build in flexible resourcing arrangements, conduct close monitoring, and provide opportunities for ongoing reflection with partners about capacity building needs and approaches.

There can be great value in bringing together WROs and CSOs from different geographies within and across regions to share lessons and for peer support. Spotlight Initiative has supported such learning opportunities. Some programmes developed communities of practice where organisations came together to discuss recent evidence, and convened annual programme meetings with a strong emphasis on reciprocal learning.

For example, Spotlight Initiative hosted a Global Learning Symposium in 2022, bringing together over 200 stakeholders from governments, civil society and the UN system, along with…

Capacity building efforts should be tailored to the needs of partners and their contexts. Involving partners in the design of capacity building efforts can help identify which approaches they have found useful or less effective in the past. Capacity building efforts can also introduce new approaches informed by best and innovative practice but should be mindful of partner preferences.

Involving partners in the design of capacity building initiatives can also help identify what is achievable within resource constraints. Partner engagement at this stage can help build an understanding of the…

It is important to recognise the existing skills that all organisations have, including WROs and CSOs, rather than privileging the expertise of one over others. For example, WROs may have more practical and lived experience of what works when advocating to end VAWG in a particular context or the needs of communities on the ground. On the other hand, an INGO may have more experience writing funding proposals and navigating donor applications. Additionally, UN and Government entities may have more experience and comfort presenting to high-level stakeholders. In an equitable partnership, the…

Effective capacity building efforts require commitment from all levels of the programme from the onset. This commitment should be reflected in the programme vision, operational plans and resource investments. Funders can support this by including capacity building as a core deliverable with specific resource allocation in requests for proposals. This approach then allows programme managers to develop a capacity building strategy for all levels of the programme, including the programme team, implementing partners, other partners, field staff, local champions and community facilitators.

Lesso…