Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Live and online (March 2026)

Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Live and online

This session is facilitated live across two sessions.  It enables people from the not-for-profit sector across Australia to collaborate with like-minded individuals in developing the critical skills necessary to navigate policy and political processes and effect change.

The session will also be available as a recording for people who cannot attend one or both sessions.

The dates

• Wednesday 4th March 2026 - Thursday 5th March 2026

Times by states for both sessions: (Please be aware of the time differences for each state)

• Victoria, NSW, ACT  & Tasmania 10:00 am -1:30pm
• SA 9:30am - 1:00pm 
• QLD 9:00am - 12:30pm
• NT 8:00am - 11:30am
• WA 7.00 am- 10:30am

What are people saying about this training?

Here is some of the feedback we’ve received.

"Everything was excellent. I loved the Advocacy Strategy Template and will use it and go back to it in future. Amy was fantastic and I really learned a lot from her. I also loved the online format and if this wasn’t available, I don’t think I would have been able to attend." Bea Beswick, MS Australia

“This is one of the most useful and inspiring trainings I’ve attended.I wish I knew these things earlier and feel more skilled to promote change in the ways I want to." Fiona Hunt

What does the training cover?

The Policy and Advocacy intensive takes people through the steps required to identify and develop policy priorities and create targeted advocacy strategies to make change happen. The topics covered in the Policy and Advocacy Intensive are:

• ·Articulating a clear problem and ask
• ·Identifying targets and influencers
• ·Theory on how social change happens
• ·Communicating clear messages and making the case for change
• ·Developing clear advocacy strategy objectives
• ·Understanding advocacy cycles
• ·Developing innovative advocacy tactics
• ·Developing advocacy strategies
• ·Implementing what we’ve learnt

Learning outcomes

• ·Understand how to develop a clear problem and ask.
• ·Gain the ability to identify and research targets and influencers who can help to make the policy change happen.
• ·Understand social change theory and learn how these theories can be used to help to assess the policy environment.
• ·Understand the four advocacy cycles and opportunities to engage in each, including the political and public policy advocacy cycles.
• ·Understand how to communicate the desired policy change effectively.
• ·Understand how to develop an advocacy strategy.

This session is intended to be interactive; participants must have audio at minimum.

People will also receive all training PowerPoint slides and the Advocacy Strategy Template, a collection of tools and resources that can be used in the office to develop an advocacy strategy from beginning to end.

Who should attend the Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Live and online?

This Policy and Advocacy Intensive has been developed for people working in the not-for-profit sector. It is for anyone seeking to influence government, particularly those in policy, advocacy, government relations and communication roles.

For Purpose works with purpose-driven and purpose-aligned not-for-profit and charitable organisations. Its training and services are designed with these organisations in mind.

About the facilitator

Caterina Giorgi is the Founder of For Purpose. She has worked in purpose driven organisations for almost two decades, including most recently as CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).

She is also the Chair of Australian Progress and a Founding Member of Women in Public Health. She is an Ambassador of NOFASD and has also previously served on the Boards of YMCA Canberra and Fair Agenda.

Caterina has presented at conferences, delivered training and consulted with organisations on strategy, advocacy, government relations and public policy. She has contributed to legislative and policy changes at all levels of government in health and social policy.

Caterina also has an honours degree in public health and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).