Champions and “Champion-ness” - Measuring Efforts to Create Champions for Policy Change - Continuous Progress Strategic Services - August 2010

Aug 26, 2026

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The brief examines how advocacy initiatives can define and measure “policy champions” who influence public policy change. Developed through Continuous Progress Strategic Services in 2008, it focuses on assessing progress in identifying, informing, supporting, and engaging champions tied to Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health efforts. Using CARE’s Learning Tours for U.S. Members of Congress as a central case, it introduces preliminary experiences and challenges, explaining why funders and nonprofits need workable measurement beyond conventional voting-based tracking.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Champions and “Champion-ness”

Why measure “champion-ness”?

Development of the Champion Scorecard

Step One: Specifying possible champion messages or actions

Step Two: ...

Champions and “Champion-ness”: Measuring Efforts to Create Champions for Policy Change David Devlin-Foltz and Lisa Molinaro Continuous Progress Strategic Services August 2010 method ©2010 Center for Evaluation Innovation. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced whole or in part without written permission from Center for Evaluation Innovation. Champions and “Champion-ness”: Measuring Efforts to Create Champions for Policy Change David Devlin-Foltz and Lisa Molinaro Continuous Progress Strategic Services C reating “policy champions” who can bring about changes in public policy is central to many advocacy projects. As advocacy advisors and evaluators for nonprofits and foundations, we work with a broad variety of clients. Whether they aspire to increase access to contraception in Tanzania or to playgrounds in South Central Los Angeles, we are likely to hear that identifying, informing, supporting or engaging policy champions is a key element of their strategy. But what exactly is a champion for policy change? How can we assess progress in identifying, informing, supporting, or engaging them? In 2008, The Aspen Institute’s Continuous Progress Strategic Services (CPSS) 1 sought answers to these questions. That exploration has led us to develop an approach for defining (a) what it means to be a champion for policy change, and (b) how to track progress in developing champions. This brief describes our process and preliminary experiences. It also highlights challenges we have encountered. We offer these early findings in hopes that colleagues in the emerging advocacy evaluation field will take up some of these challenges and help us all better understand the role of champions in advancing social change. Background CARE is one of the leading U. S. organizations providing humanitarian relief and support for long-term economic development around the world. Over the past decade, CARE has built its capacity to draw on its international experience to promote more, and better targeted, U. S. funding for development assistance. In 2008, CARE received funding from a major foundation to create opportunities for U. S. Members of Congress to see CARE’s work for themselves in developing countries—especially projects promoting the health of mothers, newborns, and children. These “Learning Tours” were to familiarize Members of Congress with the serious health challenges facing developing countries, and the promise of practical solutions offered by CARE’s local partners. Champions and “Champion-ness” Most people who have visited developing countries return with a new or renewed understanding of both the challenges and the potential for progress. Eyewitness experience is compelling, particularly when the experience is well organized and focused on conveying a specific body of knowledge. CARE’s proposal called for two Learning Tours per year. Each brief but intense trip was to bring selected policymakers into direct contact with the challenges of, and need for, better Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) services in developing countries. 1 Continuous Progress Strategic Services is a project associated with The Aspen Institute’s Advocacy Planning and Evaluation Program. Method Brief Series [2](2 www.evaluationinnovation.org)[ www.evaluationinnovation.org](2 www.evaluationinnovation.org) Members of Congress are in a position to contribute directly to favorable changes in policy related to MNCH provision. They are therefore “potential champions”—that is, elected or appointed officials who can directly promote or affect policy. CARE anticipated that Learning Tour experiences would persuade Members of Congress to become more visible, audible, and effective advocates of U. S. foreign assistance for MNCH services. CARE expected that trip participation would make these potential champions more engaged. The scope of possible behaviors that policymakers might engage in—ranging from ignoring the issue to spon

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the brief on “policy champions”?

It outlines an approach for defining what it means to be a champion for policy change and for tracking progress in developing those champions through advocacy efforts.

Why measure “champion-ness” rather than relying only on voting records?

Because nuanced characteristics and actions of champions require more in-depth analysis than conventional tracking of policymaker voting on relevant bills.

How does the brief propose measuring champions?

It describes development of a Champion Scorecard intended to capture gradations in champion-ness and track observable actions over time, using measurable behaviors tied to policy goals.

Aug 26, 2026

Uploaded by Logic