Advocacy is a term that defies a short, simple definition because advocates work in many types of capacities and fields. Some advocates work in victim services, supporting those who have been victimized by crimes, while others work in healthcare, where they help patients and families navigate the complex healthcare system. What is an advocate? While different advocacy professionals specialize in different areas, they all generally use their voice and skills to promote the needs and best interests of individuals or groups of people.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

In short, there are a large variety of career possibilities for people interested in working in a role that involves advocacy. Because the role of an advocate is so broad and may change depending on area of specialization, there are plenty of different bachelor’s degrees that interested students might pursue.^{(See disclaimer 1 )}

An advocacy career is any type of career that enables you to help other people and support important causes by working toward specific goals. These goals might include promoting civil rights, working toward healthcare reform, protecting the environment or safeguarding animal rights.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

What is the role of an advocate in these different areas? Since advocacy is needed across many different areas, it resists one simple advocacy job description. Indeed, people who advocate for others and for specific causes may hold a wide variety of job titles.

Some examples of advocacy career goals can include the following:^{(See disclaimer 2)}

• Advocating for youths: Help youths develop skills for employment; learn about basic health and hygiene practices, develop appropriate ways of expressing themselves and learn conflict resolution skills.
• Promoting child welfare: Ensure that children have safe living conditions, receive medical care and receive proper education while working in various settings, including schools, hospitals, law enforcement agencies and local or state governmental agencies.
• Serving families: Help victims of domestic violence, promote immigrant rights, connect families to healthcare and educational resources and use counseling tools to solve disputes or navigate divorce.
• Protecting victims of crimes: Inform victims of their rights, help them navigate the criminal justice system, offer emotional support and help victims to obtain safe shelter when relocation is necessary.
• Promoting mental health: Help people recover from trauma, adapt to life transitions, learn coping skills and access mental healthcare treatments.

As you can see, advocacy careers span across many different sectors and specializations — from victim advocacy to social work to family support and beyond. People who use advocacy skills may also work with patients struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, children and adults who have developmental disabilities and the general public.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Certain skills that are needed for effective advocacy may be specific to different sectors and areas of specialization. There are also some soft skills that are universally applicable to advocacy in any capacity or specialty. These include passion, communication (which includes active listening) and thorough research.^{(See disclaimer 1,3)}

Advocate for a Cause You’re Passionate About

All advocates should be passionate about their work and their cause.^{(See disclaimer 1)} If you genuinely care about your cause, you have the potential to be an effective advocate. Successful advocacy relies upon perseverance when working toward one’s goals. When you are passionate about your cause, this will be evident to your audience, and your message will come across more strongly and clearly.

While you are an undergraduate, spend some time thinking about the causes in life that are most important to you. Perhaps you want to help end veteran homelessness, protect the education rights of children with autism or improve federal oversight for the food supply to reduce preventable food poisoning deaths. No matter which area of advocacy you choose, you should be passionate about it so that you can make an impactful difference and so that you can enjoy your work.

Practice Assertive (Not Aggressive) Communication

Strong communication is at the heart of what advocates do. You will need to rely on excellent oral and written communication skills when advocating for your cause or your clients. You can also rely on communication skills to help you build a good rapport with the individuals or groups you’re trying to help. This is particularly important when working with vulnerable groups, like victims and youths.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Some people seem to have an innate knack for communication, but even if you do not, you can learn how to be a better communicator. Professional advocates must be assertive and persistent to get their message across. Since assertiveness can sometimes inadvertently appear to be colored with aggressiveness, you should practice speaking in a firm tone of voice but not a harsh one.

Practice keeping your body posture relaxed while speaking — but not so relaxed that you look inattentive. Above all, have confidence in what you are saying.

Become an Active Listener

Communication skills also include active listening skills — another crucial skill for an advocacy professional to have.^{(See disclaimer 3)} Truly great advocates are those who understand that communication is a dynamic, multi-directional flow of information and ideas. If you want people to listen to you, you need to demonstrate that you care about what they have to say.

Practice being an active listener by shutting out background noise and giving speakers your full attention. Pay attention to their non-verbal cues too, such as their body language, expressions and gesticulation. Ask open-ended questions that do not imply an expectation of a particular answer.

Be Willing to Prepare and Research Thoroughly

Part of being an effective advocate involves knowing a lot about your cause and any other topics relevant to your work. Be prepared to do plenty of research about the issues at hand.^{(See disclaimer 3)} If you become an advocate for the homeless, for instance, you should be intimately familiar with applicable laws and policies, statistics, currently available resources and the needs that have yet to be met.

If you’ve decided that your future lies in advocacy, it’s time to start planning. Since advocacy work is applicable to a wide range of sectors, work settings and causes, you’ll need to start by narrowing down all of your options.

Consider taking the following steps:^{(See disclaimer 1)}

1. Find your cause. It’s a good idea to know what sort of advocacy work you’re interested in before pursuing formal education at the postsecondary level. Start by writing down a list of all of the causes you’re passionate about, such as healthcare, civil rights, human rights, education and so on. Then, think about specific causes within those broad areas. For example, if you’re passionate about human rights, perhaps you’d like to advocate on behalf of refugees fleeing war-torn countries. If you’re passionate about healthcare, perhaps you’d like to advocate for patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Start with a broad topic and then narrow it down.
2. Pursue relevant education and training. Many different degrees can be applicable to advocacy work. Research the requirements of your chosen career area carefully and then choose a degree program accordingly. For example, a career working with victims may be applicable to education in criminal justice or counseling.
3. Work on soft skills. As you pursue formal education, start working on important skills for advocacy work, such as communication skills.
4. Find somewhere to intern or volunteer. You could build up your experience before graduation by researching internship and volunteer opportunities within your desired career field.
5. Build experience. After graduating, start looking for entry-level jobs with organizations that are relevant to your chosen cause. 

If you’re passionate about pursuing a career that can help people, you’ll find a welcoming home away from home at Grand Canyon University. Open the door to pursuing a meaningful and spiritually fulfilling career path devoted to making a positive impact on your community. GCU offers a wide range of online and on-campus bachelor’s degree programs to choose from.

You might consider examining competencies in communication skills with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree, for example. Or, choose a BA in Communications with an Emphasis in Interpersonal Communication and Human Relationships. Another option to consider is the Bachelor of Social Work degree program.

Fill out the form on this page to connect with a university counselor at GCU and start planning your future in service to others.