How to Engage your organisation to take activism seriously. The Internal Side of Public Affairs (35).

Alan Hardacre, PhD

Co-Founder Advocacy Academy, Advocacy Strategy

May 2025

Too often, activism is treated as a just a short-term reputational risk or an external comms issue — something to be handled with a press release or a defensive Q&A. But the truth is: for many sectors, activism is no longer the exception. It’s the new normal. I see many organisations struggle with activism - the default being to do the bare minimum - although more and more are starting to take this seriously. Like many things in Public Affairs work there is no silver bullet – but there are some key things you need to do to get started if you want to successfully engage activism. And, as with many Public Affairs efforts, it starts internally in your organisation. You need your organization to understand what’s really going on and the potential impact — and then what engaging means:

- Seeing activism as a signal, not just a threat

Activism often points to real concerns or problems — environmental, ethical, economic. Even if the framing is confrontational, it may reflect growing sentiment among policymakers, investors, or consumers. 

- Understanding the potential impacts 

What could this mean? Both now and in the future? What is the target of the activism and how important is that to the organisation? 

- Being clear that engaging will be uncomfortable

Engaging with activism is always uncomfortable. You need to look in the mirror, makes changes and engage in often hostile and confrontational discussions. There are real benefits to this - but your organisation needs to understand the process.

- Aligning internally

Public Affairs can’t do this alone. Legal, Comms, Sustainability, Operations, and Leadership all need to understand the risks, agree on the posture, and move together. Delays or misalignment create confusion and vulnerability.

From all of this, if there is one thing that you want to land with your organization, it is that activism isn’t just about reputational risk — it’s about your license to operate, your long-term strategy, and your ability to shape policy. You need to translate activist pressure into internal awareness, alignment, and action. 

It’s time to stop treating activism as a surprise or a one-off. It’s a megatrend — and a test of whether your organization is truly listening. Have you managed to alert your organization to the risks (and opportunities) in activism? What challenges did you face and how did you manage them? I am happy to discuss - just DM me.