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Building Coalitions

Tips on working in coalitions (from JwJ/USAS)

Your organization knows what the problem is and what the issue is. You also know that there are other groups who are concerned. In order to increase your power and resources, and to meet your goals, you decide to build a coalition. Here are tried and true guidelines for successful coalition building:

1) Choose unifying issues. Avoid shopping lists and be as specific as possible. Whether your coalition has formed to work on a specific issue or is a permanent ongoing coalition that moves from issue to issue, the issue needs to be one that is important to all groups in the coalition.

2) Collectively establish “principles of unity” for the coalition. “Principles of unity” are the fundamental ideas a coalition agrees on
that hold the coalition together as well as guiding its work. Not everyone has to agree on everything. The coalition can only function within the areas of agreement.

3) Respect each group’s internal process. Every Group has its own way of making decisions. Don’t rush them. However, we do
work within timelines so setting reasonable deadlines for decisions to be made by is necessary. It can also be helpful to urge stable
and senior representation at meetings so the same people represent the groups at each coalition meeting and have the power to commit her/his group. For many organizations (especially labor unions) protocol matters, hence leaders need to be consulted. Chances are there is an existing coalition in your area; if so, don’t reinvent-the-wheel.

4) Make sure everyone is comfortable with tactics. All groups should be comfortable with tactics. There are sometimes advantages to encouraging the more militant groups to go off and do their thing independently.

5) Distribute credit fairly. The coalition itself needs to get the larger share of publicity or credit. Otherwise the whole isn’t greater than the sum of the parts. Try to distribute the remainder of the credit or media attention or spokesperson positions among the individual members fairly, but with an eye to the contribution that each makes.