A coalition is a group of organizations that unite to amass more power than they can achieve on their own. Often the reason that organizations form coalitions is because they do not have organized power to begin with – as one organizer put it, “zero plus zero equals zero.”
The first step in building a coalition is to develop relationships. This will take time but it is essential if the coalition is to succeed. The more you get to know your coalition partners and the better you understand their motivations and red line issues the more effective you will be. It is also important to build personal relationships rather than just transactional ones. Developing trust and respect will make it easier for the coalition to work through differences in priorities, tactics and decision making.
Another key ingredient is to develop a realistic coalition budget. This will help everyone understand what they are committing to and how their individual organization will be contributing. It will also help determine if there is enough money in the budget to cover projected expenses or if additional sources of funds will need to be identified. Finally, it is important to recognize that the coalition will not agree on everything and that the organizations can play to the middle when it comes to tactics.
Finally, coalitions should be built for the long term. Some coalitions pop up for one issue and then die off. The best coalitions are ones that continue to grow and thrive for years based on a strong foundation of trust and the belief that they are stronger together than they are apart.