It’s easier to tackle a problem if you have some backup. Building a coalition of supportive organizations and individuals is an effective way to increase your influence. Why build a coalition?
  • More groups = more people, more ideas, more resources = You can accomplish more.
  • Different groups bring different strengths to the table, such as members, prestige, credibility, or expertise.
  • A big and diverse coalition shows that there is widespread support for the issue.
What types of projects might merit a coalition?
  • An event (e.g. “The Community Service Day Coalition”).
  • A campaign (e.g. “The Student Vote Coalition”).
There are several types of coalitions:
  1. The “Endorser” Model – This is when you get a lot of different groups and campus leaders to lend their name to your effort, but not much else. This is great for an urgent campaign where you want to get a lot of groups to quickly show their support. Example: You get 50 different organizations to sign a letter to the Director of Housing urging him to put new energy-efficient lightbulbs in all the dorms.
  2. The “Associate” Model – This is when you run the campaign, but you get the groups in your coalition to actively participate in your campaign in some small way. This is great when you need a little extra help to hit your campaign’s goals. Example: You form a “Voter Registration Coalition” with 20 different groups across campus. They each commit to bringing 5 volunteers out to your big Voter Registration Day.
  3. The “Partner” Model – This when the campaign is a joint project of the coalition members, so that all of the groups in the coalition are involved in decision-making and everyone contributes similar levels of effort. This is great for bigger, longer-term campaigns that take a lot of different strategies to win. Example: You form a “Higher Education Lobby Day Coalition” to recruit 100 students to lobby at the state capitol. All of the groups involved contribute to the event – the Greeks recruit participants because they have visibility and members, the faculty union invites reporters because they have access to media contacts, and the student government runs a lobbying training because they have expertise and experience.
To create a coalition, you must:
  1. Decide which model to use and what you will ask coalition partners to do.
  2. Build a list of potential coalition partners – who do you want to ask to join your coalition?
  3. Call the list! (Email them, too, but it often takes a phone call to close the deal.)
  4. Communicate – keep in touch with your coalition partners, ask them to do more, hold a coalition meeting to build their investment, etc.