Evaluating Your Coalitions

The benefits of coalitions are clear. Yet many advocates are wary of entering them because they demand high levels of coordination and interdependence among members. Looking clearly at of some of the possible pitfalls of coalitions can lead to an informed and powerful choice about membership, one way or the other:

• Differences among members could paralyze the coalition, preventing it from making progress toward its goal and discouraging members from working in future coalitions.
• Working in a coalition may take time and energy away from working closely with constituents and members.
• The investment of resources could outweigh the benefits received, especially if other members don't do their share of the work.
• Shared decision-making power could mean members surrender control over the agenda, tactics, resource allocation, and other strategic decisions.
• An organization's identity could be masked by the coalition identity, making it difficult to act autonomously.
• The coalition may become too large or “bureaucratic” to function.
• Rather than cooperating with each other, members may end up competing with coalition partners for resources, funding, and public recognition.

When evaluating present or future coalition work, the honest answers to some tough questions can help clarify a decision or even get a coalition back on track. Advocates can also find other ways to collaborate outside of coalitions.

Whether joining a prospective coalition or evaluating a current one, it may be useful to step back and ask some tough questions about whether it is worthwhile to participate. These questions may clarify a decision to hold back, or may equally uncover important reasons to make the commitment. More, the questions may reveal elements in the coalition that are missing, or steps to take.

How might you or your partners in the coalition answer these questions? What may be necessary to make the coalition a proposition that everyone can say “yes” to?

• Is the issue a priority for our organization? Will joining a coalition help further our organization's agenda?
• Do we have the organizational capacity to commit resources to the coalition? Or will joining a coalition drain our organization's leadership or other resources?
• How will joining a coalition affect our relationship with our constituents and members? How do we stay accountable to them?
• Can we achieve our goal if we don't work with others? Do we have the resources and support we need? If we don't join a coalition, is there another way to achieve our goals?
• Who else will be involved? Do we have - or want to have - a relationship with any of the potential coalition members? Do we share similar ideologies and values? If not, are we willing and able to work through our differences so the coalition can function? Do other members demonstrate the same commitment to “agree to disagree”?
• What trade offs will we be making if we join the coalition? If we don't join?

If you are wary of working in a coalition and don't have a compelling reason to do so, then it probably isn't worth the investment of time, energy, and other resources at this time. However, you do have alternatives:

• Continue building and maintaining new relationships, on both the individual and organizational level.
• Continue sharing information through networks.
• If no one else is ready to work on the issue, get started anyway and keep others informed about your work.
• Collaborate with each other in less intense ways. For example, work together on a single event or short-term campaign. Or develop parallel organizations that work separately toward the same goals. This may be an effective way to bridge large differences between organizations, such as the power differential between smaller and larger organizations, or organizations from the global South and global North.

Such alternatives can help organizations develop trusting and respectful relationships, and the potential for future action together.

Information on this page came from Advocacy for Social Justice: A Global Action and Reflection Guide, now available in English and Spanish from Kumarian Press.