This section is based on material from SARA/AED Advocacy Training Guide and the Advocacy Institute, Advocacy Resource Handbook, 2004.

What are networks and coalitions?

A network consists of individuals and organisations willing to assist one another or collaborate towards a mutual objective.

A coalition is a network that connects individuals or organisations more tightly, working in a co-ordinated fashion towards a common goal or objectives, while each member maintains its autonomy.

Coalitions come in all shapes and sizes. A coalition can be permanent or temporary. It can be based on a single issue, a geographical area or several issues. Coalitions range from being very fluid to being highly structured.

Critical success factors

• Don’t make any assumptions or pre-judgements.
• Agree upfront on the shared values, objectives and timelines.
• Capture the agreements in some way so that there is no confusion.

Agreements recorded in the Hornad River Coalition In the historical region of Upper Abov, located in Slovakia and Hungary, civic association SOSNA started the Hornad River Coalition in 2002, involving 14 villages in Slovakia and 19 villages in Hungary. The Slovakian part is host to a number of large pollution sources such as steel plants and waste incineration plants. But in other regions the river basin is characterised by well preserved oxbows and wetlands, hilly areas covered by forests and important cultural and historical sites. First a “River Coalition” was set up. The coalition is a cross-sectoral agreement prepared with the co-operation of interested groups along the selected watershed, including local self governments, the River Management Company, the Environmental Protection Agency, local industry, farmers, schools, NGOs and small businesses. Secondly a “River Contract” was written, signed by all participants expressing their willingness to carry out concrete actions leading to the improvement of ecological, social and economic conditions in the watershed. Participants also accepted responsibilities such as decreasing pollution by certain limits, adopting clean technologies and carrying out practical watershed–friendly activities. The River Contract has now been signed by 25 organisations from all sectors. (Extracted from the internet for a paper by B Germill, ELCI)

• Avoid heavy, formal structures as much as possible, as they tend to become cumbersome. The aim is not to establish another organisation but an alliance.
• Share the capacities and constraints of each member, so that tasks can be assigned accordingly.
• Delegate responsibility.
• Maintain personal contact with key coalition members.
• Keep every member informed of progress and changes to avoid confusion or a lack of knowledge.
• Make key decisions as a group.
• Get to know the coalition members and their positions.
• Keep meetings focused and brief so it is easy for people to be involved.
• Do not avoid difficult issues. Put the hard issues on the agenda and work through them or they will split the coalition.

Actions

Networks and coalitions make sense when the issue you are campaigning around has broad appeal and you want to unite around a common goal.

Setting up a coalition

• Start by building links with those individuals and organisations that you know support your goal / solution.
• Then begin looking for logical partners such as people or groups affected by the issue.
• Also look for people who might support you on this issue if it is presented to them correctly.
• Use high profile and influential people who support you to help persuade others to join you

Selecting the right issue to start and strengthen a coalition

• The issue must be big enough to matter.
• The issue must be small enough to produce results.
• The issue must build the base for future campaigns.
• The issue must lay the groundwork for future campaigns.

Obstacles and challenges

• A coalition distracts from other work, as it takes time and energy to build and maintain relationships.
• It may require you to compromise on your position or tactics.
• Uneven commitment by members often means that some members carry a large share of the responsibility.
• Competition and territorialism between members can occur.
• Experienced members may try to dominate.
• Working in this way limits organisational visibility: you may not always get credit for your work.
• Poses risks to your reputation: if the coalition breaks down it can harm everyone’s credibility

Benefits

On the positive side, working in a coalition:

• Enlarges your base of support and provides strength in unity and numbers - you can win together what you cannot win alone
• Provides safety for advocacy efforts and protection for members who may not be able to take action alone
• Creates opportunities for learning by working with other organisations on an issue
• Contributes to the long-term strength of civil society by building understanding and networks between organisations
• Provides for sharing information and resources
• Broadens the base of experience and skills
• Increases capacity
• Creates opportunities for new leaders when existing leaders assume positions in the coalition
• Magnifies the existing resources by pooling them
• Enhances the credibility and influence of the campaign.

A coalition to implement the MDGs The MDGs offer an ideal platform to set up a broad based coalition. For example in Rodrigues a coalition was set up to implement the MDGs. This included national parliamentarians, opposition members, trade unions representatives, youth groups, non-government organisations, media representatives and UN officials. Involved of state and non-state actors provides the impetus to move from ideas to real action.

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