Connecting with other organizations does not always mean connecting with those that have identical goals in every dimension. In some cases, finding ways to connect over certain issues might be easier than others. For instance, focusing on community development or socio-economic issues can be an effective way to bring organizations with different long-term aims together, especially in contexts where raising political issues can be highly contentious. Coalition building around driving issues shared across the political spectrum can help to unite (disparate) groups rather than limit one’s network to politically like-minded groups. In the context of Northern Ireland, several activists note that this tactic succeeded in bringing together groups from both sides of the conflict by creating opportunities for building relationships in the context of discussion about other issues. For instance, Avila Kilmurray notes that in Northern Ireland, cross-conflict organizations “came together around common issues,” such as domestic violence or unemployment, and that a joint focus on these issues then provided opportunities for building and improving cross-conflict relationships. Among women’s groups in particular, a focus on inclusive issues, such as domestic violence, child welfare, and health care, served as a way of engaging across conflict lines. 

Another way of connecting with similar groups may be to build relationships with existing civil society or other organizations that have greater legitimacy and recognition. In the Northern Ireland context, this approach was used to scale peacebuilding work and was effective for addressing issues related to peace, development, rights, and equality. For example, Bronagh Hinds talks about connections being built with a wide range of women’s groups and established civil society organizations as well as with governmental departments. By (co-)creating organizational coalitions, women’s groups were able to build political empowerment, gain legitimacy, and advance women’s participation in politics and other decision-making spaces. 

Similarly, voluntary community agencies in Northern Ireland, often dismissed as partisan, linked with well-established trade unions and business associations to organize around community development issues, which gave the voluntary community agencies more legitimacy as they scaled up and tried to tackle issues related to peace and cross-border relations. NICVA Chief Executive Seamus McAleavey notes that having business leaders come out and say things in support of the peace process “was a big achievement” because “if business people say things people think it must be important.” In other words, backing and public statements by businesses or other organizations can help motivate others to support the work. This is paralleled in the US context where Black Lives Matter activists note the importance of building connections with white allies and ally organizations, especially in areas with a small minority population, in order to lend greater legitimacy to their work.

Funding organizations can play an important role in helping create strategic coalitions. Hamutal Gouri, director of the Dafna Fund, Israel’s first feminist funding organization, explains that they invest not only in individual projects but in convening grantees, for “capacity building, joint learning, and producing knowledge.” She suggests that the Dafna Fund created a model for best practices in collaborative grant-making, including creating platforms for collaborative action, that has been taken up by other donors in Israel and outside of it. Likewise, in Northern Ireland, funders provided incentives to shift community development efforts from focusing on just one community (Protestant or Catholic) to cross-community collaborations (Protestants and Catholics). 

Challenges you may encounter using this tool

• Coalition building may be easier for some activists or leaders than others. In Northern Ireland, women often found it easier to navigate cross-community spaces than men; leadership also found the political ramifications of working cross-community more challenging than members.

• Coalitions require, at minimum, a ‘lowest common denominator’ vision or mission in order to work together, but this is far easier to suggest than it is to put into practice. Activists may find it challenging to identify common interests among competing priorities that they can rally behind when building coalitions.

• Even once a common vision is identified, coalitions may run into challenges when deciding how to take action, as prefered methods or approaches can differ significantly from one organization to another, particularly when the overall aims of the organization are different.

• Large coalitions can become unwieldy and difficult to mobilize with so many voices at the table; organizations must weigh the costs and benefits of coalition-building to determine if strength in numbers outweighs the added investment of time and resources required to organize and steer such a collaboration. 

• Coalitions built around a funding source may have an ulterior (financial) motive and thus result in early fractures in the foundation of the coalition. This dynamic can make it challenging to work together for more than a short period of time.