Finding others with shared beliefs is key for creating change. Samah Salaime, a Palestinian activist from Neve Shalom/Wahat a-Salaam, notes that “two people are much more powerful than one. And if you have thousands, it will be much, much better. The leadership will come after. The star will become star after.”  In other words, finding individuals and groups with which to create a network based on shared beliefs is the foundation for scaling. Once a network exists, leadership will emerge to drive its efforts. 

Other activists in Israel also agree that groups working in isolation “doesn’t make sense.” One individual working on issues around feminism suggests that to scale the work towards gender equality requires building a sustainable network with shared goals that are the basis of moving forward with this work. 

Some Black Lives Matter groups have been quite successful building broad networks with  Black Lives Matter groups as well as with additional groups that hold shared beliefs/values. One West Coast Black Lives Matter group was able to launch joint social media campaigns and local events with other organizations and artists with a similar cause, generating funding for a network of like-minded groups in the process. 

Moments of encounter among activists from different groups while networking can also create opportunities for continued partnership. For instance, one Black Lives Matter group spoke about being in touch with other groups as a result of meeting during national phone calls or events, stating, “We get together often, we support each other…we do events together…we do stuff for each other’s work.” While this does not happen every time the group’s organizers have a chance to meet activists from another organization working on the same cause, it is clear that taking advantage of (sometimes serendipitous) moments is an important channel through which partnerships can be built. 

However, several Black Lives Matter activists note that some partners do not provide as much support as they demand, which drains energy and time from activists and groups actually doing the work. Black Lives Matter activists recommend that organizations seek to  align  yourself with groups that not only share beliefs and values, but also are willing to share in the work.

Challenges you may encounter using this tool

• While a “lowest common denominator” alignment may open the door to collaboration, it can make it hard for groups to agree on messaging and next steps. It’s important for organization leaders to determine when it’s “not our battle” when working with other groups.

• Many organizations have a mix of leadership personalities, some of which are more “hard core” and others may be more apt to negotiate. Networks require a strategy for integrating those “hard core” members as well as framing shared beliefs in a way that all involved can get behind.

• Even when organizations share similar values in one domain, for example with regard to pursuing a specific dimension of social change (e.g. women’s equality) there may be differences in other domains, like political ideology or how groups define justice, that make networking particularly challenging. 

• Networking across organizations  consumes a considerable amount of time and energy, so it is important to make sure that the partnerships are mutually beneficial.