Building Non-Traditional Coalitions
Building Non-Traditional Coalitions
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The Spark brought together a mix of partners that would not normally share the same table:
Bohemian Football Club, Connecting Cabra, Cosybatter, the Football Association of Ireland, Grangegorman Development Agency, Mountjoy Prison, Neighbourhood Network, Phibsboro Village Climate Club, Rothar, Stoneybatter Pride of Place, and Technological University Dublin.
This was a deliberate choice. If we want climate action to be a driver of real social change, it can’t be the work of one sector alone. It needs cultural institutions, education providers, public agencies, local groups, and national bodies working together. Each brings different skills, networks, and credibility. The diversity of the Spark’s coalition made it possible to achieve things a single organisation could never achieve on its own.
But diversity comes with challenges. Building trust takes time, especially between organisations with very different missions and ways of working. Each partner has its own priorities and pressures, which sometimes pull in a different direction from the collective goal. Agreeing on how to allocate resources can be difficult. And when some partners are large, professional institutions while others are small, voluntary groups, there can be a real imbalance in capacity to engage.
The key is to keep the shared purpose front and centre. Done well, a non-traditional coalition can be far greater than the sum of its parts.
Shared Governance
Shared Governance
Although all of the Spark’s funding flowed through Bohemian Football Club – and the club carried all the legal and financial liabilities – we made an early decision to democratise the project’s governance. If the aim was to foster cooperation, then the way we ran the project had to reflect that aim. We wanted to walk the talk.
Before the project began, all partners signed a consortium agreement. This was more than a formality. It set out roles, responsibilities, and ways of working, but it also included a shared set of values and principles, and common definitions of what a cooperative is and what community wealth building means. These provided a shared language and kept us aligned on purpose.
The governance structure was designed to balance decision-making power. The Bohemian FC Board retained authority over major deviations, reputational risks, and changes to the consortium, but day-to-day strategic decisions were shared through a Steering Committee made up of one representative from each partner and a small number of external experts, and working groups were created to tackle specific issues.
This structure made it possible for voluntary and professional organisations to contribute on equal footing, even though their capacities and resources differed. It also created a forum for open discussion on sensitive issues like budget allocation and project priorities.
Shared decision making was not always smooth. It required patience, trust, and regular communication. But it meant the project was genuinely shaped by the collective, and it helped lay the groundwork for the kind of cooperation we want to see in the future climate cooperative.
Building Partnerships
Building Partnerships
The Spark Steering Committee
The Spark began with a dynamic consortium of national institutions and local groups, each playing a key role in shaping and driving the project forward.
These core partners include Bohemian Football Club, Connecting Cabra, Cosybatter, the Football Association of Ireland, Grangegorman Development Agency, Mountjoy Prison, Neighbourhood Network, Phibsboro Village Climate Club, Rothar, Stoneybatter Pride of Place, and Technological University Dublin.
As the project progressed, additional advisory partners joined offering expertise and support and deepening the Spark’s impact. These included Business in the Community Ireland, Codema, and the Community Credit Union.
Together, the core and advisory partners made up the Spark Steering Committee, serving as a collaborative decision-making group shaping the project’s direction and responding to emerging opportunities. This structure was essential in maintaining the shared vision and in ensuring inclusive community representation.
Educational Partnerships
Two additional partnerships significantly enhanced the development and delivery of the Spark’s educational programmes.
The City of Dublin Education and Training Board played a vital role in Spark Skills, securing both tutor support as well as insurance to enable delivery.
In parallel, Junior Achievement Ireland collaborated on the development of the Kids’ Climate Co-op Afterschool Programme, bringing high-level experience and insight into youth education.
A Model for Cooperation
These partnerships ultimately advanced the goals of the Spark, building a strong culture of cooperation, trust, and local capacity. Further, they fostered a cross-sector model of community-led climate action that is adaptable and grounded in a shared purpose.
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