Coalition is a group of organizations that work together around common objectives such as child immunization or reducing youth violence. It is important that the goals of each member organization are not in conflict with those of the coalition, but that their interests align with the overall purpose and values of the coalition. For example, the members of the international coalition that prosecuted the war to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003 could be described as being a “coalition of the willing” rather than a “coalition of the coerced and the bribed”.

Coalitions are often multi-scaled – working at local, regional and national levels as well as having an international dimension. Managing these multiple scales is a key challenge for coalitions. A key principle is to ensure that the overall vision and objectives of the coalition are clear, articulated and visible to all members of the coalition. This is essential to avoid the dangers of ‘land grabs’ by individual groups.

Stable coalitions thrive where time is spent building intentional relationships across the coalition groups. This may include avoiding the temptation to create a ‘them and us’ division between group leaders by forging close, senior level connections and also developing co-ordinated processes for agreeing and communicating public messaging.

If your coalition is to be effective, it must be able to deliver political pressure for its goals – in addition to its members being prepared to do this individually. In order to do this, it is necessary that the coalition understands its opponents’ tactics and how best to counter them.