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Why build a coalition:

• More groups =
  more people, more ideas, more resources = you’ll accomplish more
• Different
  groups have different strengths they bring to the table – like members,
  prestige, credibility, or expertise
• A big and
  diverse coalition shows that there is widespread support for the cause

What to build a coalition
for:

• An event (eg.
  “The Community Service Day Coalition”)
• A campaign
  (eg. “The Student Vote Coalition”)

Types of coalitions:

1. The “Endorser”
   Model – Get a bunch of different groups and campus leaders to lend their name
   to your effort. This is great for an urgent campaign where you want to get a
   lot of groups involved quickly.
   Example: You get 50 different
   organizations to sign onto a letter to the Director of Housing urging him to
   put new energy-efficient lightbulbs in all the dorms.
2. The
   “Associate” Model – Get the groups in your coalition to help out your campaign
   in some small way. This is great where you need a little extra help to hit your
   campaign’s goals.
   Example: You form a “Voter
   Registration Coalition” with 20 different groups across campus. They each
   commit to bringing 5 volunteers out to your big Voter Registration Day to help
   you hit your goal of registering 1,000 students to vote.
3. The “Partner”
   Model – The whole coalition runs the campaign, all the groups are involved in
   decision-making, and everyone contributes the same amount of effort. This is
   great for a bigger and more long-term campaign that takes a lot of different
   strategies to win.
   Example: You form a “Higher Education Lobby Day Coalition”
   to recruit 100 students to lobby at the state capitol. The Greeks recruit
   participants because they have visibility and members, the faculty union
   invites reporters because they have access to media contacts, and the SGA runs
   a lobbying training because they have expertise and experience.

How to do it:

1. Decide your
   “ask” - what are you going to ask coalition partners to do?
2. Build a list -
   who do you want to ask to join your coalition?
3. Call the list!
   (No seriously - don’t just e-mail them.)
4. Follow up -
   keep in touch with your coalition partners, ask them to do more, hold a
   Coalition Meeting to build their investment.