Coalition Advocacy
How advocacy organizations build and manage coalitions to amplify their influence, the strategic logic of unlikely alliances, and the internal dynamics that make or break coalition campaigns.
The Logic of Coalitions
Coalitions amplify advocacy by combining resources, credibility, and political access that no single organization possesses. A coalition of environmental groups, public health organizations, and faith communities can reach legislators that none could influence alone. The environmental group brings technical expertise, the health organization brings patient stories, and the faith community brings moral authority and connections to conservative legislators.
'Strange bedfellow' coalitions, alliances between groups that normally disagree, are particularly powerful. When the ACLU and the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity both support criminal justice reform, it signals to legislators that the issue has bipartisan support. When labor unions and manufacturers agree on trade policy, it neutralizes the left-right frame that normally structures debate. Strange bedfellow coalitions work because they tell legislators: if these unlikely allies agree, the position must be reasonable.