NETWORKING%20AND%20COALITION%20BUILDING

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NETWORKING AND COALITION BUILDING
By

• DR. G. NGERI-NWAGHA
• UNICEF, ABUJA

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A. NETWORKING

• What is a Network?
• Any system that resembles a mass of
  crises-crossing levies, or a co-ordinated system
  involving large number of people or branches -
  Chambers 21st Century Dictionary.
• The art of building or maintaining relationships
  with a group of people for mutual benefit.
• Networking is basically about building and
  maintaining professional relationships.

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WHY NETWORKING?

• To keep abreast of current trends.
• To establish professional relationships with
  people engaged in similar activities.
• To share commonalities with other professionals,
  such as research project, data, values, goals,
  etc.

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ADVANTAGES OF NETWORKING

• Information sharing on programmes, sources of
  funding, available literature, new technology,
  resource persons, capacity building
  opportunities, etc.
• Consultation - opportunities for consultation,
  dialogue, exchange of views. Etc
• Consensus building - to reach decisions
  acceptable to all.
• Fostering equal partnership - promoting join
  decision making, risk sharing and responsibility,
  as well as trust and mutual respect.
• Broadens an individual's horizon, knowledge and
  skills.

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STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE NETWORKING

• Clearly define your goal for networking? Only
  when your goal is clear can you build a community
  of people or organisations who also care about
  your concern.
• Identify relevant organisations and key contacts
  who share your interest. Through scanning of
  bibliographies, abstracts, conference
  proceedings, and Directories as well as by
  attending conferences and workshop.

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STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE NETWORKING cont.

• Initiate contact with organisation and
  individuals identified by establishing
  communication with them about your share interest
  using any of the wide array of communication
  media. E.g. telephone, paper mail, voice mail,
  electronic mail, fax, etc.
• Sustain a network by maintaining contact with
  members through sharing of information and the
  organising or regular meetings and conferences to
  create opportunities for interaction and mutual
  support.

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B. COALITION BUILDING

• What is a coalition?
• A temporary alliance of district parties,
  persons or states for joint action Webster's
  Dictionary.
• An effort that unites and empowers individuals
  and organisations to accomplish collectively what
  they could not accomplish independently Kagan
  and Rivera

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B. COALITION BUILDING cont.

• An organisation of diverse interest groups that
  combine their human and material resources to
  effect a specific change with the members are
  unable to bring about independently Cheri Brown.
• A coalition is basically an organisation of
  organisation united around a common issue.
• Coalitions are cost-effective mans of fighting a
  common cause or of seeking solution to a common
  problem e.g. Coalition of NGOs to promote the
  passage of a Child Rights Bill.

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ADVANTAGES OF COALITIONS

• Bringing teams together through offering strength
  and power in numbers and leading to a wider
  reach.
• A united front leading to united goals and a
  consistent message from the team.
• Co-ordinated efforts of individual organisations
  leading to a public perception of a tangible
  broad support for the cause.
• Media attention and enhanced public profile for
  members organisation which they may not otherwise
  achieve on their own.

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ADVANTAGES OF COALITIONS cont.

• Networking and partnership opportunities.
• Economies of scale and cost-efficiency.
• Division of labour and reduced duplication.
• The exciting feeling of belonging to something
  greater than the sum of its part.

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DISADVANTAGES OF COALITIONS

• Conflicts arising from the variety of groups in a
  coalition, the strengths and weaknesses they
  bring to the table, as well as from personality
  clashes.
• Time spent on consensus building in other to
  carry everyone along.
• Coalition management could be cumbersome and time
  consuming.

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GUIDELINES FOR SUCESSFUL COALITION- BUILDING

• Choose Unifying Issues. The most effective
  coalitions come together around a common issue.
  Efforts should however be made to ensure that the
  development of group goals is a joint process,
  and not by a few group representatives.
• Understand and respect each groups self
  interest. There must be a balance between the
  goals and needs of the coalition and those of the
  individual organisations.
• Structure decision-making carefully. When
  necessary agree to disagree and be prepared to
  give and take.

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GUIDELINES FOR SUCESSFUL COALITION- BUILDING
cont.

• Develop a common strategy. The strength of a
  coalition is in its unity. Work together with
  other organisations to develop a strategy that
  makes sense for everyone.
• Be strategic. Building a coalition requires a
  good strategy in deciding which organisations
  should be invited to joint the coalition and who
  should invite them.
• Distribute credit fairly. Any publicity
  generated should be shared evenly among member
  organisation to reduce completion. One way of
  doing this is to decide on a coalition name and
  use it in all communications, listing member
  organisations on letter head and on news
  releases.

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GUIDELINES FOR SUCESSFUL COALITION- BUILDING
cont.

• Formalise your coalition. It is best to make
  explicit agreements and to ensure that everyone
  understands what their responsibilities and
  rights are to avoid conflict. There should also
  be a central co-ordination and good internal
  communication to ensure the effective running of
  the coalition.
• Transparency and accountability. Coalition
  leaders should make efforts to be transparent and
  accountable with all resources accruing to the
  coalition to encourage trust building.

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PITFALS TO BE AVOIDED IN COALITION BUILDING

• Limit the number of issues to be address in any
  given period of time.
• Involve all members of the coalition as much as
  possible in the activities of the coalition.
• Share the visibility, credit and power which come
  from the coalitions accomplishments.
• Make effective use of modern media to communicate
  effectively both within the group and to the
  outside world.

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PITFALS TO BE AVOIDED IN COALITION BUILDING cont.

• Do not publicly criticise the actions of another
  member of the coalition.
• Do not encourage competition or allow one
  organisation to dominate the coalition.
• Encourage transparency and accountability.
  Nothing destroys a coalition faster that money,
  status and power.

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CONCLUSION

• Networking and coalition building are two closely
  related concepts
• Both involve reaching out and inter-connecting
  between individuals or members organisations.
• However whereas networking is about building and
  maintaining professional relationships, coalition
  building is about forming an alliance among
  distinct parties for the purpose of fighting a
  common cause.
• There can however be no effective coalition
  without networking, and networking facilitates
  coalition building.
• Unfortunately, Nigerian NGOs are yet to fully
  appreciate the advantages and potential impact of
  coalitions

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CONCLUSION cont.

• A number of causes of interest to NGOs such as
  eradication of child abuse and neglect,
  elimination of child trafficking, etc are issues
  that would be more effectively addressed by a
  coalition of interested organisations.
• Effort of a coalition produces more impact,
  attract more media attention and credibility than
  the efforts of a singly organisation.
• It is hoped that Nigerian NGOs will gradually
  abandon their preference for going it alone and
  adopt the culture of coalition building for
  effective public policy advocacy.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!