Collaborate: Strengthen the Collective Voice

Collaboration increases the potential to create change by expanding your reach and leveraging resources. Collaboration can range from co-sponsoring one event with one or more other groups, to forming a coalition to work on a long-term campaign. Simply put: The more committed individuals and groups you can involve in your campaign efforts, the bigger impact you can make.

The Power of Collaboration

Widen your reach - Build your attendance at events; increase the number of people willing to take action

• Brainstorm: take advantage of different perspectives - Benefit from a breadth of interpretations, experiences, and expertise; they can lead to a more comprehensive approach to an issue
• Build credibility - Different communities coming together on an issue can enhance credibility with a wider audience
• Share resources - Pool your resources and connections to make a greater impact
• Create a bigger presence for your group - demonstrate to chapter members that they are a part of a larger movement

When to Collaborate?

• Collaboration can be an effective way to:
• Address an urgent situation
• Attract press coverage
• Host a an event
• Co-author a joint press releases or letter to the editor
• Increase communication among groups
• Gain more institutional support
• Revitalize energies with the support of others
• Develop collective clout to change policies (e.g. joint visits to policymakers)
• Engage & unify the community around human rights issues

Collaboration in Action

• The National Day of Action is a great example of collaboration in action. Several PHR chapters worked together with the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines chapters to urge local politicians to support a bill that would require all medicines from university to be accessible to developing countries.
• Student chapters partnered with their human rights advocacy chapters, Save Darfur chapters, and other campus groups to take action during the Global Days for Darfur.
• PHR has worked in the past with the following groups: Student Global AIDS Campaign, Amnesty International, Human Rights First, Global Health Council, and the International Federation of Medical Students Association. You might want to contact these and other like-minded organizations to find out if there are chapters or members on your campus or in your local community.

Collaboration Guidelines

Be strategic. Quality collaboration requires sound strategy. Which organizations are appropriate to work with on which issues?

• Choose unifying issues. The most effective partnerships come together in response to a concern each groups holds in common. Ensure the development of group goals is a joint process, rather than one or two group representatives deciding on the goals and then inviting others to join.
• Understand and respect each group's self interest and internal processes. There must be a balance between the goals and needs of the partnership and those of the individual chapters, as well as a respect for their systems and policies. Use diversity to spur discussion, rather than as a source of division.
• Develop a common strategy. Work together with other groups to develop a strategy that makes sense for everyone. Coalition partners should be comfortable with and endorse goals and tactics.
• Formalize your partnership. It is best to make explicit agreements. Each group should understand their respective roles, responsibilities and rights. Put coalition agreements in writing. Being clear can help prevent conflicts.
• Structure decision-making carefully. Finding consensus is very important when making decisions as a group. Each group must listen to the others--debate and discuss until they can find common ground. If common ground is not possible, agree on how to resolve the conflict.
• Communicate openly and freely with everyone. Lines of communication within and among the partners and any other participating communities should be open and clearly understood.
• Distribute credit fairly. Recognize that contributions vary. Appreciate different contributions. Each group will have something different to offer— volunteers, meeting space, funding, copying, publicity, leafleting, passing resolutions, or other resources. Each is important, so be sure to acknowledge them all.
• Be inclusive and participatory. The more people feel ownership of the collaboration itself, the harder they will work to achieve its goals.
• Give and take. It is important to build on existing relationships and connections with other groups. Don't just ask for or expect support; be prepared to give it.
• Celebrate and evaluate together. Celebrate coalition accomplishments together; it will foster a stronger sense of team. When evaluating together, ask yourselves: Did you achieve your goals? What lessons might you take away from this experience? Would you collaborate with the group on another project?
• Remember PHR guidelines! If you have any questions regarding a partnership, or permissions required to use the PHR name and logo, please contact Danielle at dfox [at] phrusa [dot] org

Practice Exercise

Your chapter successfully hosted a major event on Darfur. Attendance was not what you hoped, but you were able to generate some attention for the cause. You notice other groups, such as an Amnesty International, the Christian Club, and the African-American Association, are addressing humanitarian issues in Africa, and they experience similar attendance problems. How much more can your chapter accomplish if you work with these other organizations? Should you consider co-sponsoring an event? How would you go about exploring this option? What common goals might your chapter be able to bridge with other organizations?

> Return to Action Options
> Return to Taking Action on Darfur