The issue of comprehensive sex education actually affects most people, either directly or indirectly. The Keep it REAL Campaign is a great way to mobilize people who are or may be interested in comprehensive sex education. Partnering with supportive organizations will generate and demonstrate wide support. Here are some tips for getting other groups involved in the Campaign.

Principles for Coalition Building

1. Identify Like-Minded Groups or Organizations. Make a list of potentially supportive groups or organizations. These could include: peer health educators; teachers’ unions; gay/straight alliances; students of color alliances; sororities; fraternities; HIV and AIDS service organizations; and political groups.
   
   
2. Be Strategic. Think strategically about how to build a coalition. Don’t assume the coalition will come together naturally. Important issues include whom to ask, how you ask, and whom to ask first, second and third. Some groups won’t join unless they are asked first. Some organizations don’t work together, and you won’t be able to enroll both. Take into account your own goals and organizational considerations and the need for a diverse, representative coalition.
   
   Be wary of any partnership that will undermine the issue. For example, an organization that opposes teaching young people about contraception might be very strong in your community; working with it would increase the coalition’s visibility. However, its inclusion would be a strike out for the very reason you are building a coalition in the first place.
   
   Final note: Avoid building a coalition based on agreements to exchange help. Organizations cannot readily commit their members to work on some other group’s program, and no group will feel that it got its share of the benefits out of the coalition.
   
   
3. Choose a Unifying Strategy. To get other organizations invested, develop the strategy collectively. Work together for a strategy that makes sense for everyone and to identify tactics that all members of the coalition will support.
   
   
4. Understand and Respect Each Member Group’s Self-Interest. Groups may join because of: 1) the opportunity to work toward a common goal; and/or 2) in order to reinforce the organization’s own objectives, membership, and/or interests. Learn about the organization(s) you approach. How would participation in this coalition strengthen the individual organization? Your organization often grapples with questions about whether it makes sense to join a coalition. Other organizations have the same questions. Be sensitive to the organization’s needs and priorities. Ask if the issue affects the organization’s members and if they want to be involved.
   
   
5. Play to the Center with Tactics. Develop tactics that are acceptable and appealing to most coalition members. Some groups might prefer a low profile, while others might want a higher and/or more aggressive profile. Try to find the middle ground—a place that the majority of groups will approve.
   
   
6. Recognize That Contributions Vary. Each organization will have something different to offer, and all contributions can be important, whether in membership, meeting space, funds, technical or in-kind support, or reputation. Be creative and open to the different ways that people and organizations can contribute.
   
   Make sure that members of the coalition sign explicit agreements regarding what they will provide. Make sure members understand their rights and responsibilities within the coalition. Coalitions can accomplish goals that one organization, working alone, could hardly accomplish. But that means everyone working together, as they have agreed to do.
   
   
7. Distribute Credit Fairly. The coalition’s name should be most prominent in press releases and other information that is distributed. But organizations and individuals also deserve credit for their work.
   
   
8. Structure Decision Processes Carefully. This can be tricky. “One group, one vote” is usually the best way to go, but problems can still arise. For example, lot of small groups might consistently vote down the concerns or decisions of important, larger organizations that contribute a lot to the campaign. Or, a large organization might want most of the credit all of the time. Or, if your coalition is made up both of individuals and organizations, the individuals may vote to frustrate the organizations. If any of these problems arise, think of ways to overcome the problem. For example, important decisions could be made by a board of directors, composed of representatives of the most important member organizations in the coalition; or, an organization could have votes based on the number of members it has or the amount it contributes to the coalition.