Strengthening and Measuring Collective Power

Coalitions are an important advocacy strategy, pooling the resources and expertise of both people and organizations to amplify their impact for social change. As coalitions shift to build the leadership and participation of individuals and communities most directly affected by the issues they address, they are shifting their priorities and processes to build collective power.  

Collective power is the joint strength of a diverse group (organizations, communities, and individuals most affected by the issue) working for a shared goal of transformational social change, who has been able to realize the full knowledge, abilities, and actions of all people in the group. Collective power requires shifting power to and centering the people most affected by an issue, who are often people of marginalized identities, allowing their needs and leadership to shape the use of funds, strategies, and priorities of the group. 

In the absence of existing frameworks that adequately center equity in the context of collective power, we turned to the advocates actively engaged in building collective power to understand it. Through surveys, interviews, and reflection conversations with eleven state advocacy groups in two initiatives – Towards Equitable Electric Mobility (TEEM) and Child Care Next (CC NEXT) – we created a framework and indicators for collective power. The Collective Power Framework comprises three pillars – Equity, Co-creation, and Transformation – supported by seven intersecting milestones representing critical stages in building collective power. It can be a helpful guide for coalitions, funders, and evaluators to understand what progress is made towards collective power, and support coalitions to be more inclusive and strengthen their collective efforts.  

We have piloted an innovative tool to measure collective power – Powered Together: A Pulse Check for Coalition Power, Equity, and Strength. There are two opportunities for people interested in the tool: 

1. Measuring collective power using the current version of the tool. Apply the tool to measure collective power in your coalitions or collaborative! The current version of the tool measures the first five milestones of collective power. We will implement the tool and share data back in a Collective Momentum Snapshot of how your coalition is building collective power. We can also adapt the tool to your coalition’s needs.  
2. Investing in the development of the tool, including a self-assessment version. Support the direct development of a self-assessment version for coalitions building collective power everywhere.  

 

Read our latest resources on collective power: 

Powered Together tool overview and opportunity: A high-level summary of collective power and the tool to measure collective power, along with opportunities to work with us to use and contribute to the tool. 

Collective Power Framework and Indicators: A detailed description of collective power, including background on the two initiatives who contributed to the framework, 3 pillars, 7 milestones, and strategies and indicators for collective power.