The power of collaborations: Lessons from the field
The political and socio-economic challenges facing Northern Ireland’s grassroots organizations are particularly daunting. How do they as leaders confront political stalemate, budget cuts, and intimidation by “hidden” paramilitary campaigns in their communities, and hate speech and harassment on social media? Here’s what I took away from a July 23, 2023 panel discussion hosted by the New York City -based nonprofit National Committee on American Foreign Policy, featuring four inspiring leaders: “Opportunities for Transatlantic Peace-building in Northern Ireland.”
NCAFP’s talented President and CEO Ambassador (ret.) Susan M. Elliott’s first question introduced a theme that resonated throughout the conversation: “How can the US be an effective partner?”
Tips for Effective Collaboration
1. Find Allied Organizations and Individuals. Policy reform is incredibly demanding work and no one organization or leader can “push the boulder up the hill,” as Charmain Jones of the Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network observed. Allies bring credibility, validation, strength in numbers, and media attention.
Having the US as a transatlantic ally is immensely important as Northern Ireland reformers push for policy reforms such as integrated education, UK investment in women’s and other civic society organizations, and withdrawal of the UK government’s controversial Legacy and Reconciliation Bill. The United States remains as committed as ever to keeping the peace and stability in Northern Ireland, as evidenced by President Biden’s trip marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the appointment of Special Envoy Joe Kennedy, III. Over the past few months, the Special Envoy’s interaction with changemakers has garnered extensive media coverage and builds upon the momentum of the anniversary celebratory events. Lastly, powerful allies such as the US government and NCAFP can advocate for local organizations and facilitate dialogue on sensitive issues.
2. To Truly Understand Community Needs, Make Room at the Table to Hear Individual Voices. Jones and the Shankill Women’s Centre Eileen Weir both spoke about a central tenet of how I approach community needs assessment: it’s critical to hear directly from people in the community, of all ages, with diverse backgrounds and experiences. During my Fulbright project, I saw firsthand the critical role peacemakers, particularly leaders like Weir and her fellow panelist Emma DeSouza of the Civic Initiative, play in advancing cross-cultural solutions, one child, one neighborhood at a time. Collaborate across and deep into an organization. Particularly engage with those whose voices are less frequently heard (women and children) and those who will be impacted by policy changes. As Weir observed: “Grassroots people keep the peace and are vital to tourism. We need to be serious about investing in the people and working at the individual level.” People are the foundation and as Weir observed: “look at the roots.”
3. Develop a Communications Plan that Includes Collaboration with Key External Stakeholders. DeSouza and others spoke about how the media “leans into a negative bias, which stokes division and tension…they love an us versus them” story line and “keep playing the orange and green card,” which does little to enhance cross-community or cross-border understanding. I won’t underestimate the challenges all grassroots organizations face in getting good news out: research shows that negative headlines have more than a 60 percent higher click-through rate than positive ones.
Some of the ways I overcome these obstacles is by working with my clients to develop a multi-pronged communications plan for all major events, collaborating with the communications managers and pr teams of prominent guest speakers (for example political leaders or local celebrities) to leverage their relationships with the press, and if possible, jointly pitch story ideas. Another strategy is to invite a local news anchor to emcee or make a guest appearance at an organization event. This heightens the likelihood that the event will get at a minimum a shout out on the news, possible air time, and longer-term, will have begun to cultivate a relationship with that news network and be on their radar screen as a “go to” source for them in the future.