Background
Due to a variety of developments in society at-large, and in the way that both the public and private sector conducts business and advances its objectives, there is a growing awareness of the advantage of working with partners. As a result, we are witness to an increasing number of coalitions that have been formed in order to advance both local and national challenges.

While the benefit of coalitions is based on the rationale that there is strength-in-numbers, the disadvantage is that working with partners is more complex than working alone. Therefore, the formation and maintenance of successful coalitions demands the development of mutually agreed-upon principles that will ensure success over time.

In general, successful coalitions must operate with a high level of transparency that reflects both the interests that motivate each of the organizations that have chosen to join the alliance, as well as the benefits and outcomes that each of the organizations expect to obtain.

As long as all of the participating partners feel that there is an added value in being part of the coalition, and that each partner is making a unique and valuable contribution, success of the coalition will be ensured over time.

The following are a list of guiding principles for the formation and maintenance of such joint enterprises.

Guiding Principles
Interest
• The various parties are interested in creating a model of cooperation.

Added Value
• Each member of the coalition makes a unique contribution that benefits the partnership as a whole.

Strength-in-Numbers
• The partnership enables each member to maximize its involvement and contribution, while at the same time creates a greater impact as a whole than each could achieve on its own.

Transparency & Trust
• To ensure success, the coalition should draw up a mutually agreed-upon detailed work plan that will specify the contribution and responsibility of each member.
• All members of the coalition will consistently present the "project" being undertaken by the coalition as a joint project of the coalition (for example, in individual publications/internet sites as well as in publications/internet sites produced by the coalition).

Mutual Respect
• Decisions will be made in unison by the coalition and will require a consensus  of all the partners (a formula for consensus should be pre-determined).
• Each member is free to choose its own method for implementing its component of the joint project, and will be in accordance with its own accepted methods of procedures, interests and judgment.
• Each partner in the coalition will respect its partners' decision making and fundraising processes, and will not get involved in those processes (or with the parties backing each organization) unless they are otherwise asked to do so in writing.

Working Framework
• Every request to government bodies will be made jointly and in coordination.
• In order to ensure the success of the coalition, a detailed work plan will be developed which includes goals, measures of success, a time schedule, and milestones. Progress will be evaluated according to these four parameters.
• The coalition will appoint a work team that will include representatives from all partners in the coalition. An appointed coordinator will manage and facilitate the work team (this function can be rotated). In addition a committee will be appointed and meet periodically in order to receive reports from the work team and address policy issues. In order to ensure transparency and maximum coordination, minutes will be taken at each meeting.

Measures of Success
• The program will have clearly-defined common goals and clear measures of success. In addition, each partner will define its individual goals in entering the partnership.
• Evaluation will be undertaken on a regularly scheduled basis (optimally by an agreed-upon outside party) to assess progress/achievement of the coalition's overall programmatic goal(s) as well as the stated goal(s) of each partner. The objective is to assess and ensure each partner’s satisfaction with the joint program, which if achieved, will serve as the platform for the continuity and possible expansion of the coalition.

* Translation from Hebrew