No single organization has sufficient capacity on its own to impact the formation and implementation of public policy. Many organizations working together on common ground can build a stronger foundation in the struggle than a single organization operating alone.

Why? Any single organization that dominates the struggle, no matter how large and well-intentioned, will eventually gatekeep the process. A lone organization cannot effectively focus on and deploy sufficient resources to do all that needs to be done. A single organization also necessarily limits the opportunities for growth and development of new independent and creative leadership, especially younger leadership, which are provided by the active engagement of many diverse organizations.

Southern Echo networks with others in three primary ways:

Partnerships: Sustained integration of organizational programs of work among independent organizations rooted in fundamental agreement about long-term goals and the strategic paths to achieve them.

Alliances and Coalitions: Sustainable working relationships among independent individuals and organizations to achieve specific public policy objectives without fundamental agreement among the individuals and organizations as to long-term goals or common strategies.

Collaborations: Sustained associations with individuals and organizations for the purpose of exploring public policy needs and alternatives, but which have not reached fundamental agreement.