What makes alliances last?

When executed well, coordinated action by organizations pursuing a shared goal can effect change at an impressive scale and yield inspiring results. Collectives or alliances allow multiple stakeholders to join forces for a common goal, leveraging their diverse strengths and resources to play a more influential role in their area of work. There are thousands of alliances across the globe; these vary widely in purpose, size, scope, financing, and impact. One such alliance is the new  Condom Alliance in India—the country's first alliance of condom manufacturers, marketers, domain experts, implementation agencies, and donors—aimed at reviving the condom market in the country. With support from USAID, SHOPS Plus helped establish the Condom Alliance and is supporting the alliance to think through its strategy over the next two years.

In an effort to inform the alliance’s potential paths to sustainability, SHOPS Plus conducted a landscape review to understand what makes an alliance sustainable. This brief shares findings on best practices for ensuring a sustainable alliance and highlights examples of existing alliances most relevant to the Condom Alliance as it evolves.