Civic Power for Political Impact

The Play

Authoritarians gain ground when civic energy is low—when nonpartisan movements lose touch with political struggle. This play is about revitalizing civic movements that are smart in targeting the issues and causes that keep authoritarians playing defense—movements that act politically while staying independent.

Broad, big-tent civil society coalitions operating outside party structures can challenge authoritarian narratives by pushing for solutions that address people's real concerns—cost of living, corruption, public safety, affordable housing, civic freedoms, and community-based care.

Their independence is their strength: it allows them to criticize, propose, and mobilize without being dismissed as partisan. Because they are nonpartisan, these coalitions can bring together grassroots groups, unions, cultural networks, and faith communities around a shared moral core to reshape the political field itself.

Along the way, connections with politicians may happen behind the scenes to amplify their impact within the political arena. Done right, a big-tent coalition can become a lasting democratic force—applying pressure at the right moments to keep authoritarians on the defensive.

Why it works

• Keeps authoritarians on the defensive. Civic-political movements can shift the fight, forcing authoritarians to respond instead of setting the agenda.
• Harder to suppress or discredit. A broad civic front spreads risk and makes repression more politically costly.
• Scales power. Distributed structures allow local teams to act quickly, adapt to context, and replicate tactics—turning small networks into nationwide forces.
• Responds to popular concerns. Grounding the movement in issues like cost of living, corruption, and public safety ensures it speaks to people's daily realities and builds trust.
• Bridge institutional and popular legitimacy. Linking civic movements with democratic institutions—without becoming partisan—connects formal politics with the energy of everyday citizens.

How it works

1. Start with a unifying purpose

Agree on a shared democratic mission that transcends partisan divides, rooted in universal values like dignity, fairness, and safety. Build demands around this purpose, pairing them with clear, winnable objectives that connect to everyday concerns—cost of living, corruption, safer streets. Make it clear that this mission is about sustaining and renewing a way of life over the long term. This foundation keeps the movement grounded and focused.

2. Organize around shared goals, not total unity

Acknowledge that members of a big-tent coalition will disagree on many issues. Focus energy on the goals everyone can commit to—defending elections, protecting freedoms, fighting corruption, and advancing tangible causes that improve people's lives. Don't try to align every ideology. Keeping goals concrete and shared makes collaboration realistic and momentum strong.

3. Build a truly big tent

Recruit a wide range of civic actors—grassroots movements, unions, cultural organizations, professional associations, faith networks, volunteers, and everyday people. Create channels of dialogue with political parties that can carry the movement's demands into institutions. Maintain independence so the movement retains its credibility, but build strong enough ties to influence policy and even elections.

4. Bet on Distributed Organizing

Instead of building a single centralized structure, create a networked model where local groups act autonomously but toward a shared purpose. A small coordination hub can provide common tools—messaging guides, visuals, calls to action—so everyone can adapt them to their own context and audience. This model scales quickly, fuels creativity, and keeps civic energy decentralized yet aligned around key moments.

5. Find the Words that Unite

Craft a simple, consistent narrative that reinforces shared values and speaks directly to people's most pressing concerns. Equip all messengers—activists, community leaders, and influencers—with adaptable talking points so the message can resonate in rural towns, urban centers, and across ideological lines without losing coherence.

6. Coordinate pressure across multiple fronts

Civic power can be expressed in the streets, online, and in the media. It can also resonate within formal politics—through behind-the-scenes dialogue with political parties—to advance reforms, shape debates, or contest elections. This multi-track approach keeps authoritarians on the defensive, limiting their ability to control the political agenda.

Tips

A. Delight In Diversity

Welcome different expressions of the same resistance. Use creative formats—music, satire, murals, participatory campaigns—to keep the message inclusive and engaging. Celebrate local cultural "flavors" and adapt to regional contexts. Leave room for disagreement while reinforcing solidarity around shared goals. And don't get frustrated if people use different words than you—diverse voices make the movement stronger.

B. Embrace Movement Messiness

In a decentralized model, overlap and chaos are part of the deal. Don't try to eliminate them—learn to orchestrate them. That takes a low-ego, high-trust mindset: trusting that different actors can lead in their own contexts. Having a central hub that holds the center can facilitate a movement that is scalable, adaptable, and resilient—not by controlling what happens, but by making it easier for others to act.

C. Many Leaders Make a Movement

Use collective branding, open leadership models, and values-based messaging to highlight the diversity of actors within the movement. Celebrate leaders from different sectors and regions. Plural leadership makes the movement harder to dismantle and ensures it feels like it belongs to everyone—not just one political faction.

Who's done it well?

Brazil: Pact for Democracy

A Plural Civic Shield

Launched in 2018 Pacto pela Democracia ("Pact for Democracy") united over 200 Brazilian civil society organizations to counter democratic backsliding. Its strength came from strategic diversity: legal watchdogs, youth networks, unions, and policy groups each contributed within a decentralized, trust-based model coordinated by a small secretariat acting as connector rather than controller. Members were bound by shared democratic values—defending constitutional order, pluralism, human rights, and civic participation— rather than full consensus, keeping cooperation flexible yet purposeful.

During the 2022 elections, Pacto's Civic Vigil campaign monitored threats to the vote, coordinated legal defenses against judicial intimidation, and ran media-literacy initiatives to combat disinformation. It also mobilized international attention through scenario planning and joint messaging. This approach—anticipatory, plural, and persistent—proved that civic coalitions can defend democracy while preserving independence. After Bolsonaro's defeat, Pacto stayed active, monitoring legislative risks and advocating institutional reforms to strengthen democratic integrity. It continues to model what a values-based civic front can look like: resilient, plural, and ready.

"A coalition does not need full consensus to perform network actions. Lack of unanimity on specific actions should not be a motive for disagreement or resentment."

Poland: Poland's Civic Front

Civil and Political Unity in Action

In 2023, Poland's pro-democracy forces defeated nearly a decade of Law and Justice (PiS) rule through a civil-political alliance. Civic groups defended rights, built democratic infrastructure, and convened opposition parties under shared reform pledges like the Civic Pact on Public Media. Alongside these efforts, iniciatives such as Free Courts protests mobilized thousands to defend judicial independence and pressure EU institutions to act—turning the fight for the courts into a national cause and a moral rallying point for democracy.

Civil society led mass protests, GOTV drives, and moral framing while mediating party tensions. The Civic Front was essential to achieving record turnout and mobilizing women, young people, and rural voters. After the electoral win, they stayed active as watchdogs and reform advocates, showing that a civic front can be both an election game-changer and a lasting democratic force.

"But most importantly, for the first time in history, there was also full coordination of the get-out-the-vote campaigns across civil society with exchange of information about who is to target which group".

Senegal: Senegal Civil Society Coalition

A Unified Front to Defend the Vote

After President Macky Sall abruptly postponed the 2024 election,, major civil society platforms—including Aar Sunu Élection and Forces Vives 2024—formed a powerful civil-political movement. Nearly 200 unions, youth groups, religious leaders, academics, artists, and parties rallied under a single non-partisan call: "Elections Now!" Their most effective strategy was sustained, coordinated pressure combining peaceful but massive street protests, introducing legal challenges before the Constitutional Council, and targeted international advocacy that raised the political cost of repression and violations to the rule of law.

The Constitutional Court ultimately signaled clearly that the election must take place, validating the coalition's stance and forcing Sall to act and hold the election.

The March 20224 vote brought record turnout, the victory of opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and a peaceful transition that reaffirmed Senegal's democratic tradition.

"The effort to ensure elections was a national one, involving civil society organizations, youth and women's groups, trade unions, and other entities. This unprecedented collective action created a powerful momentum that pressured the institutions and powers in the right direction."

Learn more

D-Hub Resources

• "Build a People-Powered Coalition." Volume 7, Institutions and Civic Space.
• "Distributed organizing." Volume 3, GOTV.
• "Transpartisan Issue Coalition." Volume 3, GOTV.
• "Build the Engine, not Just the Flame." Volume 6, Movement Building.
• "Make it Cool." Volume 6, Movement Building.

Other Resources

• D-Hub. 2024. "Poland Beats Backsliding." The Fight For Democracy Chronicles, Vol. 1.
• D-Hub. 2024. "Democracy on the Edge." The Fight For Democracy Chronicles, Vol. 5.
• D-Hub. 2024. "Defusing the far-right bomb." The Fight For Democracy Chronicles, Vol. 8.