In November of 2013, we asked the community to help us prioritize conversation themes for 2014. We wanted to know which themes would be the most relevant to your work in the coming year. We heard from 86 of you and the most popular theme was Mobilizing Allies.

Among the most critical work of human rights practitioners is the effort to mobilize your allies by building strategic alliances and coalitions. Building alliances – especially with unexpected partners – can strengthen the efforts of human rights advocates in unexpected ways. Building relationships with groups outside the usual sectors lends credibility to your cause and attracts new audiences. Reaching across international borders builds alliances that are stronger, more flexible, and have additional political clout. Strategic collaboration and coalition-building can make advocates more prepared, more powerful and more representative of the communities they serve. When groups are no longer working in isolation, they can enhance their legitimacy with media, the public, and government.

We'll be hosting a series of conversations on this topic from January thru March. From another survey, we've identified a few specific topics that would be of interest to the community.

• We started with a dialogue on Building strong human rights partnerships and coalitions from January 13 to 17.
• Then, we hosted a dialogue on Keeping the Momentum: How to maintain commitment and credibility from February 17 to 21.
• We'll wrap up with a dialogue on Engaging Non Traditional Allies from March 24 to 28.

Thank you for your input,

Kristin Antin, New Tactics Online Community Builder

Image source: This image comes from our in-depth case study on The Human Rights Education Program for Women in Turkey.