Libraries, community-based organizations, local governments, housing authorities and others in cities across the county have organized coalitions to cooperatively address equitable access and use of communication technologies. The Digital Inclusion Coalition Guidebook reflects lessons learned from six established community-wide digital inclusion coalitions.

The Guidebook is intended for those who are already committed to working for digital inclusion and equity in our communities. And it’s for people who already understand the value of working together, across a variety of organizations and institutions, to advance these goals.

There are many ways organizations and individuals can come together to pursue common goals for our communities: nonprofit organizations and businesses, partnerships, collaborations and short-term and long-term alliances. Each is “right” for some purposes and circumstances. This Guidebook is concerned with one particular organizational choice that digital inclusion leaders in some communities are making: community-wide digital inclusion coalitions.

The Digital Inclusion Coalition Guidebook’s website includes worksheets that were originally created for the Net Inclusion 2018 Coalitions Pre-Conference Workshop. The worksheets are intended to be completed by individuals, followed by group discussion.

Big thanks to Media Democracy Fund and Cleveland Foundation for supporting creation of the Guidebook and Worksheets.NDIA is available to provide coalition building guidance as a fee for service. Contact Angela Siefer ([email protected]) to discuss.