Coons worked in Washington, DC, the Investor Responsibility Research Center, where he wrote a book about South Africa and United States divestment movement. He worked as a volunteer for the South African Council of Churches and as a substitute in Kenya, before returning to the U.S. to work for the Coalition for the Homeless in New York.
He has also worked with several nonprofit organizations, including the Council for the homeless, education-oriented "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Delaware, and the South African Council of Churches and sits on several boards, including First State Innovation, Bear / Glasgow Boys & Girls Club and the Delaware College of Art & Design.
