Indian Wells, California (CNN) Officials in the influential conservative network affiliated with Charles Koch kicked off their winter summit emphasizing bipartisanship and working to steer clear of fresh confrontation with President Donald Trump.

"Uniting broad coalitions works a lot better than partisan politics," Brian Hooks, a top Koch lieutenant, told reporters Saturday at the start of the three-day retreat. More than 700 people -- including a record 634 donors who contribute at least $100,000 annually to the network -- have descended on a luxury resort here for the gathering.

Leaders in the network, whose size and spending has rivaled the national Republican Party in recent elections, have undergone a significant shift in focus. The network is upping its commitment to work across party lines on top priorities, such as promoting free trade and creating a path to permanent legal status for undocumented immigrants brought to the US as young children.

Koch, the 83-year-old billionaire at the heart of the network, warned that increasing factionalism "is tearing our country apart."

"We're here to unite people to improve their lives," he said as attendees sipped wine in a vast hotel ballroom during the retreat's opening reception.

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