Appendix B. Developing Effective Coalitions: An Eight Step Guide (continued, part 2)

Written by: Larry Cohen, Nancy Baer, and Pam Satterwhite

Edited by: Kelly O'Keefe


Step 2: Recruit the right people

"The main factor in unproductive business meetings is one of the most fundamental: Having the wrong people present."4

Membership type. Determine the membership type based on the coalition's goals. Most coalitions should have diverse membership. Of course, a coalition aimed at providing citizen input might consist only of citizens, a coalition designed to ensure that government departments coordinate their efforts effectively might consist only of those departments, and a coalition aimed at eliminating duplication of services might only include the service providers. Coalitions with less diverse membership may communicate and work more quickly because members' objectives may be more alike. These coalitions, however, may be weaker in their ability to comprehend other factors that contribute to the problem that lay beyond the purview of their member organizations.

Member organizations. Start by identifying organizations that already work on the identified issue and look broadly for other organizations that should be involved. Consider those who have influence, those who will be supportive, and even those who may put obstacles in the coalition's path. Are there important citizen or client groups that should be included? For example, the VPC became far more effective in elevating the importance of violence prevention in their community when the group "Parents of Murdered Children" began to participate in the coalition.

Individual members. Many coalitions welcome individuals in their membership. Individual members may be community members, community leaders, or people who have directly experienced the problem. Unless there is a reason not to, it is a good idea to include individuals who are not affiliated with an organization, because they can perform functions that may differ from other coalition members. For example, individual members may be perceived by the media as having less of a vested interest and, therefore, more credibility. In addition, individual members can provide advice and outreach from a different, and perhaps more personal, perspective. As a specific example, the IPC members who had been injured were the best spokespeople for legislative hearings and meetings with the press.

Competitors and adversaries. Decide whether to include or exclude potential competitors and adversaries, based on the sincerity of their commitment to the coalition's goals and whether they will be more of an impediment to the coalition if included or excluded. For example, the VPC did not allow a gun manufacturing company to join its coalition because the work of the company directly opposed the objectives of the coalition to reduce firearm use. However, the VPC did allow a toy company to join the coalition in the hopes that the coalition's efforts would encourage the company to produce alternatives to toy guns.

Organization representatives. Having identified key organizations, consider who will best represent each organization on the coalition. Agency directors are often more effective at making policy decisions and establishing credibility as coalition representatives. They often have broader experience on certain coalition issues and a wider network of connections in the community. On the other hand, line staff are frequently more committed, enthusiastic, and available than top leaders and are often more in touch with the issues related to "hands on" service delivery. It is important for agency directors to appoint these staff to represent their organization. In so doing, the directors validate the time employees spend doing coalition work. In addition, the directors will be more likely to provide latitude to their representatives when decisions need to be made by the coalition "on the spot."

Organization representatives with strong skills or interests should be recruited to serve on the coalition steering committee, asked to chair or facilitate, or given other positions of responsibility. In situations in which only top organizational leaders have the clout to play an effective role, recognize that their attendance may be irregular, but that the coalition is receiving the benefit of key individuals.

Often, participation from both top leadership and line staff is essential to achieving coalition goals. For example, a VPC member who directed the county's probation department had the clout to convene the other top leaders, such as the sheriff and the chief of police, to make decisions about procedures for child abuse cases. Counselors, who were more familiar with actual cases, also met regularly to identify problems of coordination between departments, discuss individual problems, conduct trainings, and propose solutions to the coalitions's leadership.

Membership size. Consider the desired number of organizations and the diversity of membership when selecting organizations to approach about joining the coalition. A coalition developing a curriculum on boating safety may need fewer members than a coalition that is attempting to change community pool fencing ordinances, because writing curriculum is a less complex task than influencing policy.

TIP: A group larger than 12-18 people requires more resources and will sometimes take longer to develop group identity and common purpose. Some coalition experts recommend calculating size based on organizational purpose. William Riker has introduced the notion of "the 'minimum winning coalition'... participants create coalitions just as large as they believe will ensure winning and no larger."5 At times it is preferable to bring together a narrow group with more closely defined interests (e.g. service providers). This group would accomplish objectives quickly. Frequently, this type of beginning leads to broadening the coalition at a later and more appropriate time.


Step 3: Devise a set of preliminary objectives and activities for the coalition

In step one, the lead agency's objectives were examined. It is important to meld these objectives with the objectives of other members. Defining coalition goals and objectives and how to implement them requires the inclusion of all coalition members in discussions. Therefore, the lead agency will need to broaden and modify its objectives. A written mission statement can be a useful tool to achieve clarity about coalition goals. However, it is important to avoid getting too bogged down in the semantics of the statement early in the coalition's life.

Melding the objectives of the member groups. Some coalitions arise with a number of commonalities among the member organizations, minimizing the need to convince members of the benefits of the coalition. More typically, however, each member organization has its own goals, which may vary widely from those of other member organizations. It is important to create options that mutually satisfy the lead organization's objectives as well as the goals of other coalition members, to propose mutually productive activities, and to structure both objectives and activities in such a way that other coalition members feel included in the decision-making process. The coalition's original objectives must be kept in the forefront of all planning at the same time that a balance is struck between those objectives and the concerns and interests of each member group.

Until trust is established, avoid issues and activities that will set up turf struggles or exacerbate existing turf issues between coalition member agencies. More importantly, the coalition should be careful not to become another competitor to its member agencies, but rather should play a complementary role. For example, the IPC did not publish a newsletter because doing so might reduce the subscriptions to the newsletter of the Safe Toys Association. Instead, IPC members wrote a monthly column in the Safe Toys newsletter and encouraged people interested in the IPC to subscribe.

TIP: It is not always possible to avoid turf struggles. However, a coalition should try not to exacerbate these areas of overlap and competition. At times, a coalition can be a constructive meeting place for openly discussing problem areas, establishing ground rules, and resolving turf issues. Formal and informal opportunities to understand the differences in agency history, mandates, and funding issues may soften turf struggles.

Coalition goals and objectives. While dealing with long-term objectives over time, set some objectives that can be addressed by all member organizations more immediately. However, always keep the long range objectives clearly in mind. "Far too often... the effectiveness of a coalition decreases as the breadth of its agenda increases."6

In some cases, broad goals can be accomplished best by joint activities with other coalitions, rather than by a single coalition. For example, the IPC, the VPC, and the Alcoholism Prevention Forum joined together on a media campaign focusing on the risks associated with alcohol abuse. While regular meetings of all of the coalitions in one broad group would prove unwieldy to the members, it was in everyone's interest to work cooperatively on a specific issue. At times, coalitions find it valuable to send representatives to one another's meetings and to have reports regularly included on one another's agendas.

TIP: It may be helpful for staff of lead agencies to communicate on a regular basis, clarifying objectives and assisting one another with strategies.

Coalition activities. Develop a variety of well-defined activities that meet the needs of participating organizations and make use of the skills of coalition representatives. Identify some activities that will result in short-term successes, such as a press release announcing the organization's formation and purpose, or a report outlining the group's initial findings. These products increase members' motivation and pride while enhancing coalition visibility and credibility.

Initial successes can be achieved without massive effort. For example, information sharing is typically part of initial coalition meetings as members get to know one another. The VPC recorded descriptions of the types of services provided by each of its member organizations and distributed this information in an attractive chart format, thereby fulfilling the need for a simple inventory of member services.

There can be advantages in dealing with a myriad of issues since approaches to different types of injuries may be related to one another. Regardless of the breadth of issues, keep the original coalition objectives foremost in all planning, lest members lose interest or enthusiasm.

Bear in mind that what keeps a coalition going is the commitment of the individual representatives and the support of the organizations they represent. Generally, the more directly coalition activities relate to the specific objectives of the participating organizations, and the more each member is able to enjoy and be proud of their individual participation and contributions, the more the coalition will accomplish and the more it will flourish.

TIP: Select activities that members will experience as successful - activities in which they have something unique to contribute. Make objectives compelling. Be sensitive to the fact that coalition work is not the main job of coalition members and keep assignments simple and achievable. Keep reminding people that it is okay to say no or to set limits.

In some cases, coalition objectives or activities may be at cross-purposes with those of an individual organization. Based on these cross-purposes, one or another organization may elect not to participate in the coalition. It is important to find out why groups decline to participate. When forced to choose between groups, encourage the coalition to select criteria which put the needs of the community's citizens first. This is appropriate at all times and cannot fail to win respect.


Step 4: Convene the Coalition

There are three ways that coalitions are typically initiated: 1) through a meeting; 2) at a conference; or 3) at a workshop.

TIP: The notion that members of a coalition will self-select at a conference or workshop and form a viable coalition is wishful thinking. Workshops or conferences can sometimes be used to initiate a coalition. However, they will require more resources than a single meeting and will not produce the carefully selected membership that a planned meeting will. As a result, the likelihood that members will participate on a consistent basis is slim. Two examples of the rare exceptions to this rule might occur when, one, distance is such that people can receive approval to attend a conference workshop but not a meeting or, two, when a political mandate leads to a highly visible event where coalition organizers can capitalize on the energy of the situation to create a coalition. In any case, identifying potential coalition members at workshops and conferences may prove valuable.

To convene the coalition for the first time, hold a meeting of potential members. At this meeting, the lead agency should clearly define the purpose of the coalition, and members should specify their expectations. In addition, the invited organizations and their representatives should have a chance to introduce themselves, state what they see as their role on the coalition, and consider what their organization's interest is in participating in the coalition. Potential members should be given an opportunity to define what they perceive as the purpose and goals of the coalition and to recommend others who they think should be involved.

To succeed, the lead agency should arrive at the first meeting with a strong proposal for the coalition's structure, including its mission and membership. Although many components of a coalition's structure are negotiable, the lead agency should be clear about the particular elements that are not. While being specific about how the coalition will operate, the lead agency should also explain where there is room for modification based on member input. Furthermore, the lead agency should ensure that all participating organizations understand and agree with the definition they give to the coalition.

Of course, not all potential members will find the coalition worth their time and energy. Two determinants will be the specific activities the coalition chooses to undertake and the worth of the coalition as seen by the management of the member organizations. Therefore, once coalition activities are clarified, it is important to reconsider membership. Any well-designed coalition will be broad-based and may have different organizations participating in different activities. Nevertheless, the decision by an organization not to participate in the coalition may be an appropriate one from its perspective.

Next: Appendix B. Developing Effective Coalitions: An Eight Step Guide (continued)



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