Grants On-line Digest (G.O.L.D.)
April 1999
Volume II, number 4
CONTENTS
Part 2 of "Developing Effective Coalitions." This month's issue will cover steps one and two of the eight steps recommended by the paper's author.
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
FIGURE C. EIGHT STEPS TO BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE COALITION
THE EIGHT STEPS
Step 1: Analyze the program's objectives and determine whether to form a coalition
Three different situations may cause an organization to consider whether or not to form a coalition: 1) the organization recognizes a community need or responds to community leaders' requests to facilitate an effort, 2) the organization recognizes that a coalition will help it fulfill its own goals, or 3) the process of building a coalition is required, for example, by a grant mandate or as the outcome of a conference. Recently, many grants have required organizations to establish coalitions. Consequently, the initiation of a coalition may be in response to the grantor rather than as a result of recognizing that it is the best solution to a problem. Therefore, the organization's objectives may be based on an assessment of data, may stem from an existing programmatic emphasis, or may be set by a funding mandate.
Sometimes a coalition is established by "spontaneous combustion" based on the joint decision of a group of individuals and organizations, without a lead agency. These coalition organizers should approach the eight steps to effective coalition building as though they share the responsibility as the lead agency. Between them, they must achieve the responsibilities that are delineated throughout this paper for the lead agency. Sometimes these shared efforts can capitalize on the energy of their beginnings and can achieve remarkable results.
A potential lead agency must assess its credibility in and capacity for providing neutral facilitation. On some issues, the organization may have the credibility and resources to provide the lead. In other situations, history, turf issues, or lack of resources might prevent the achievement of a cohesive effort. In these cases, the group should consider designating a different lead agency, if a coalition is still going to be developed.
When deciding whether or not to form a coalition, first consider whether or not a coalition is the appropriate tool to serve the organization's needs. Then consider the resources needed, from the lead agency and from coalition members. Finally, consider whether or not coalition efforts represent the best use of these resources. To answer these questions, it is important to examine the objectives and to determine specific strategies that could help achieve those objectives.
To determine whether or not to form a coalition, the following steps should be undertaken:
a) Clarify the objectives and appropriate activities. One tool that is useful for planning objectives is the Spectrum of Prevention (see Figure D), which describes six types of interventions that can be used. Each part of the Spectrum depends on the others to work best, and generally, coalitions that aim to accomplish a combination of the spectrum's strategies are most effective. By grouping these separate approaches together, a preventive health program builds on the strengths of each and promotes permanent, effective change. For example, environmental changes, which are key in injury prevention, generally result from changing organizational practices or advocating policy and legislation. As a specific example, an educational program aimed at decreasing bicycle-related injuries will be enhanced if a local ordinance requires bicyclists to wear helmets and a civic program is implemented to change the environment by developing off-street bicycle paths. Often policy advocacy requires the resources of several organizations within a community and may necessitate the formation of a coalition.
FIGURE D. THE SPECTRUM OF PREVENTION(3)
Take a broad, creative look at activities that can accomplish the objectives. In many prevention programs, efforts center primarily on education. Yet, individual and community education is not enough. A child can drown in minutes, even with an attentive caretaker nearby who knows that water is dangerous. A fence around a pool, however, is an effective safeguard that helps prevent such tragedies by physically separating the child from the danger. In this case, promoting an ordinance requiring proper pool fencing will be a more effective method of reducing childhood drownings than funneling all of the coalition's resources into individual and community education.
Critical questions to consider are the breadth of what the group may accomplish and the scope of the coalition's activities. For example, should the effort focus on car seats or on all childhood injuries? Will the coalition focus on a specific injury (e.g. sports-related injuries) or on a cross-cutting issue (e.g. improvement of data access)? The direction the coalition will ultimately take depends on the vision and interests of the lead agency and on the likelihood of success in meeting the identified objectives. The coalition's direction will also depend on the composition and interests of the membership (see Step 3). For each approach, it will be important to have at least a general understanding of the roles of particular members in accomplishing the objectives. Different members may be better suited to different activities.
b) Assess community strengths and weaknesses. How do the proposed approaches of the coalition fit into the context of the community's strengths and weaknesses? Look at the community in terms of potential barriers and supports. Is there a history of success or failure in dealing with similar problems in the community? Are there organizations that have similar objectives? Are there organizations (or even coalitions) that deal with closely-related issues? Are there individuals or organizations that could be enlisted to provide support or overcome potential barriers? Are there organizations from other geographic regions with whom collaboration could occur? Are there individuals and organizations that may be opposed to the objectives or may view the coalition as competition for scarce resources?
c) Determine the costs and benefits to the lead agency. How great will the resource drain be? How much will the coalition's results coincide with the organization's overall goals? What will a coalition provide to the lead agency's program? Determine if adequate resources are available. If not, the objectives must be revised, or perhaps the coalition should not be created.
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 coalition'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.
Next issue: Developing Effective Coalitions continued...
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