Building a Successful Coalition

(This article appears in the January-February 2014 edition of The American Postal Worker.)

Joyce B. Robinson, Research & Education Department Director

A coalition is an alliance of individuals or groups that join forces for a common purpose. Forming a coalition allows participants to combine their resources and become more powerful than if the individuals or groups acted alone.

A coalition can bring greater expertise and resources to complex issues; advocate for common objectives; develop new leaders; raise members’ public profiles, and unite people with diverse backgrounds and different viewpoints.

Diverse groups can bring a variety of skills to a coalition as well as access to important target populations, such as seniors, veterans, youth, businesses, the faith community, the media, policymakers, and others.

Following these steps can help:

Recruit participants - Reach out to potential partners and ensure they have a voice in organizing the coalition. One of the best ways to attract people is to involve prominent members of the community who command respect and admiration from others. You may want to draft a letter inviting potential members to attend an organizing meeting and ask the community leader to sign it.

Get acquainted - Set aside time at the first meeting to get to know one another. Ask coalition members to talk about their organizations and their expectations of the coalition.

Develop a mission statement - A mission statement should express the shared vision of the coalition. The best mission statements are short and to the point.

Define goals - Set realistic, obtainable goals.

Clarify expectations - Discuss the roles and responsibilities of coalition members. Include the number of times the group can expect to meet, and establish the time and location of meetings. Decide the criteria for membership.

Select a project coordinator - Choose a project coordinator who can get the ball rolling, provide essential structure, and lead the organization’s efforts. Select a person who is:

• Respected by others, generates confidence, and knows how to cooperate; 
   
• Knowledgeable about the issue and enthusiastic about achieving coalition goals; 
   
• Able to motivate others;
   
• Skilled in consensus building, and recognizes the importance of diversity;
   
• Able to take initiative;
   
• A good communicator, and 
   
• Well-organized.

Get organized - Coalitions must be properly administered, programs must be carefully implemented, and coalition members must be inspired to continue their work.

• Make follow-up phone calls two days prior to meetings to remind individuals to attend;
   
• At meetings, decide how to achieve goals and what resources will be needed, and 
   
• Select individuals or committees to carry out tasks.

Conduct productive meetings - One of the best ways to maintain a coalition is to run interesting, productive meetings. To accomplish this goal:

• Outline objectives, develop an agenda, and provide copies of the agenda; 
   
• Establish meeting dates, and locations well in advance; 
   
• Begin and end meetings on time;
   
• Encourage participation; 
   
• Ensure that discussions remain on topic; 
   
• When unable to agree on an item, take a vote; 
   
• Prepare and distribute minutes, and 
   
• Implement the decisions made at meetings.

Provide training for contact with the media - Coalition members who will serve as spokespeople should be trained to deal with the media. Select individuals who understand the issues and speak with confidence.

Maintain the coalition - Avoid having the project coordinator do all the work. Assign activities to other coalition members and ask them to recruit others to assist. Organize committees and give responsibility for managing those committees to the chair. Ask coalition members to report on their activities at each meeting.

Celebrate victories - Success is the best way to keep people involved. Host a small party or awards ceremony to recognize individuals who have played a key role.