Building a
Sustainable Coalition
ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY LEE
DIRECTOR
ECU REGIONAL TRAINING
CENTER
Building a Coalition
Coalition building is hard and fulfilling work.
By bringing together different sectors of the
community, your coalition can effectively work to
develop a comprehensive solution to your
community's unique substance abuse problem.
Building a Coalition
What is a coalition?
 A formal arrangement for collaboration between
groups or sectors of a community, in which each
group retains its identity but all agree to work
together toward a common goal of building a safe,
healthy, and drug-free community.
Definition of Coalition Sustainability
 A sustainable coalition has enough resources to
intervene at the community level and can maintain
these resources long enough to see community-level
outcomes.
Strategic Prevention Framework
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003.lnk
SPF
The 5 steps included in the chart include:
1. Assessment: Collect data to define problems,
resources, and readiness within a geographic area
to address needs and gaps.
2. Capacity: Mobilize and/or build capacity within a
geographic area to address needs.
3. Planning: Develop a comprehensive strategic
plan that includes policies, programs, and
practices creating a logical, data-driven plan to
address problems identified in step 1.
SPF
Implementation: Implement evidence-based
prevention programs, policies and practices.
5. Evaluation: Measure the impact of the SPF and
its implemented programs, policies and practices.
4.
The SPF places cultural competence and
sustainability at its center as these key concepts
must be incorporated at every step.
Building a Coalition
Four types of coalitions exist:
 Activity or event focused – information and referral,
poster contests, health fairs and resource directories.
 Service/program delivery coalitions – programs that
serve individuals or families, i.e., parenting classes,
after-school and mentoring programs.
 Community mobilization coalitions – organize
communities around issue and make communitylevel change (add street lighting, eliminate sale of
drug paraphernalia in local stores, etc.).
Building a Coalition
(Four types of coalitions cont’d)
 Comprehensive community coalitions – respond to
community conditions by developing and
implementing multi-faceted plans that lead to
measurable, population-level reductions in one or
more substance abuse problems.
Building a Coalition
Coalition vs. Prevention Program
 Coalition looks at entire community; community or
population-level outcomes
 Program looks at individual
 Coalition has larger sphere of influence
 Program one part of overall package
Community Change “Continuum”
Individual
agency
Community
coalition
Provide information
Enhance skills
Provide support
Enhance access/reduce barriers
Seven
Strategies
to Affect
Community Change
Change consequences
Change physical design
Modify/change policy
11
Environmental Approaches
to Prevent Tobacco Use
 Excise taxes (local)
 Prohibition of smoking in public places
 Restrictions on advertising and promotion
 Compulsory compliance checks for minimum
purchase age and fines
 Mandatory seller training
 Penalty for underage use and enforcement
 Others?
Building a Winning Team
Coalitions need to:
1. Figure out who the sits inside the “vehicle” &
2. Cultivate engagement of stakeholders so can use
members’ skills and resources
Building a Winning Team
Coalitions should consist of 12 sectors.
1. Youth
2. Parents
3. Business community
4. Media
5. Schools
6. Youth-serving organizations
7. Law enforcement agencies
Building a Winning Team
(12 Sectors cont’d)
8. Religious or fraternal organizations
9. Civic and volunteer groups
10. Healthcare professionals
11. State, local or tribal governmental agencies
12. Other organizations involved in reducing substance
abuse
13. Grassroots community members
Building a Winning Team
A culturally competent coalition includes:
 A broad cross section of the population
 Organizations that represent various cultural groups
 The belief that substance abuse crosses all racial and
economic lines and disproportionately affects certain
populations
 Recognizing and honoring the strengths and
resources inherent in diverse groups
Building a Winning Team
Plan to build a strong “hub”:
 Identify skills, knowledge and resources your
coalition will need to succeed, such as skills in:
Communication
 Community mobilizing
 Planning
 Decision-making processes
 Evaluation
 Grant writing
 Local policy and politics
 Project management

Building a Winning Team
Plan to give back to members and volunteers:
 WIFM – “What’s in it for me?”
 Share what they can get out of their contributions
 Does it:
 Enhance their resume
 Assist them in developing new skills
Building a Winning Team
Recruit and engage:
 The best way to approach is face-to-face:



Share a clear, compelling description of what your coalition
wants to accomplish
Share why their participation is important – what specific
assets can they bring to the table
Ask what they would like to offer and how engaged they can be
 Be prepared for some groups to decline.
Building a Winning Team
Overcoming resistance:
 Tailor your message: Stakeholders will value the
benefits of reducing substance abuse differently.
 Create a range of opportunity for involvement: may
have different levels of commitment/membership
 Honor the past: Remind people of past successes
that coalitions or groups have done.
 Are the right leaders holding these conversations?:
identify the most persuasive for particular recruits.
Building a Winning Team
Create a Case Statement – A written answer to key
questions held by potential supporters
 Why is the coalition/intervention needed at all?
 How will the coalition/intervention make a
difference?
 Who is involved and supporting the effort?
 Is the coalition/intervention cost effective?
Building a Winning Team
A written answer to key questions held by potential
supporters:
 Short
 Everyday language
 Relevant to targeted donors
Building a Winning Team
Breakout
Session:
Creating a
Case
Statement
Heading Off Coalition Trouble
Warning Signs
Some Root Capacity Issues
Coalition plans become stalled
out at the implementation stage.
•Members lack skills to overcome particular
hurdles and need outside technical assistance.
•Lines of accountability are not clear.
•The coalition lacks relationships with key
constituencies or organizations needed to move
projects forward.
Meeting attendance is low.
•Meetings are poorly organized, lack
compelling agendas or are held at inconvenient
times.
•Leadership fails to make it clear how each step
of the coalition work builds toward concrete
goals.
•The coalition has unresolved conflicts among
members.
Heading Off Coalition Trouble
Warning Signs
Some Root Capacity Issues
Members attend meetings but do
not seem to pick up responsibility
for moving project forward.
•Coalition staff might be taking on too much
responsibility for implementation.
•Leaders have not helped the coalition
translate mission and goals into concrete
action plans.
Resources
Community Anti-Drug coalitions of America
(CADCA) – CADCA.org
Primers:
 Assessment
 Capacity
 Planning
 Implementation
 Evaluation
 Sustainability
 Cultural Competency
 Environmental Strategies
Questions??