- Name the problems or goals that have brought together multiple organizations in common purpose.
- Describe who you are or what groups you represent. Include:
- Who is represented in your group, including those most affected by the issue
- Why and how is the group in a position to make a difference
- Your organization's efforts cannot effectively accomplish your goal
- The problem or goal is complex and is influenced by multiple factors
- Related agencies are duplicating efforts and thus resources are not being used to their potential
- Your goal is significant improvement in community-level outcomes and multiple sectors of the community will need to be engaged for success
- Identify those who need to be involved in order to accomplish your anticipated goals:
- Who in the community that you are serving can be effective in bringing about change in areas affecting or being affected by the issue or problem?
- Who is already involved in the formation of the collaborative partnership and what roles are they playing? What roles need to be filled or created and who might best fill them?
- Where would these members be found?
- Why would you choose one or another individual or organization? What resources would they bring to the table?
- Is this the right time for them to be recruited to join the coalition?
- How could they be involved in the collaborative partnership's planning and activities?
- What potential barriers exist to recruiting these partners, and what strategies can help overcome those barriers?
- Vision - summarize your coalition's dream for the future. The vision should be:
- Easy to communicate to potential new members.
- Uplifting and inspiring, clearly communicating your hopes for your community.
- A reflection of the perspective of the community it represents.
- Summarize the anticipated results of the group's activities. What would be different in your community when you have reached your goals? Who will have what done by when?
- Review evidence that the problems or goals that the coalition has chosen to address are important to the community.
- Describe community-level indicators you will utilize. Indicate the levels (incidence or prevalence) of behaviors or outcomes that relate to your goal or area of concern.
- Explain how often it occurs in the community.
- Illustrate how many people are affected by it and to what severity.
- Describe other past or current attempts to bring about change.
- Explain the possible impact and/or consequences of achieving your goal.
- Predict what financial and personnel resources will be needed to accomplish the goal. What resources are already available and which will need to be obtained?
- Name leaders in the community. Who is influential in the community and how can your collaborative partnership build a relationship with them?
- Describe how networks are organized within the community and how you plan on utilizing them to intervene in the community.
- Research the community projects currently in progress. What does this tell you about what the community sees as valuable and what clues does this provide that might help you be successful?
- Competition or turf issues - Who can you include that would ease turf issues among potential partners and within the community? How might you build greater trust and respect among partners? How might you ensure mutual benefit?
- Bad history between local agencies or with the community - What has happened in the community previously (or in prior collaborative efforts) that makes it harder for partners to work together successfully in a new effort? How can bad feelings and mistrust be resolved?
- Dominance by "professionals" within the coalition and in relationships with the community - How do you encourage "non-professional" partners, including those most affected by the issues, to see their unique contribution and agree to participate in planning and decision making
- Poor links to the community - How could the group's members increase their connectedness to the community most affected by the issue? Who and in what activities can they engage to improve local ties?
- Minimal organizational capacity - How will the collaborative partnership's organizational capacity be increased? What skills and time do members need to create a more efficient and effective partnership?
- Funding (too much or too little) - What strategies are being used to financially sustain the effort and are there more effective ones? How can we avoid having the opportunity for funding, such as a new grant, tear apart working relationships?
- Failure to provide and create leadership within the group - How can new members be encouraged to step up as leaders within the collaborative partnership? How can leadership skills and opportunities be cultivated among unconventional or overlooked candidates?
- The perceived costs of working together outweigh the benefits - How can we reduce the costs or increase the benefits of participation in the project by partners and community members? What barriers can be eliminated or overcome?
Which of these barriers exist for you? How might they be resolved?
- Create a budget to determine what immediate and future resources will be needed. Include:
- All projected expenses (e.g., salaries, office expenses, rent, utilities and phone expenses, equipment).
- All projected income - based on current sources of funding and incorporating known changes.
- Projected gap between expenses and income (e.g., what shortfalls are predicted).
- Evaluate the financial resources needed to sustain the programs and services of the initiative.
- Stimulate creative ways in which resources other than money could be generated and from whom in order to meet some of the anticipated expenses.
- Prioritize which programs and services the initiative wishes to address are the most important and/or cost-effective ways to meet the group's goals.
- Three elements are necessary to designate, regardless of the organizational structure
- Some form of governing structure for decision making
- Rules by which the organization will operate
- A planned distribution of work
- What is the current stage of the organization's development?
- Are there prior relationships among the members?
- Is there prior membership experience in working together on other projects?
- What is the motivation level of members to be part of the organization?
- How many tasks or issues does the coalition want to address? How broad or focused is the purpose?
- What is the organization's size?
- What is the organization leadership's level of experience?
- How urgent is the need for action?
- Generally formed to steer an organization or committee at its inception
- May be responsible for developing the organization's vision and mission statements, action plans, later organizational structure, and funding base.
- Should dissolve once the initial work/planning is complete. If it is still in existence six or more months after the formation of the organization, it becomes a coordinating council.
- Fulfills many of the same responsibilities as a steering committee in addition to coordinating the coalition's activities.
- Acts as a director or program coordinator by modifying broad organization-wide objectives and strategies in response to input from individuals or committees.
- Primarily acts as a guide for the organization through its members knowledge of the community and the issue - it may or may not have any actual power.
- Oftentimes it will lend its prestige and influence in the community to the cause when necessary.
- More common in an initiative that is primarily the work of one charismatic or visionary individual who may need resources and support, but wants little guidance.
- Functions as a governing body of the organization, but does little coordination.
- Generally elects a president or chair, vice-president or vice-chair, secretary/clerk, and treasurer. Committee chairs and others may also be part of a larger executive committee.
- Works with staff to set policy for and oversee general functioning of the coalition, including:
- Managing financial operations through the treasurer.
- Hiring, firing, and supervising the director (if there is one) and supervising operations of the organization.
- Making sure the mission and philosophy of the coalition are maintained.
- Being legally responsible for all actions or the organization.
- If there is no paid staff or the organization is a volunteer one, it may do some or all of the implementation work of the coalition.
- Consists of members who work together around broad objectives, such as child immunization or reducing youth violence.
- Members are chosen based on their interest in a particular issue.
- Although a coalition may have multiple task forces to address different objectives, all objectives relate back to the original vision and mission.
- Indicate how the group will assure the 6 R's for maintaining engagement of all participants:
- Recognition - People want to be recognized for their contributions.
- Respect - People want their values, culture, ideas, and time to be respected and considered in the organization's activities.
- Role - People want a clearly defined role in the coalition that makes them feel valuable and in which they can make a contribution.
- Relationships - People want the opportunity to establish and build networks both professionally and personally for greater influence and support.
- Reward - People expect the rewards of participating in a collaborative partnership to outweigh the costs and to benefit from the relationships established.
- Results - People respond to visible results that are clearly linked to outcomes that are important to them and that they can clearly link to their participation in the coalition.
- Conduct reviews of the collaborative partnership's progress and difficulties, using external consultants or an internal team of selected members.
- Examine multiple aspects of the coalition, including:
- Leadership
- Operating rules and governance
- Division of labor
- Plans, short- and long-term
- Actions
- Funding, current and planned
- Visibility and public support
- Describe how your current membership maybe hampering your success, such as:
- Not enough current members to do the necessary work of the coalition.
- Certain sectors of the community with crucial knowledge and history of the issue or problem are not currently involved (e.g., representatives from local government, schools, businesses, youth organizations, elders).
- More connections with other organizations trying to accomplish similar goals are needed to strengthen your base of support and resources.
Are any of these statements descriptive of your current coalition or partnership? Which ones?
- Now that you are actively engaged in the effort, identify those you want to partner with to help broaden or strengthen your coalition's impact:
- Who else in the community that you are serving can be effective in bringing about the vision and mission of the coalition?
- What roles are currently unfilled or need to be created and who might best fill them?
- Where would these new members be found?
- Why would you choose one or another individual or organization? What additional resources would they bring to the table?
- When is the right time for them to be recruited or to join the coalition?
- How should they be involved in the coalition's planning and activities?
- What potential barriers exist to recruiting these new partners, and what strategies can help overcome those barriers?
- Compile a list of potential candidate individuals or organizations to be involved and review them with the current membership to check for its completeness.
- Nominate those within current membership who may have connections with potential new partners and ask them to approach them regarding membership.
- Increase the level of commitment and motivation among current partners and community.
- Engage those who are most affected by the problem - Who else needs to be engaged in order for you to be effective?
- Consider whether your organizational structure and meetings discourage participation from those you wish to involve (e.g., meeting hours and venues are easily accessible to those who work or use public transportation). What characteristics of your organization may be discouraging participation and how might they be modified?
- Ask who will lose if your intervention succeeds or your objectives are met. Who will lose money, power, influence, or time and resources?
- Project how much power opponents (anticipated or identified) have in the community. What do they have power over? Resources? Support from others? Political decision-making?
- Identify what tactics they are using to oppose your efforts. These may include:
- Deflecting - opponents could divert the issue to a lesser side issue or pass off the responsibility to someone with no real power.
- Delaying - they could say they are addressing the problem and then do nothing.
- Denying - opponents maintain your claims and proposed solutions are invalid.
- Discounting - your opponent may minimize the importance of the problem and/or your legitimacy as a change agent.
- Deceiving - they may deliberately mislead your group about their taking meaningful action when in fact they have no intention to do so.
- Dividing - opponents may promote dissent within the group's members.
- Dulcifying - your opponent may try to appease your group or those affected by the problem through offers of jobs, services, and other benefits.
- Discrediting - they may try to cast doubt on your motives and methods.
- Destroying - opponents may try to destabilize or eliminate the collaborative through legal, economic, or scare tactics.
- Dealing - they may offer a deal or a mutually acceptable solution.
- Surrender - the opposition may agree to the coalition's demands.
Is your coalition functioning most effectively at its current level or do you anticipate need for change? What kinds of change would be appropriate?
