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Coalition Building I: Starting a Coalition. What is a coalition?. A diverse group of individuals and organizations who work together to reach a common goal. That goal often includes one of the following: Adapting, creating, or developing public policy. Influencing people's behavior.
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What is a coalition? • A diverse group of individuals and organizations who work together to reach a common goal. • That goal often includes one of the following: • Adapting, creating, or developing public policy. • Influencing people's behavior. • Building a healthy community .
Why start a coalition? • To address an urgent situation. • To control the future of the community. • To obtain or provide services. • For effective and efficient delivery of programs. • To pool resources. • To increase communication among groups. • To plan and launch community-wide initiatives. • To develop and use political clout. • To create long-term, permanent social change.
Barriers to starting a coalition • Turf issues. • Bad history. • Domination by "professionals" or some other elite. • Poor links to the community. • Minimal organizational capacity. • Funding. • Failure to provide and create leadership within the coalition. • The costs of working together outweigh the benefits for many coalition members.
Who should be part of a coalition? • Stakeholders. • Community opinion leaders. • Policy makers.
How do you start a community coalition? • Put together a core group. • Identify the most important potential coalition members. • Recruit members to the coalition. • Plan and hold a first meeting. • Follow up on the first meeting. • Continue with other next steps. • Use general guidelines for getting a coalition off the ground.