Coalition brings together individuals and organizations that have common interests and a shared desire to address an issue. This allows them to develop more strength and leverage in working with elected officials, local media, and community members. Coalitions are often formed to address immediate problems or to support long term campaigns such as smoking cessation, community economic development and environmental preservation.
The first step in getting a coalition off the ground is to identify and recruit the individuals and organizations most directly involved with the issue. Usually, these are the groups that would have the most to lose if the problem is not addressed.
Developing a clear mission statement and structure for the coalition is essential. Ideally, coalition members can agree on the vision and mission of the group before they commit to joining it. This can be done by creating a small group to discuss the issue, then coming back to the larger group with the findings of the smaller group.
Another important goal of a coalition is to develop and save seats at the table for those who can influence large numbers of people. These could be community leaders, business owners or employers, religious representatives, police and school personnel, etc. Coalitions are also more effective if they include members who are well respected in the community. It may be necessary to do a bit of networking to find these individuals and organizations.