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Coalition Development

Introduction

Drug-Free Action Alliance’s Ohio Center for Coalition Excellence recognizes the long and valuable history of coalition development in Ohio and elsewhere. The Ohio Center for Coalition Excellence works to build on that foundation to increase the prevalence of community engagement in Ohio as well as the activities and successes of these initiatives.

Drug-Free Action Alliance and the Ohio Center for Coalition Excellence serve as a bridge between Ohio’s coalitions and national organizations like CADCA, assisting Ohio’s community coalitions through specialized services, as well as guiding them through the CADCA network and other national systems.

Coalition development does not always follow a straight forward path. No two communities are the same, and most communities use a combination of coalition science and instinct to chart their course. Research on coalitions demonstrates that the early days of a coalition can set the stage for the eventual success or stagnation of a coalition and its work.

The toolkit describes some of the most significant components of coalition development and provides links to additional resources. We also encourage coalitions to work directly with the staff of the Ohio Center for Coalition Excellence for technical assistance purposes and to engage in networking with other community coalitions throughout our state.

Key Aspects of Coalitions:

• A formal arrangement for collaboration between groups or sectors of a community.
• Each group or member retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward a common goal.
• Coalitions have and need deep connections to the local community.
• Coalitions serve as catalysts for change.
• Coalitions are not human service organizations.
• Coalition building takes time and effort.
• Coalitions are driven by citizen-identified issues and have citizens involved in all steps of the problem solving process.

What is the difference between a “community coalition” and a “prevention program?”

1. Programs are responsible for those who attend the program, while coalitions are responsible for everyone in their defined community.
2. Coalitions manage strategies of which programming is just one part.
3. Coalitions target community level outcomes while programs target outcomes for participants.
4. Coalitions advocate for community change (polices and practices) while programs often are prohibited from doing so.

Benefits of Coalitions:

• Can address new and broader issues
  • Provide avenues to make environmental strategies work
  • Facilitate addressing ATOD issues across the lifespan
• Can serve as a clearinghouse for all relevant data in the community
  • Provide ongoing, systematic and timely collection, analysis and interpretation of data about emerging drug abuse patterns and trends overtime. (for further information, see The Practical Theorist, no. 3 Assessing Drug Abuse Within and Across Communities. CADCA)
• Can maximize the power of individuals and mobilize more talent
• Can result in systemic changes that can enhance ATOD services
  • Stretch scarce resources further
  • Minimize duplication of services
• Can develop widespread support for issues
• Can leverage additional/new resources
  • May help increase funding for direct services
  • May help with passage of levies by fostering community ownership of the problem and of solutions
  • Increase volunteer hours
  • Increase in-kind donations
• Build capacity of the community to find its own solutions to community problems

Lessons Learned: Some Elements of Successful Coalitions

1. Community readiness
2. Intentionality (strategic planning, meetings tied to purposeful actions)
3. Structure & organizational capacity (including adequate staffing)
4. Shared leadership
5. Relationships are fostered and maintained
6. Technical assistance regarding the science of prevention is accessed

For more Elements of Successful Coalitions, see Birkby, Ben (2003). Community Coalitions: Questions, Controversy & Context. Prevention Evaluation Perspectives, vol. 1, Issue 1, Fall 2003.  Kentucky Division of Substance Abuse and R.E.A.C.H. of Louisville.

Coalition Assessment Toolkit

Drug-Free Action Alliance is providing coalitions with an assessment toolkit. Details about the assessment toolkit.

Download the toolkit.

You may also want to explore the Community Tool Box, which is the world's largest resource for free information on essential skills for building healthy communities. It offers over 7,000 pages of practical guidance in creating change and improvement. To choose your pathway into the CTB, just click on one of the purple tabs at the top of the page or to the right under "What do you want to do today?" It is easy to find information you need, especially through the "Solve a Problem" link.

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