Web sites
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) (http://cadca.org/) is a membership organization of more than 5,000 community coalitions whose purpose is to prevent substance abuse and violence. CADCA provides training, technical assistance and research. CADCA staff can provide on-site training for coalitions on strategic planning, problem solving, team building, funding and grantwriting, and evaluation and assessment. CADCA also offers distance learning opportunities via satellite television and convenes a National Leadership Forum. CADCA’s publications include Coalitions 101: Getting Started, which presents a seven step approach to organizing a coalition. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a CADCA Federal partner.
Community Mobilization for Prevention Online Guide (http://captus.samhsa.gov/southwest/resources/SWCAPTCMP.cfm) is a Web-based tool for community coalitions and prevention providers, which provides information, tools, and resources for supporting leveraged community organizing, planning, and action. It was created by the Southwest CAPT under funding from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.
Community Toolbox (http://ctb.ku.edu/index.jsp) is a Web site created and maintained by the Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development at the University of Kansas, in collaboration with AHEC/Community Partners in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Create Coalitions and Partnerships section of the website includes:
- an outline of how to create a coalition
- case studies
- guidance on creating and maintaining coalitions
- tools for defining membership, diversity, and principles for success
The Partnership Self-Assessment Tool (http://www.partnershiptool.net/index.htm) is a Web-based resource from The Center for the Advancement of Collaborative Strategies in Health at The New York Academy of Medicine. The Tool assesses how well a collaborative process is working in these areas: leadership, efficiency administration and management, and sufficiency of resources.
Coalitions can use the Tool to:
- Assess how well the collaborative process is working
- Learn how to improve this process
- Demonstrate the strengths of the coalition to partners, funders, and the community
- Make the coalition more responsive to its partners and the community
- Involve partners in the leadership and management of the coalition
Participants fill out a Web-based questionnaire privately. Respondents provide information anonymously; each person receives a unique partner ID that is not attached to her/his name. The questionnaire takes 10 minutes to complete.
The Partnership Self-Assessment Tool analyzes the data from the questionnaires automatically, and generates a report that explains the strengths and weaknesses of the partnership. The report is in PDF format and can be easily printed and distributed.
The Tool can support evaluation, continuous improvement and reporting to funders and the broader community. Used repeatedly, the Tool allows a coalition to track changes in its process over time. It enables a coalition to get ongoing, systematic, and honest feedback from its partners. The Tool provides partners with a framework for talking about the collaborative process in ways that can strengthen the coalition.
Publications Available Online
Building NGO/CBO capacity for organizational outreach: Management and training design tools. Nairobi: United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, 2004.
Available for download from http://hq.unhabitat.org/programmes/tcbb/publications.asp#sixThis manual is designed to enhance the overall management and operational effectiveness of non-governmental and community-based organizations. Much of the information in this guide is useful for initiating and maintaining coalitions. It is presented in the form of implementation tools that can also be used for training or group learning in the areas of communication, networking, alliances, evaluating partnerships, effective listening, policy, lobbying, and outreach.
The Center for the Advancement of Collaborative Strategies in Health (http://www.cacsh.org/index.html) (who developed The Partnership Self-Assessment Tool described above) offers a number of publications online. These include:
- Broadening Participation in Community Problem Solving: A Multidisciplinary Model to Support Collaborative Practice and Research.
- Making the Most of Collaboration: Exploring the Relationship Between Partnership Synergy and Partnership Functioning.
- Partnership Synergy: A Practical Framework for Studying and Strengthening the Collaborative Advantage.
These can be downloaded at http://www.cacsh.org/cresources.html
Coalition Sustainability: Long-Term Successes and Lessons Learned (http://www.joe.org/joe/2002february/a2.html) by K. Lodl and G. Stevens.
Journal of Extension, 40(1). 2002. This article examined the sustainability and impact of a youth-at-risk coalition building project 10 years after the project began and 5 years after their original funding stopped. The authors drew lessons from the longevity of this project and its coalitions that can provide guidance for other programs and coalitions.
Coalitions 101: Getting Started (http://cadca.org/CoalitionResources/StartaCoalition/Strat29.pdf). Alexandria, VA: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), no date. This manual presents a seven-step guide to starting a coalition, plus some tips on maintaining coalitions. How To Build Coalitions. Ames, IO: Iowa State University Continuing Education and Communication Services. 1992. This short pamphlet series includes titles on Collaboration, Turf Issues, Planning, Facilitator Role, and Mobilization. These publications can be downloaded from http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pubs/co1.htm
Sustaining Community-based Initiatives
(http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/CustomPubs/SusComBasedInits/SusComBasedInits.asp)
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The Healthcare Forum partnered on these modules designed to help Kellogg grantees sustain community-based initiatives. Coalitions are discussed in Module 1/Chapter 1 (Multiculturalism and Coalitions), Module 1/Chapter 3 (Building A Coalition), and Module 2/Chapter 4 (Partners).
