Comms tips for coalitions
Written by Emily Swartzlander
Love them or hate them, we can all agree on one thing – coalitions Get. Things. Done. And all high-impact coalitions have at least one factor in common: they effectively communicate with their audiences at all stages of the coalition lifecycle.
At Forthright, we’ve worked with a number of coalition partners (some that are just starting up, and others that are well established.) We know that bringing the right communications strategy at the right time can help you have even greater impact. That’s why I’m sharing communications tips for every stage of your coalition!
The Lifecycle of a Coalition
The Society for Public Health Education breaks down the lifecycle of a coalition into five stages:
Pre-formation. Is it time to make a coalition? Who is going to lead it?
Formation. OK, we’re making this coalition…how do we pull it together? How do we find the right people? How often will we meet? What exactly are we going to do together to solve our issue?
Implementation. We know what we want to do…how do we do it? What’s our strategic action plan? Who do we need to reach to make change happen?
Maintenance. How do we keep the work going? Who else needs to be involved? What do we need to adjust to make the coalition sustainable?
Institutionalization. Do we become a permanent, separate organization? What other work do we want to tackle?
Not all coalitions follow this exact path. But many coalitions will, regardless of whether they form for a shorter, more time-focused period (i.e. in the lead-up to an election) or whether they plan to be around for a generation.
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Communications For Each Stage of Your Coalition
Often, coalitions are focused on one of three main goals, according to the University of Kansas:
influencing public policy,
changing people's behavior, or
improving a community’s health and well-being.
Spoiler: Those are all communications-related goals!
Including communications at every stage will help you reach your goals more effectively. Here are a few tips and resources:
Pre-formation + Formation
As you’re forming your coalition, you’ll want to consider:
Naming. You want a name that is easy to say, easy to spell and easy to remember (no long acronyms, please).
Branding. A good brand strategy builds trust and makes your advocacy more effective. Now is the time to think through your coalition’s brand and how you want to make sure people feel inspired to take action. Consider everything from your logo to colors, fonts, imagery and messaging.
Finding partners and allies. Don’t forget to look in unexpected places to find those partners who might not be obvious, but who can definitely help move the needle.
Implementation
Once you’ve gotten your groove and identified your vision and outcomes, it’s time to:
Create a comprehensive communications plan. Thoughtful planning up front will save you a lot of time and could lead to a whole lot of wins.
Ensure that plan includes powerful core messages. Great messages share what you’re doing and why you are doing it in clear, approachable language.
Maintenance + Institutionalization
As your coalition becomes more established, you’ll want to:
Hit refresh. Make sure your communications plan stays fresh by revisiting it once a year.
Celebrate the wins! Changing systems and behaviors and influencing policy takes time – sometimes years or decades. Celebrating wins along the way is crucial to maintaining coalition direction and morale, and it helps your audiences understand that you ARE making big progress!
Regardless of where you are in your coalition planning, I hope you’ll harness the power of communications to reach your goals and make the world a better place for children and families.
