Coalition Building II: Maintaining a Coalition

Why is maintaining the coalition important? Effective adaptations to environment changes are necessary for organizational health. Renewal is a basic need of organizational life, and this is why coalitions and community groups should attention to maintenance and to work out procedures for maintaining their optimal functioning on a regular basis.

What needs to be maintained? The coalition's vision, mission and objectives. The basic governance and operating rules of the coalition. The coalition leadership. The coalition membership. The division of labor. The coalition's strategic and action plans. The coalition's actions and results. The coalition's funding. The coalition's visibility in the larger community. The coalition's public support. The spirit of the coalition.

How do you maintain a coalition? Develop the awareness that maintenance is necessary. Make a decision to engage in it. Design a maintenance plan. Carry out your maintenance plan.

What are alternatives to maintenance? Growing. Spinning off. Changing focus. Cutting back. Ending. Staying the way you are.