| Phase | What to settle | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Forming | Whether a simpler structure could manage the task, and which coalition risks you must plan for | Decide this before you recruit anyone |
| Foundations | Shared priorities, a shared vision and a real understanding of each potential partner | Give this phase the most time, because everything later depends on it |
| Agreement | A written agreement covering ways of working, the shared agenda, or both | Draft it while relations are good, not after a dispute |
| Running | A clear mission, good communication, shared leadership, group ownership and delegation | Spread real tasks across members rather than centralising them |
| Sustaining | Regular review of whether the original agreement is still being honoured | Put an annual review in the calendar from the start |
These elements draw on the Ohio State University Extension coalition fact sheet and the Local Government Association’s components of effective coalitions.
How to build a coalition comes down to a sequence: test whether you need one, agree shared priorities with well-chosen partners, write down how decisions are made, and then maintain the alliance deliberately.
This guide follows that sequence from formation to long-term upkeep. For the wider skill set around it, see leadership skills for politicians.
Forming: decide whether you need a coalition
A coalition is a formal alliance of individuals or organisations that come together to work for a common goal, according to Ohio State University Extension. The same fact sheet, citing Butterfoss, says collaboration is more formal, more durable and more involved than networking, cooperating or coordinating. That extra weight is the reason to hesitate before starting one.
Extension guidance, citing Butterfoss and Francisco, says a coalition should not be established if a simpler, less complicated structure can manage the task. If a few phone calls or a shared mailing list would achieve your aim, use those. A coalition suits goals that no single group can reach alone and that need sustained joint effort.
Also weigh the risks the fact sheet lists: turf protection and mistrust, slow decision making, and conflicting interests. None of these is a reason to avoid a coalition. They are a reason to build the safeguards described in the later phases.
First steps in order
- Name the task. Write the one outcome the alliance exists to achieve.
- Test the alternatives. Ask whether a simpler arrangement could deliver that outcome.
- Accept the costs. Plan for slower decisions and for partners who protect their own territory.
- Invest in foundations. The Local Government Association advises taking your time to build foundations well, because the effort pays off over the long term.
Finding and approaching potential partners
Start with stakeholder mapping: a structured list of the organisations whose goals, assets or influence overlap with yours. The George Washington University Center for Community Resilience offers worksheets for this in its partner-building tools, including Identifying Potential Partners and Mapping Assets, on its coalition tools page. The centre itself brings together health departments, health systems, social services and community-based organisations, which shows how varied a partner list can be.
An advocacy organisation convening a coalition can use the same method. List who is affected by the issue, who holds decision power over it, and who already serves the community involved. Then rank the list by how much each group’s priorities overlap with yours.
Approaching them
The Local Government Association describes getting to know potential partners, and later confirmed ones, as an investment that pays off over the long term. In practice, open with a conversation about their priorities rather than a request. Ask what they want to achieve, which issues they will not compromise on, and what resources they could contribute.
Working with groups that disagree with you
Partnering across disagreement is workable when you know where the disagreement sits. The Local Government Association advises that partners take time to understand each other’s manifestos, red-line issues and values. A red line is an issue a group will not trade away, so find out which ones exist before you ask for a commitment.
- Separate the shared goal from the rest. The coalition needs shared priorities and a shared vision, and it does not need agreement on every other issue.
- Negotiate divisive issues in advance. The same guidance calls anticipating likely flashpoints, and settling how to handle them early, a worthwhile investment.
- Keep contact broad. Periodic meetings across all the coalition’s groups widen the base of support and build working relationships beyond a few representatives.
Conflicting interests and mistrust are named risks in the Extension guidance, so expect friction rather than treating it as a sign of failure. If you want practical technique for the bargaining itself, read about how to negotiate in politics.
Agreeing shared goals and a written agreement
Shared goals are the structural centre of a coalition. Extension guidance lists common goals and a clear mission or vision first among the elements of a successful coalition, and the Local Government Association says every effective coalition needs shared priorities and a shared vision. Write the goal in a sentence every member could repeat without reading it.
What a memorandum of understanding can contain
The Local Government Association notes that written agreements can cover “ways of working”, the shared agenda, or both, and may include a communication protocol. A memorandum of understanding is one common form of such an agreement. The ways-of-working part should outline the process of joint decision-making and conflict resolution.
Written terms bring greater transparency and accuracy to the partnership and give members a reference point when they disagree. A useful draft therefore includes:
- The shared goal and agenda, in the plain wording members agreed.
- The decision process, including how members resolve conflict.
- A communication protocol, so members know how and when they will be updated.
Running the coalition: decisions and leadership
The decision-making process should be written down, shared and fair. Extension guidance lists equal opportunities for participation, shared or situational leadership, and group ownership and delegation of activities among the elements of a successful coalition. Together these point away from a single boss and towards distributed responsibility.
The George Washington University centre frames equitable partnership around five dimensions: shared understanding, collaborative decision-making, meaningful representation, reciprocal partnership and respectful relationships, as set out on its tools page. It also observes that partnerships often lack the structures or processes needed to support shared power or longer-term commitments. Treat that as a prompt to design your structure rather than leave it to habit.
Choosing a structure
The supplied guidance does not prescribe a single voting rule, so choose the simplest structure that fits your membership and record it in the agreement. Smaller alliances can rely on informal consensus. Larger ones need clearer roles, delegated tasks and a defined way to resolve conflict. Pair that with good communication, which Extension guidance lists as a core element, so every member sees the same information at the same time.
Sustaining the coalition over time
A coalition stays together when someone treats upkeep as a task. The Community Tool Box says maintenance covers the vision and mission, the basic governance and operating rules, the coalition leadership, the membership and the funding. It also warns that coalitions often have few guidelines telling them where, or how, to go, so they drift without attention.
A maintenance routine
- Recognise the need. The Community Tool Box says the first step is developing the awareness that maintenance is necessary.
- Commit to it. Make a decision to engage in maintenance.
- Plan it. Draft the actions that keep the vision, rules, leadership, membership and funding healthy.
- Carry it out. Put the plan into the coalition’s regular work.
Review the written agreement each year, as the Local Government Association suggests, to ensure all is working well. Funding is one of the maintained elements, and our guide on how to raise money for a campaign covers the money side in more depth.
Coalitions in practice
Coalition building is routine in politics. The Local Government Association reports that about one in four English councils had no overall control in 2019, and that after the 2023 local elections this increased to one in three. Many local authorities therefore now rely on parties working out shared priorities, and the Association’s framework exists to help them do it.
In public health, the George Washington University centre’s model works across organisations that affect child and community health, from health departments to community-based groups. The shared pattern in both settings is that partners invest in understanding one another before they act together.
Troubleshooting common problems
- A partner says the deal is not being honoured. The Local Government Association calls this one of the most common coalition problems. Return to the written agreement and talk through where practice and terms have diverged.
- The coalition drifts. Restate the mission and governance rules, since guidelines are often thin.
- Decisions stall. Check that tasks are delegated and that the decision process in the agreement is actually followed.
- Members protect their own territory. Revisit the shared priorities and give each group a visible stake in the outcome.
Frequently asked questions
How is a coalition different from networking or coordinating?
Ohio State University Extension, citing Butterfoss, describes collaboration as more formal, more durable and more involved than networking, cooperating or coordinating. A coalition therefore asks more of its members.
Can a coalition work on verbal agreements alone?
Yes, the Local Government Association says successful coalitions can work on verbal agreements, but it recommends exploring a written agreement for greater transparency and accuracy.
Who should design a coalition’s maintenance plan?
The Community Tool Box says a small group of experienced members usually works best. It also notes that planned maintenance carried out in practice is relatively rare, so assigning the task explicitly helps.
