When forming a coalition, the best candidates for membership are usually those groups or individuals who are most affected by the driving issue at hand. For an antismoking coalition, this would be those people and groups who are most affected by smoking. What would this mean specifically? Typically, such a coalition would include the public health agency in your town and/or county; other local agencies that do health outreach; the local chapter of the American Cancer Society; leaders of anti-smoking or cancer support groups; and representatives from different school levels (both elementary, middle, and high school, and including both teachers and students). Another perhaps less obvious possibility could be representatives from local convenience stores (where cigarettes are often purchased) since an active member from this constituency can often effectively influence other convenience store owners. You could also open your coalition to citizens who do not have a formal agency affiliation, but who may have time, interest, or skills that can benefit you. Each community is unique, and there may be other excellent candidates in your own community setting. So if there are others organizing the coalition together with you, it might be a good idea to meet together with them, make a list of most likely candidates where you are located, and plan the most effective way to make contact with them to ask them to join. You may also wish to consult Chapter 5, Section 5 and 6 of the Tool Box for some more general information on Coalition Building. We hope some of these thoughts may be helpful to you. We hope that your coalition will provide valuable services in your community! Thank you for writing to us at the Community Tool Box; and all best wishes for success in your important work.
