Getting Together: Ideas for Effective Collaborations

Final Thoughts

Take the time to do it right. Successful collaborators report that it has “taken years” (in one case, 6 years) to build trust, break down turf issues, and reduce the perceived threat to organizational autonomy. Only recently have stakeholders begun to accept the fact that they can do a better job of serving children and families if they work together.

You can overcome the challenges. Practitioners and evaluators agree that individuals and organizations intent on building and sustaining a community coalition face many obstacles along the way. For example, some potential partners distrust the collaborative process, having been burned before by attempts at organizing that were neither inclusive nor open and were characterized by a top-down, rather than a bottom-up, structure. In addition, partners are often so focused on perpetuating the organization they forget about the purpose for which they joined forces. Yet with forethought, planning, and constant attention to the “relationship” aspect of coalitions, the challenges can be overcome.

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