A coalition is a group of people and groups who join together to address an issue. Coalitions can range from skateboarders joining forces to get their town to build a skate park to countries that form a government even though they disagree on some issues.

To be effective, coalitions must be well-organized and have strong leaders. The leader should be able to communicate the importance of the coalition effort, welcome new members, and encourage them to participate. The leader should also have strong conflict resolution skills, since conflicts are common in coalitions. The leaders need to be able to recognize the differences in the background and history of their members. They should also be able to create trust between the different organizations in the coalition, so they can work through differences and achieve the common goal.

The leader should be able to develop the coalition’s vision and mission statements, action plans, later organizational structure, and funding base. The leader may serve as the coordinator of the coalition’s activities, and should be able to modify broad organization-wide objectives based on input from committees.

Many coalitions are temporary and dissolve after a goal is achieved or deemed unachievable, but some last longer. The duration of a coalition may be related to the degree to which the goals of the individual organizational partners correspond with each other and to the extent to which those interests reflect a sense of community justice or public interest.