Org Tracking System in Coalitions
The biggest challenge with coalitions is keeping track of what, if anything, those who join your effort are willing to do. Just as you have volunteer sign-ups, you can also have coalition sign-ups—whether on paper, online, or both. This saves time and effort in barraging leaders for requests for each activity. This creates a system for commitments and understanding whether a coalition member can help and how.
As an organizer, thinking through activities and what member organizations will be asked to do during the campaign involves one meeting to clarify involvement from the beginning. It is also helpful in recruiting for work committees and task forces or identifying ways to participate in the overall effort.
There may be a niche that the organization can fill regarding a specific skill or membership in a particular area, and recording this is helpful for organizing. Some coalition member organizations will want to do a minimal effort, and others will want to be more engaged in mobilizing members. Regardless, it is helpful to reach out at critical times to make an appeal for organizational or membership involvement.
Ask for an Organizational Designee
It is also important to ask for a designate from the organization for the coalition that is not the busy leader, but is someone who will have time to work on the coalition effort. This provides an opportunity for the designated person to develop leadership skills and also provides consistency for the effort.
A form example from a disability rights coalition that had CSOs and NGOs support:
Coalition for Disability Inclusion
Organization Name____________________________________________________________________
Organization Leader___________________________________________________________________
Designate to Coalition__________________________________________________________________
Cell Phone_______________________ WhatsApp ___________________________________________
Email for Leader___________________ Email Designate ______________________________________
Members________________________ Regions ______________________________________________
Commitment (check all those that apply)
O Have us be an official member of the coalition
O Use our name as a supporting organization in media and documents
O We will write a support letter to show government decision-makers to go online
O We share materials/social media posts to our email lists
O We will provide regional contacts who can become involved at the local level
O We will include all news and information on our website or social media accounts
Staff or volunteers work on task forces
O Parliament Meetings
O Event Planning
O Policy & Research
O Social Media Outreach
Advocacy
O Education programs for our members, supporters on the issue
O Assist in policy research or writing
O Include coalition issues and announcements online, newsletters, or websites
O Donate speakers for other organizations
O Outreach to other organizations to get their support
O Outreach to opinion leaders for their public endorsement
O Organize town hall meetings
O Organize other events
O Circulate petitions
O Create online outreach
O Call the talk radio with our questions or statements
O Hand out materials to the public
O Set up tables at events or in public places
O Attend lobby meetings with decision-makers
O Attend public events and rallies
Administration
O Use our office/space for meetings
O Assist in administration tasks like accounting, data entry support
O Donate office supplies or other resources
O Help raise funds or supplies
Other Ways to Help
