Nutrition and Physical Activity: Building a Coalition

Find a description of the categories and values for scores in the Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition Self-Assessment Tool (PDF). Download this version of the Physical Activity and Nutrition Coalition Self-Assessment (PDF) for an easier way to use the tool as a group.

This tool is designed for coalitions. If your group isn’t a coalition, you’ll still want to answer the questions below. Then return to our Professional Resources page for other strategies.

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of your group?
• Are you prepared to develop an obesity prevention strategy?
• Do you have the right resources?
• What goals can you achieve using your current resources?

Asset mapping is the process of cataloging a community’s resources. Asset mapping can serve a number of purposes, such as to:

• Identify potential resources.
• Provide a foundation for strategic planning and implementation.
• Better understand key regional systems and linkages.
• Build new partnerships.
• Motivate others in your group to help implement the plan.

Use this Asset Mapping (PDF) guide for more details and tools to identify partners and catalog their resources.

Community Tool Box serves as a practical guide for community building. Any citizen or professional can use the guide in everyday practice. The tool box can help with leadership skills, program evaluation, and writing a grant application.

Coalition infrastructure

• Encouraging Involvement in Community Work
• Developing an Organizational Structure for the Initiative
• Hiring and Training Key Staff of Community Organizations
• Recruiting and Training Volunteers
• Getting Grants and Financial Resources
• Managing Finances

Coalition functions

• Orienting Ideas in Leadership
• Core Functions in Leadership
• Becoming an Effective Manager
• Group Facilitation and Problem-Solving

Coalition capacity

The ability of a coalition to effectively and efficiently develop, implement, and evaluate interventions. These plans address key health issues within a community. Capacity involves strategic planning and identifying and using evidence-based practices. It requires seeking input from community stakeholders. Coalition capacity describes both structural and functional aspects of a coalition. It also involves the ability to evaluate these aspects.

Coalition structure

The objective aspects of a coalition. An example is the number of members and their affiliations and qualifications. The structure includes positions and committees. It also includes rules and procedures, meeting schedules and format, attendance, available funding, and more.

Coalition function

Represents more subjective aspects, such as leadership quality, member involvement and satisfaction, collaboration literacy, and performance levels. It involves clarity of roles and expectations, effectiveness of decision-making and conflict resolution, meeting quality, and other processes.

Capacity evaluation

An assessment of the structure and function of the coalition in relation to its short- and long-terms goals and objectives. For new coalitions, this could represent tentative plans. Evidence is gathered to answer specific questions. It can include quantitative assessments, such as member surveys. And it could be qualitative assessments, including member or leader interviews. Structural documents, such as rosters, attendance records, and meeting minutes, may help with evaluation.