Grassroots Coalition Building: Lessons from the Field

In an era of major health care reform, nursing professionals will best impact both the politics surrounding reform as well as related health policy through well-established and effective collaborative groups. Whether the work is taking place at the local, state, or national levels, successful and powerful coalitions are the result of skill and finesse—not luck—and therefore must be built upon connecting with the right people, communicating effectively, understanding political challenges, and navigating them skillfully. The authors offer 10 success strategies for building successful coalitions based on lessons learned over a decade of involvement in grassroots nursing workforce initiatives.