Convene Action Step 1: Create a broad coalition

For your kick-off meeting, invite people across sectors including senior care, healthcare, community education, city & county departments, faith communities, media, and senior groups.

Tools:

Example of a Coalition Member List (click to download)

Community Toolbox

Use Case Exercise

What We’ve Learned:

• Once you’ve identified a potential list, make personal connections for buy-in and to explain the benefits to collaborating.
• Ask each potential partner to identify another person to invite or to bring with them to your first meeting.
• Find a high profile, local champion, e.g., a mayor, prominent business person, senior care leader, well-known senior community member.
• Consider placing an open invitation in local media to attract attention and start to raise community awareness about your initiative.
• Identify a strong “backbone” organization. This is critical to the success of this type of effort. The lead organization should have convening ability, excellent connections to other community organizations, and a commitment to work through start-up barriers with creativity and persistence.
• The initial invite should be to a broad-based aging network, including the faith community, businesses, medical providers, local government, community ed, etc.

Convene Action Step 2: Identify a Local Collaborative Strategy

As a group, work together to assess your community’s landscape. With a view of local assets and gaps, design a local solution that connects, builds on, and strengthens what you have in place.

Tools:

• Assessing Community Needs and Resources from the Community Toolbox
• Coalition Kickoff Agenda/ Output
• Example project initiative work plan

What We’ve Learned:

• Know the “why” this work needs to be done and continually articulate this with your group.
• Provide meaningful connectivity among local formal and informal service providers
• Make it easier for older adults and their families to connect with services, resources, and events that exist in their community to support them.
• Identify local assets and gaps. As a group, plot these visually on the wall. This allows you to truly see the local landscape.
• Recognize what is already working in your community. Don’t reinvent the wheel!
• Have a neutral facilitator – it signals that the project is truly owned by the community and not by any one organization.
• Seek a host organization with a history of deep collaboration, trust, and close partnerships in the community.

Convene Action Step 3: Get Community Feedback

Test your ideas with community surveys, interviews, and/or conversations that include older adults and their families.

Tools:

Example Survey, Older Adult

Example Survey, Caregiver/Supporter

What We’ve Learned:

• Use the surveys above to talk to both older adults and those who surround and support them (partners, adult children, faith communities, and more!)
• Input does not need to be a formal research process. Whatever you do, find a way to get out in your community to hear broad perspectives on what people need and what they care most about.
• Look for other sources of information about gaps in seniors services in your area.
• Focus groups with existing seniors groups in your area can be a great way to get exposure for your initiative and get feedback.

Convene Action Step 4: Build a Shared Leadership Structure

Create a steering committee to lead the larger coalition and to build in sustainability from the start.

Tools:

Project Coordinator Job Description

Example Initiative Workplan

Grant template

Grant and Financial Guidance from the Community Toolbox

Example Annual Project Budget

What We’ve Learned:

• Your lead organization should be:
  • a trusted leader in your local aging services community
  • known for community collaboration and partnership
  • willing to commit some staff resources to project management, convening, and possibly facilitation

• Maintain a committed group of shared leaders. This is a steering committee for decision making, creating initiative work plans, and overseeing project elements. Steering Committees often include 3-5 leading partners across your local agencies. Likely examples might include older adult housing providers, aging services providers, and Area Agencies on Aging.
• Dedicate a strong project manager. Expect a commitment a minimum of 10 hours per week and up to 0.25 FTE.
• Convene an ongoing provider coalition. Assign work groups to focus on specific issues, e.g. community education, community partnerships, sustainability, marketing and communications
• Create a work plan based and assign tasks to work groups or committees.
• Prepare a budget with expenses necessary to complete work.
• Consider funding options including donations from local organizations and grants from government programs or private foundations.