Kristi Scoville spent about a year trying to get a meeting with the St. Louis County Health Department. She wrote. She emailed. Nothing. Then she asked her board a simple question: does anyone know someone who works there?  

One board member knew two people. From there, a single introduction email led to a meeting, and Scoville showed up with a plan. Soon, the health department had opioid dollars to spend quickly, and the two organizations were working together on safe storage kits for medications, vapes, and cannabis. Today, those kits are available at all 20 St. Louis County libraries.  

Scoville shared that story at the end of September during the 15e webinar in an 18-part series on CADCA’s Coalition Competencies, a research-backed framework designed to strengthen coalition work. The focus of this webinar was the Resource Management competency, which is defined as identifying resource requirements, selecting funding strategies, accessing non-monetary resources, and ensuring funding sustainability.  

In a perfect world, coalitions would have multiple funding streams, a dedicated development staff member, and a grant writer, but most coalitions are still on the journey there. Scoville’s recommendations for coalitions are:  

• Pick a strong fiscal agent early on. Funders want to know you can manage a significant award, not just win one.  

• Build your sustainability plan with your board. Her coalition had to start over once when the first plan turned out not to be sustainable. They sat down with the board over dinner, looked at their capacity, and built a spreadsheet of funders to research.  

• Look for a fit both ways. Don’t chase every dollar that’s available. Find funders whose priorities match your work.  

• Go deep if you can’t go wide. With limited staff, it’s better to become excellent at a few things.  
• Put sustainability on the calendar. It’s easy to let it slide when funding isn’t about to end. Review it at board meetings and keep a timeline of funders’ seasons, so you don’t miss a deadline.  

She also made the case for warm markets. A contact who already knows your work will always open more doors than a cold email. Ask your board and coalition members who they know. Walk the tables at community events and introduce yourself and your coalition. Scoville joined her local chamber of commerce, partly for an annual government meeting where fire chiefs, police chiefs, mayors, and county council representatives all sit in one room.  

Most importantly, tell your story well. Scoville recommends clear branding, a rack card, and a folder of materials that is easy to hand out and customize for each funder. Make your materials easy for funders to share too, since everyone answers to someone.  

For more insights, including how one coalition grew a $75,000 budget into more than $1 million in grants, watch the full recording. The final Competencies in Focus webinar will take place in December.