Coalitions from across the country participate in CADCA’s National Coalition Academy™ (NCA) to build upon their prevention efforts and bring more clarity to the complex work they face every day. The experience leaves participants feeling more prepared and supported in the work they do. We spoke with two coalitions who recently completed the NCA™ to learn what stood out and how the Academy is shaping their work moving forward.

Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley (Santa Maria, CA)

For Gabi Delgado, Coalition Coordinator with Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley (FBSMV), the decision to enroll in the NCA was driven by a need to tackle a full slate of challenges back home, including underage drinking and marijuana use, opioid misuse, and excessive drinking. She attended the program with her colleague Yuliana Vega, which helped them process the content and translate it into practical next steps.

At first, Delgado was skeptical because it’s easy to become distracted during online trainings. However, the NCA was different.

“Starting from day one of NCA, up until the final session, I was fully engaged. The instructors created a learning environment that was interactive, fun, and extremely informative,” said Delgado. “They kept us focused and energized while teaching us how to build and sustain an effective coalition.”

Delgado mentioned that many of the tools and strategies learned in the Academy have been useful to their coalition, but one of the most helpful takeaways was the logic model. By the end of the training program, she felt confident enough to teach the model to other coalition members. The team has already completed logic models for all four substances they focus on, giving them a clearer sense of direction for early 2026.

“We feel better equipped to support our coalition’s growth and success. I know NCA’s teachings will continue guiding our work for years to come.”

Marathon County AOD Partnership (Wausau, WI)

The Marathon County AOD Partnership came to the NCA with a different challenge. They had strong harm reduction work in place but wanted to rebuild their foundation in primary prevention as they prepare for their 2026-2030 strategic plan. Although their coalition has long benefited from robust quantitative data from the Marathon County Risk Behavior Survey and other locally collected data, the NCA helped them realize that there was room to expand their qualitative data collection efforts (e.g., focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and community perspectives) to better understand local conditions.

“Our experience in the NCA was eye-opening… Conducting surveys or focus groups focused on root causes and local conditions is something the AOD Partnership has not previously done, and we are now eager to explore these opportunities to guide future decisions and strategic planning.”

Similar to FBSMV, the logic model became one of their most useful tools, especially for members newer to prevention or those coming from treatment and recovery roles. It helped the coalition explain complex strategies in simple, visual terms and gave them a framework they could apply immediately.

One of their early wins came from rethinking a practice they had already been doing for years: alcohol compliance checks. Through the NCA, they realized that formalizing agreements through written contracts, not just verbal coordination, aligns with the policy component of the Seven Strategies for Community Change. They are now establishing Memorandums of Understanding with law enforcement and securing funding to sustain the alcohol compliance checks well into the future.

Looking ahead, they’re planning to expand community engagement and broaden the way they collect and use data.

Both coalitions described the NCA as a training that not only builds their skills but reshapes how coalitions think. From forming a logic model for the first time to reframing how data is collected to learning how to formalize long-standing partnerships, participants walk away feeling more prepared to support prevention efforts in their communities.

These stories are exactly why the Academy exists: to give coalitions the structure, tools, and support needed to do this work effectively. If you’re interested in experiencing this training program first-hand, a new cohort kicks off in January 2026.