Public health coalitions are essential for community-level prevention, yet evaluation methods on effective coalition functioning remain unsystematic. This study investigated which coalition characteristics most effectively drive motivation to ensure the success of the Community Organizing for Prevention (COFP) program within their community, measured by the COFP coalition survey.
Methods
Data were collected from 380 coalition members across 26 community coalitions within the COFP program. Using site-level aggregation, we analyzed 14 independent variables (IVs) across three components: Broadening the Power Base, Organized Community, and Collective Impact. To identify the organizational drivers of coalitions’ motivation to ensure the success of COFP, a variable-specific median split strategy was used. For each IV, sites were ranked in descending order of mean scores to create high and low performing groups. Welch’s Independent Samples T-tests were then used to identify statistically significant mean differences and standard deviations in motivation scores.
Results
Ten of 14 variables showed statistically significant associations with increased motivation (p < 0.05). The largest motivation differences were found in Goal Directedness (0.35) and Coalition Decision Making (0.31). Across variables, high-scoring sites exhibited a narrower standard deviation range (0.11–0.22) compared to low-scoring sites (0.26–0.33), suggesting that better-functioning coalitions are more motivated to ensure success of the COFP program.
Implication
A relationship exists between coalitions’ motivation for successful implementation of the COFP program and effective coalition functioning. By prioritizing coalition functioning, broadening the power base, and collective impact, coalitions may strengthen motivation for success and increase the probability of achieving long-term community impact. These findings may help establish a strategic example set of significant functional drivers for coalitions to focus on. This work aligns with the Stronger Together theme by providing a data-driven list of functional drivers of coalition motivation for building resilient and aligned public health coalitions.
