The Coalition Catalyst™
Online Course
A coalition leader’s step-by-step guide to
successfully engaging an existing coalition to
achieve more together than you could on your own.
The Coalition Catalyst
A practical framework to engage your busy coalition members to work better together.
Applying the Coalition Catalyst™ framework will give the tools and strategies you need to move from feeling like you are the only one doing all the work to confidently engaging your busy volunteers toward a common goal.
In this online course + 10 week group video chat, you will receive step-by-step guidance, support, and resources to successfully lead your coalition. Rather than being overwhelmed by all the competing priorities, lack of engagement and imposter syndrome, you will have what you need to focus on what is most important, motivate coalition members to actively participate, and confidently lead your coalition to work better together to impact health and society.
Our next cohort begins September 8, 2025
Applying the Coalition Catalyst™ framework will transform you from a volunteer wrangler/cat herder/glorified secretary into an energized and confident coalition leader who actively engages busy volunteers to do more together than you could ever do on your own.
You will uncover practical strategies to motivate coalition members to actively participate, respond to your requests, follow through with action items and build support for your collective mission.
"Jennifer is truly a leader in the field of collaborative coalition work. When working together in Kentucky, under Jennifer’s leadership, our cancer coalition grew from 20 partners to over 50 organizations. Jennifer was able to identify and draw out the strengths of each partner at the table, which changed the tone of the entire coalition. Instead of getting ‘stuck’ on barriers or gaps, each partner could see their defined role and how their efforts were necessary to move the coalition forward."
- Katie Bathje, Strategic Director, Comprehensive Cancer Control Initiatives, American Cancer Society
"Jennifer is truly a leader in the field of collaborative coalition work. When working together in Kentucky, under Jennifer’s leadership, our cancer coalition grew from 20 partners to over 50 organizations. Jennifer was able to identify and draw out the strengths of each partner at the table, which changed the tone of the entire coalition. Instead of getting ‘stuck’ on barriers or gaps, each partner could see their defined role and how their efforts were necessary to move the coalition forward."
- Katie Bathje, Former Strategic Director, Comprehensive Cancer Control Initiatives, American Cancer Society
Applying the Coalition Catalyst™ framework will transform you from a volunteer wrangler/cat herder/glorified secretary into an energized and confident coalition leader who actively engages busy volunteers to do more together than you could ever do on your own.
You will uncover practical strategies to motivate coalition members to actively participate, respond to your requests, follow through with action items and build support for your collective mission.
If you are...
Part of a team trying to start a coalition
A program director in a public health organization
An executive director of a growing non-profit
A leader in a community-based organization
A coalition, board member, or work group leader
trying to...
Stand up a brand new coalition
Lead and convene a coalition with limited time and resources
Keep your board, coalition, or workgroup involved — even with competing priorities
Engage and support busy volunteers in meaningful ways
Engage your colleagues and delegate work but you're feeling overwhelmed and you aren't seeing the results you want...
Lead and convene a coalition with limited time and resources
Engage a board, coalition or partnership while balancing competing priorities
Nurture busy volunteers in a meaningful way
Motivate your colleagues and delegate work
Wrap your arms around your role in a coalition
but you're feeling overwhelmed and you aren't seeing the results you want
By the end of this program, you will have…
Clarified your coalition members' interests and capacity in order to identify "win-win" opportunities.
Developed a purpose statement for your coalition that helps you clearly and succinctly communicate who you are and what you do well.
Implemented practical tools that you can use over and over again to engage your coalition members.
Confidently led more effective meetings.
Successfully navigated your most challenging coalition relationships.
Created momentum and accountability within your coalition to help your members stay engaged.
"Mountains of Hope has been thrilled to add the skills learned through Jennifer Redmond Knight’s Coalition Catalyst™ program to our toolbox. Each of the four modules is geared towards a specific aspect of coalition building, which has allowed us to target specific areas of growth quickly and efficiently. On a personal note, I started this course on my first day as program manager for Mountains of Hope and I can’t imagine a better professional development opportunity for this new career path. Thanks to Coalition Catalyst for developing a comprehensive program for coalition development."
- Andi Hasley, Former Program Manager, Mountains of Hope Cancer Coalition
Get access to Coalition Catalyst™ Today
We know your plate is full—that’s why this course is built to support you, not overwhelm you.
As a coalition leader, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything you’re already managing. The idea of adding something new might feel impossible. But this course is designed to help lighten your load—not add to it. You'll get practical tools, templates, and resources you can tailor to your coalition’s needs, saving you time and energy in the long run.
You’ll also have lifetime access to the course, so you can move through it at your own pace—or jump ahead to find answers to your most urgent challenges. And it doesn’t have to fall only on your shoulders. Consider enrolling other staff or volunteer leaders so you can work through the material together. One of our Coalition Catalyst alumni did just that—see below!
"The Coalition Catalyst Course was exactly what our coalition workgroup leaders needed to re-energize and focus our efforts. The modules provide a great framework to break up the work into bite size chunks that makes it easy to explore and implement changes in a way that is not overwhelming. Our team scheduled short debrief sessions after each catalyst meeting so that we could digest what we learned that week and create a plan for how we could put it into practice. I can't wait to see our coalition flourish now that we've strengthened our foundation.“
-Star Jones, Cancer and Chronic Disease Prevention Unit Manager,
Wyoming Department of Health
What’s Inside Coalition Catalyst™
Getting Started: Foundations of an Effective Coalition
In this introduction, we cover the basics of coalitions—what they are, why they exist, and how they operate. If you are new to coalition building, this will give you clarity on what a coalition is, who is involved, and how it works. If you have been leading coalitions for a while, this serves as a helpful “back to the basics” resource you can use when explaining your coalition work to others.
Module 1: Membership Assessment
When was the last time you really checked in on your coalition membership list? To run a successful coalition, you need to know who’s ready to lean in—and who might be losing interest. In this Module, you will gain a clearer picture of your coalition members, which is the first step toward working better together.
Module Highlights:
- Assess your members’ level of engagement so you can focus your time and energy on those ready to go deeper.
- Whether you're a coalition newbie or a veteran, you'll get step-by-step strategies and tools to quickly and confidently assess your coalition.
- Utilize simple, practical, and actionable tools to help you assess the strengths and gaps in your membership.
Module 2: Membership Expectations
Do your members clearly understand—and articulate—your coalition’s purpose? If your coalition isn’t crystal clear on its purpose (and let’s be honest, most aren’t), this module will help you define and communicate your purpose, roles, and responsibilities with confidence. When expectations are clear, current members stay engaged, and new members are more likely to join and contribute meaningfully.
Module Highlights:
- Craft a clear and compelling “purpose statement” that outlines what your coalition does, who it serves, and how members work together. Build on your existing mission, vision, or values to sharpen your focus.
- Identify the roles and responsibilities that are most critical for your coalition to successfully work better together. Utilize the examples provided in the module to create your own meaningful roles and responsibilities in order to maximize engagement.
- Create simple, clear and succinct coalition materials. No matter your level of experience, these tools, templates and resources will help you clearly communicate your purpose, roles and responsibilities.
Module 3: Membership Engagement
This module is all about application. Using what we've learned in Modules 1 and 2 as a foundation, you'll be ready to apply practical strategies to engage (or re-engage) your coalition. As a coalition leader, you know this is no easy task. This Module shows you how to keep volunteers committed and energized, even without paying them.
Module Highlights:
- Learn how to confidently engage your coalition members in a meaningful way. Together, we'll apply what we've learned so far to help you better engage (or re-engage) your members.
- Lead more effective and engaging meetings resulting in more productive collaboration on your coalition’s priority areas.
- Implement 10 practical strategies that will help your coalition members (aka volunteers) follow through on their “yes”
Module 4: Membership Sustainability
In this Module, we shift gears to talk about sustainability - how to keep your coalition strong and navigate disengagement. Coalition work isn't easy, and at its core, it’s all about relationships! We'll walk you through three of the most common challenges in coalition engagements—difficult relationships, burnout, and change—and equip you with practical skills to navigate these obstacles with clarity and confidence.
Module Highlights:
- Build confidence in addressing common challenges like conflict, burnout, and change. You’ll gain practical strategies to handle tough relationships, re-energize yourself and your team, and adapt to shifting circumstances with strength and support.
- Use worksheets, tools, and resources you can tailor to your coalition’s unique situation—turning engagement challenges into opportunities for long-term sustainability.
- Enhance your ability to build and maintain coalition relationships so that you can sustain your coalition and do more together than you could ever do on your own!
The Purpose Statement Formula
Develop a clear purpose statement to guide your coalition's efforts, uncover what makes your coalition unique, and identify the opportunities that best align with your mission. This clarity will help you prioritize, focus, and catalyze your coalition.
Must-Do's for Hosting Effective Meetings
Get our step-by-step guide for conducting effective meetings. Know what you need to do before, during and after a successful meeting.
10 Strategies to Engage Your Members
The strategies in this course will help you motivate your coalition members to follow through with their “yes” (even without paying them!) so that you can rally people to REALLY work together and successfully engage your members.
8 Practices For Navigating Difficult Relationships
Address your most difficult relationships in a positive way, using these eight practices we developed through our own collation work. These practices will give you confidence and provide practical scripts and skills that address those power dynamics, loudest voices, and “logo wars.”
plus value-added support to apply to your coalition right away
10-WEEKS OF WEEKLY VIDEO CHATS
Connect with others taking the course, discuss your most challenging coalition questions and go deeper with the course material.
What you can expect:
- A place to be re-energized and supported by others who are also struggling to engage coalitions, partnerships and teams.
- Support in applying the lesson material to the context of your coalition.
Direct access to your instructors (The Coalition Coaches who have 50+ years of combined coalition building experience) as well as other coalition leaders who are also taking this course.
COALITION RESOURCE LIST
Get access to the resources discussed during the weekly video chats, all in one place.
What You'll Get:
- A platform to share some of your favorite tools and resources with other taking the course
Recommendations on supplemental books, tools, software, websites and other resources frequently used by your instructors (The Coalition Coaches) and your Coalition Catalyst community in coalition-building and maintenance efforts.
- A comprehensive list of resources discussed during the weekly group video chats.
Get access to Coalition Catalyst™ Today
"The Coalition Catalyst training is top notch. Jennifer Redmond Knight provides a clear overview of challenges that coalitions face along with solid strategies for overcoming these challenges. These strategies will be helpful not only in my role as a volunteer coalition leader but also in my role as a nonprofit executive. Jennifer is a skilled facilitator who was able to keep us engaged and energized."
-Beth Hamil, Executive Director, Cancer Support Community East Tennessee
"Jennifer is truly a leader in the field of collaborative coalition work. When working together in Kentucky, under Jennifer’s leadership, our cancer coalition grew from 20 partners to over 50 organizations. Jennifer was able to identify and draw out the strengths of each partner at the table, which changed the tone of the entire coalition. Instead of getting ‘stuck’ on barriers or gaps, each partner could see their defined role and how their efforts were necessary to move the coalition forward."
- Katie Bathje, Strategic Director, Comprehensive Cancer Control Initiatives, American Cancer Society
Here’s what you’re getting when you enroll today:
Coalition Catalyst™ Online Course
10 Weeks of Video Chats and peer learning
Coalition Resource List
Next cohort starts September 8, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
With all the challenges facing coalitions right now, is this a good use of my time and energy?
Yes; we are in an unprecedented time of change and challenge in coalitions that impact health and society. While we do not know what tomorrow may bring, we know we can control our actions or reactions today. Our goal is to help you build a stronger foundation to weather changes that may come. We also need to know we are not alone and can support one another during these challenging coalition times. Participating in this course provides you with tools, resources, and the ability to connect weekly with other coalition leaders and encouragement to lead your coalition well right now.
I've tried everything to engage my coalition members. Can this course really help?
You’re not alone if you’ve spent hours on your coalition, only to wonder: where are the volunteers? One of the reasons Coalition Catalyst exists is because there is so much “talk” about the importance of coalitions and partnerships and few practical resources and actions to successfully engage your coalition members. We have taken our 50+ combined years of coalition building experience and created email scripts, templates, tools and ideas that you can use with your coalition. You will also have access to 10 weekly group video chats with a community who can provide support, encouragement and additional ideas you can use to engage your coalition in a new way.
I have a small coalition staff and there is a lot of material in this course. Is it realistic to think I can implement all of the strategies in this course?
Yes! You can implement the course materials and ideas no matter what size coalition staff you have. When you have the right tools, even a small coalition team can operate like a large coalition team.
Throughout the course, we include tools, email templates and other resources that can be tailored to fit your situation. Of course, if you don't have much capacity, it may take a while for you to implement these resources. BUT if you do, they will save you time in the long run. You have lifetime access; so don’t worry about finishing everything in 10 weeks!
I'm new to coalition building. Is this course too advanced for me?
This course is designed to support you wherever you are in your coalition building journey. Course participants have varying levels of coalition experience and benefit from learning from one another.
If you are just beginning, this course will help you get up to speed and start engaging your coalition sooner. You will also benefit from the experience and insights from the weekly video chats and coalition resource list.
I've been involved in coalitions for many years. Will this course be too basic for me?
This course is designed to support you wherever you are in your coalition building journey. Course participants have varying levels of coalition experience and benefit from learning from one another.
If you are finding yourself a bit weary, burned out or needing some fresh ideas, this course - and particularly the community connection in this course - will energize and refresh you to continue your important work.
I'm interested in offering this course to the other leaders in my coalition. Is there a group discount?
This course is helpful to both paid staff and coalition leaders. And while it's great to take this course alone, it's even better when you and your key leaders get on the same page.
In all cohorts who have completed this course, we have had a mix of individuals and teams with 2-10 people. If you have 10 or more staff or leaders participating, there is a group discount. Contact me at jennifer@jredmondknight.com for more information!
Will there be an instructor available when I have questions?
Of course! We’ll be leading the weekly video chats and sharing additional ideas and resources that will be included in the Coalition Shared Resource List. We’ll be there to provide ideas, make connections and help you get “unstuck.”
Will this course only be offered every Spring and Fall?
You can now enroll anytime in Coalition Catalyst. Once you enroll, you will immediately have access to the online course materials, and will be invited to join the next 10 week session of video chats. For instance, if you enroll by September 3, 2025, you will be invited to join the 10 week sessions that begin on September 8, 2025. These 10 week video chat sessions occur every Spring and Fall.
What if I have already enrolled in the Perfecting Your Purpose and/or the Coalition Roles and Responsibilities opportunities?
You will be ahead of the group! These two lessons are also found inside Coalition Catalyst. As a thank you, email us at jennifer@jredmondknight.com for a special code that will give you a discount on Coalition Catalyst.
I want to purchase, but I'm not able to use my organization's credit card. Is there another way?
We realize that different organizations have different fiscal rules and guidelines that can make it difficult to purchase a course directly using a credit card. If you are interested in this course and need to purchase the course using a different method, contact us directly at jennifer@jredmondknight.com.
Please provide specific details about the number of people you would like to purchase the course for in your coalition, and we can provide you the information you need for a budget justification, invoice or other business office requirements. Then we can connect the participants to the enrollment page and they can select the option that best applies to your payment situation to get them access to the course.
Enroll in Coalition Catalyst™ Today
"Jennifer is truly a leader in the field of collaborative coalition work. When working together in Kentucky, under Jennifer’s leadership, our cancer coalition grew from 20 partners to over 50 organizations. Jennifer was able to identify and draw out the strengths of each partner at the table, which changed the tone of the entire coalition. Instead of getting ‘stuck’ on barriers or gaps, each partner could see their defined role and how their efforts were necessary to move the coalition forward."
- Katie Bathje, Strategic Director, Comprehensive Cancer Control Initiatives, American Cancer Society
"The Coalition Catalyst training was a great refresher for me. Early in my career, I worked at the grassroots level and built and maintained coalitions. Now, I am in an administrative role and the training helped to reiterate what a lot of our local and regional staff are going through, and it also helped me to think about applying the skills being learned internally between offices and divisions."
- Matthew T. Coleman, MPH, CHES
Tennessee Department of Health
Office of Primary Prevention Coordinator
Still thinking about it?
We encourage you to enroll in Coalition Catalyst if you're motivated by any of the following...
You want to create coalition momentum.
Your coalition members get excited about a project or a team and show tremendous enthusiasm for a time, but then momentum slows down. Sometimes you have people volunteer to do some of the work, but it is difficult to get them to follow-through. Other times, you may have lots of ideas on what you can do together, but very few people actually volunteer to do it. You are ready for your coalition members to both say “yes” and follow-through with “yes” so you can really make a difference together.
- You are ready to be confident in your role as a coalition leader.
You may be new to the role of a coalition staff member or volunteer leader or you have been doing this work for a while and asking yourself “Is there an easier way to do this?” While there is no “easy” button, this course provides you step-by-step guidance from membership assessment to sustainability and gives you practical resources you can tailor to your coalition context. One of our goals is to provide the support you need to feel confident in your role as a coalition leader.
- You are ready to stop feeling completely overwhelmed by all there is to do with leading a coalition and engaging volunteers.
You are balancing different perspectives, attempting to maintain (or increase) funding, navigating competition, setting priorities and figuring out how to show empathy to your coalition members and yourself as you navigate continuous changes. You are just as passionate about your coalition’s mission as any of your other leaders or members, but don't have the time or bandwidth to reinvent the wheel. You love the work and the ability to connect people to one another; however, you are ready for this work to no longer consume you and keep you up at night.
You are eager to learn and apply what you are learning to your coalition context
You are ready to learn new skills, make new connections and figure out how to find rhythm in your work and your life again. You want to make a big impact without having to be the only one doing all the work. You are looking for practical strategies and support that will help you engage your coalition members in meaningful ways. You are willing to invest time and energy in figuring out what can work for you and your coalition so that you can find rhythm and make an impact.
You are excited by the chance to connect with other coalition leaders and know that you are not alone!
Coalition work can be incredibly rewarding and impactful when your members are working together toward a common goal. Coalition leadership can also be a pretty lonely place. You have tons of relationships with your coalition members, but you don’t get to connect very often with those who are also leading coalitions with limited resources and unlimited ideas. Even though you are constantly working with people, you may feel like you are alone in the “cat herding” area. Coalition Catalyst gives you a chance to learn new skills AND connect with others who are experiencing similar successes and challenges in getting people to work together.
You want to be wise with your resources and don’t want to miss this opportunity!
Coalition and program budgets are tight and you want to make sure that you spend your money responsibly and effectively. You may have travel, training or professional development funds in your budget and are looking for a way to spend the money that will help to catalyze your coalition to have the kind of impact you know is possible if you can get everyone (or most everyone) to work together. You realize this course could be helpful for all your coalition leaders (paid staff, chairs, co-chairs, workgroup leaders) and are ready to invest in the future success of your coalition.
We can’t wait for you to join Coalition Catalyst...
We (Jennifer, Christi and Elizabeth) know from our 50+ years of combined coalition experience that leading coalitions can be extremely rewarding and also extremely challenging. It is really easy for someone to say “build a partnership” or “create a coalition” but very few people show you “how” to do it. This course will help you with the “how to do it.”
If you are a public health program director, coalition or program coordinator, coalition leader, non-profit executive director or are responsible for leading coalitions and partnerships, please don’t miss this opportunity to take your coalition to the next level.
We are passionate about coalitions because we have experienced what can happen when we really work together. It really IS possible to do more together than we ever could on our own. We hope that you will join us inside Coalition Catalyst. Let’s engage our coalitions even better together!
Sincerely - The Coalition Coaches
Jennifer, Christi and Elizabeth
Join Coalition Catalyst™ Today
Thank you for your interest! As an sample of the kinds of resources we share in Coalition Catalyst™, please click here to download our free guide: 10 Essential Coalition Engagement Skills
Jennifer Redmond Knight
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