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With the congressional appropriations cycle underway, and in some areas the state appropriations cycles, it’s a good idea to keep in mind all the tools and resources that can assist you in reaching your legislative funding objectives. Say that you need federal funding for a new park along the river in your town, and you’ve decided to ask your local member of Congress for “Community Project Funding” (a modified version of congressional “earmark” funding). Your park, Silent Spring Park, is going to provide recreation and flood control. It’s also adjacent to a newly blossoming economic hub. In order to fund the park, you need to get your member of Congress to submit it as an earmark request for the fiscal year appropriations cycle. However, members of Congress have many competing priorities and a limited number of requests they are allowed to submit. How do you make sure they champion Silent Spring Park over all the other priorities in their district?

This is where coalitions come in. Loosely speaking, a coalition is a group of people who all want the same goal — sometimes, for very different reasons. Champions for inclusive communities tend to use the term “community coalition” to mean a mutually beneficial relationship between individuals, governmental agencies, private-sector organizations and/or community-based organizations that seek to achieve common goals.

In our hypothetical scenario, what community coalition can we form to support Silent Spring Park’s earmark? Start by looking at who benefits. We’ve already mentioned recreation, which could benefit kids, adults, and even the local philosophy club that likes to meet in the park. Flood control may be important to the people who live, work and own property in the floodplain. The park also may serve as an additional draw to the new economic corridor that will benefit the new local stores and restaurants. But as any park and recreation professional knows, parks have many more benefits as well: increased property values are an asset to homeowners, landlords and property developers; improvements in air quality help people with asthma; gorgeous views inspire local watercolor and photography clubs; birders will be drawn to the new habitat for wildlife; and much more.

Best Practices

Here are three guiding principles for creating such a coalition:

1. Welcome all perspectives. It doesn’t matter why someone likes Silent Spring Park; it only matters that they support it. If they dislike Silent Spring Park, think about what you can change in your plan to accommodate their concerns. 
2. Quantity is important. Talk to as many people as you can — the list can be as vast as your imagination allows. Make sure that you speak to them on their terms. Remember, the point is to hear their input, so don’t tell them why they should like the park or why you like the park. Ask them what they think about the park and then listen. 
3. Quality is important. Talk to as many different people as you can. The greater diversity in viewpoints you have, the better. Not only will it make your coalition stronger, but also it will make your project better. How many “great” ideas have been hatched that, in the end, negatively affected the people closest to the issue? Our nation’s history is littered with examples. Again, listen more than you speak.

Putting Your Work Into Practice

It is vital to ensure your member of Congress hears from numerous constituents, so, ask constituents to write, email, call, meet with, and if need be, send a carrier pigeon to your representative’s office telling them about how much they want this earmark, and why.

No one can guarantee that your earmark will prevail because of the work you did to form this community coalition, but you will be much better positioned for success. Additionally, the relationships that you make or strengthen during this exercise will serve you well in all your future endeavors.

Elvis Cordova is NRPA’s Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy.