Building a Partnership

The following is a roadmap you can use to identify potential partners, and to create an action plan for achieving them.

You may also want to review a list of key elements of successful collaborations.

The list below was adapted from a seminar on improving program outcomes through collaboration given to the Office of Child Support Enforcement and the Office of Family Assistance, both within the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and the Employment and Training Administration within the Department of Labor.

Consider Each Organization’s Activities

Each organization should answer these questions:

1. What are your organization’s primary activities?
2. How do you measure their performance?
3. What are your major funding sources? Does performance affect your funding?

You can use the answers to these questions to determine how your organizations can best work together, and to outline your common goals.

Envision the Ideal Partnership

First, name three areas where your organizations’ efforts may intersect. For example, you may be able to refer your clients to each other. Then, for each intersection, answer three questions:

1. Ideally, what would you like the partnership or collaboration to involve? For example, each organization may wish to receive more complete information on potential clients from the other organization, or more referrals.
2. What would be the result of the collaboration?
3. How would you know that the collaboration or partnership is taking place?

Make Plans

Next, decide how you will carry out your collaboration.

1. What specific issues can each organization take on as part of this collaboration?
2. What does each organization need from the others to address these issues?
3. What does each organization need from its parent organization, if applicable, to address these issues?

Then rank your issues according to importance.

1. Of all the issues you identified, which one should be addressed first?
2. What steps should you take?
3. For each step, who is responsible for taking action?
4. What is the timeline for completion?

Repeat this process for the other issues until you have a complete, prioritized action plan.

Before forming a strategy for each action, assess your community. Explore the community’s needs, resources, and characteristics. Whom are you trying to serve? What are their demographics—and how can you best reach them? What national or local trends affect them?

Assess the organizations’ capacity as well. Who will lead the project? Is the leadership diverse? Which organizations will be involved? Is training needed? How many staff hours are available? What are the organizational barriers?

Remember to also form a plan for evaluating and sustaining your collaboration.