Tips and suggestions for building successful partnerships

Partnerships usually have the following characteristics

All the parties involved have some sort of personal stake in the partnership
All the partners are working towards a common aim
The partners have a similar ethos or system of beliefs
The partners work together over a reasonable period of time
There is agreement amongst the partners that a partnership is necessary
There is an understanding of the value of what each partner can contribute
There is respect and trust between the different partners

Partnerships are also successful because…

They share creativity, risk, responsibility and resources
Participants are able to feed off each other’s energy and enthusiasm
They can attract more funding from a diverse range of sources
They highlight different issues, problems and solutions
There is more potential for productivity/efficiency
Service delivery is often more effective
They offer support and diversity

Other key ingredients to making a partnership work are…

Clarity of information – always tell your partners exactly what is planned
Consultation – before you start, get to the heart of the problems you’re facing and invite everyone to give feedback and ideas
Deciding together – after you’ve encouraged everyone to provide additional ideas, work through each one together and decide the best way forward
Acting together – after you have decided on the course of action, ensure that each willing member of the partnership is involved in carrying it out

Preparation

Here are some key questions you must ask when considering forming your partnership …

What are you trying to achieve, and how will you explain that to others?
Is your plan viable?
Is it a long-term or a short- term project?
Will you need just a few or many partners?
Will your partners have to contribute money?
Where will you get money?
What other organizations are involved in helping your client group?
How do those organizations operate?
How effective are other organizations at providing their service?
Which organizations could help in planning or organizing your operations?
Can you see gaps between your work and that of a potential partner, or any duplication?

Planning

After you have dealt with the initial questions you can begin to lay the groundwork for the partnership. Here are some guidelines on how to make a start …

Identify the stakeholders who can help or hinder the project
Differentiate between who you really need as partners and who would want to be a partner
Before approaching potential partners, make sure you have support and agreement within your own organization about working with others
Make informal contact with potential partners to find out about their attitudes and interests before putting out formal proposals
Communicate with your potential partners in a language they will understand and focus on what they may want to achieve
Plan the partnership process step by step, for example, a new organization may well take a year to set up and this would need to be budgeted into the project’s timescale

Establishing trust

Trust is an essential criterion for partnership. When you are seeking partners it is vital that you deal with any issues about trust and accountability first. To help establish trust, focus on the ways you can work together and actively seek out any shared values and ways working. Once you have entered into partnership you need to further develop this trust.

You can do this by…

Meeting people informally
Delivering what you promise
Being open and honest about what you are trying to achieve and about any problems or barriers that exist
Having no hidden agendas

Funding a partnership

A partnership’s success will depend heavily on the resources it has at its disposal. It is also easier for potential partners to commit to a partnership if they know that it will be properly financed or, at least, if they know that adequate funding can be sourced. One of the major benefits of establishing a partnership is that it can win grants for specific projects, so you should communicate this information to your potential partners.

Here are some tips for creating and running good partnerships …

Take time to build the partnership
Have an effective management structure
Develop a shared an aspirational vision of what might be achieved and set a ‘stretch’ mission
Develop compatible ways of working and be flexible
Appoint a leader who is respected by all the partners
Ensure that each partner shares their mandates and agendas
Have open avenues of communication and use a facilitator if necessary
Ensure that the partners never lose sight of the vision and mission
Make decisions collaboratively and always strive to reach consensus

Warning signs that signal your partnership may be in trouble

Here are some classic warning signs of partnerships in trouble …

Evidence that some partners have hidden agendas
Unrealistic goals
Lack of clear purpose
Lack of communication
One partner manipulates or dominates
A history of conflict among key interests
Key interests missing from the partnership
Differences of philosophy and ways of working
An unequal and unacceptable balance of power and control
The financial and time commitments outweigh the potential benefits

JRabah (WMF) (talk) 16:53, 20 January 2017 (UTC)JRabah[reply]