So you are planning to work with others for a community joint venture/partnership. Or you maybe considering working more closely with other groups to share resources and services. Everything seems fine at the start. However, things can get complicated very quickly. You may end up disappointed or worse still, left holding the proverbial baby.
Here are nine steps that you should follow to reduce the risk of your community partnership falling over.
1. Be Clear on the Need
Never enter a partnership arrangement without being clear as to the need:
a. For the project
b. For a partnership
If there is not a strong need, it will be difficult to get buy-in from the community or the partners.
Each partner must be able to see the benefit for their own organisation. They must be clear on their roles and responsibilities as well as investment in time, finances, and resources. Overall, the project must be of mutual benefit to all partners.
2. Partner with the Right People
Engage with partners who are committed to the partnership. Make sure you can trust them. There are different levels of trust required for diverse levels of partnerships. They should relate to your organisation’s values and philosophy and understand your culture.
An absence of any one of these could adversely impact on the foundations of your partnership.
3. Share a Common Vision
Be mindful of agendas and ensure that the partnership project has a common vision and clear objectives. This reduces the risk of the project being deviated to meet the needs of one partner. The vision and objectives should be supported by strategic directions and priorities. They should be visited on a regular basis to ensure that the project stays on track.
4. Secure Leadership Support
Ensure that the committees or boards of the partners are fully supportive of the partnership venture. This will involve submitting a business case and business plan. It should be monitored at the organisational level. In some projects, committee members may be involved in a governance group for the project. Keeping the committee fully informed will ensure that the project remains supported. This is crucial when the partnership is endorsed by an Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding signed by all partners at the start of the project or collaboration.
5. Define the Level of Partnership
Be clear as to the level of partnership you are engaged in. This could be networking, cooperating, coordinating, collaboration, or integration. Each level requires different levels of engagement and trust. It also impacts the operations and governance of each organisation.
6. Plan for Integration
If your joint venture leads to a sharing services arrangement, create a longer term timeline that allows you to integrate over time. Start with templates and resources. Then move to policies, procedures, and processes. Introduce organisation systems across all partners once a sustainable high level of trust has been established. This should be done alongside a plan for continuity.
7. Manage Change Proactively
If your partnership involves change, make sure you have a change management plan. This plan should be supported at the committee level. It should have a clear communication structure and encourage people to get involved. Ensure it can be evaluated, recognizes successes, keeps things flowing and builds in the celebration of achievements. Engage change enablers such as access to expertise, time, funds, IT/communication platforms, systems, and organisational policies and procedures. Short term performance management plans encourage employees and volunteers to carry out small, manageable projects to assist with the change project.
8. Get Ahead of Risks
Manage risks before they manage you. Prepare, implement, and monitor a risk management plan to reduce the impacts of changes to partners, commitment, and activities, as well as to address potential conflict.
9. Benchmark and Improve
Benchmark the need for the partnership and evaluate it. Doing so will give you the skills to improve next time.
✨ Final Thoughts
And finally… Never, never lose sight of the need. Don’t lose sight of the vision and objectives. Never forget that you are not the only person or organisation involved in the partnership. Be flexible, play your part, consider others, and plan the partnership to be inclusive and to succeed.
There are also a number of partnership resource kits on the internet that you can use and apply accordingly. These include advice from government departments who commission guides to support community organisations and groups.
The Community Entrepreneur has developed a 60 minute audio and video presentation that support this guide which can be found on www.thecommunityentrepreneur.com.au
We also offer one-day face-to-face workshops and a mentoring program to guide partnerships.
Contact us at support@thecommunityentrepreneur.com.au or through our form discuss your needs.
