The Agreement Once a partnership approach has been chosen, it is then necessary to start formalising an agreement. You may consider making this as formal as a legal agreement. This may take time as partners need to be in complete agreement with each other before an amicable and sustainable relationship can progress.
Be sure that an agreement includes:
- What resources will be given by each partner
- The time period of the commitment
- Intended outcomes
- What evaluation tools will be used during the relationship
- What activities would result in the partnership being dissolved
- How each partner’s name and logo may be used
- Procedures for amending the agreement
An agreement should also allow for change as partnerships will often lead to opportunities neither party may have considered previously. A partnership is a relationship and as has the capacity to grow organically so it is important that a written agreement can accommodate this growth.
At this early stage it is also useful to build in communication tools giving partners access to regular and open lines of communication. By agreeing to meet regularly, for instance, organisations have the opportunity to voice concerns or contentment about the partnership’s development. This communication should be between at least two nominated representatives of each organisation, to allow for continuity and understanding.
Negotiate with your community partner to ensure that they regularly update the business on how the business assistance is being used. This open line of communication can often lead to further collaboration.
Plan your Exit
Similarly to business partnerships, a planned exit strategy ensures a smooth transition between corporate and community partners.
Clear time expectations in the agreement are necessary. Long-term partnerships obviously work best as they give time for the arrangements to meet their full potential. If your organisation decides towards the end of the contract that it does not want to continue the relationship then it is essential the exit is openly planned between partners. This will entail partners discussing how they will manage without the other and offering solutions to ensure a smooth transition. This will help to ensure that there will be no bad feelings between organisations and the positive impacts of both organisations will be maintained more easily.
Different Cultures
Businesses entering into arrangements with a community group should be aware of differences between the sectors which may arise.
Generally, community groups will have a culture of shared participation and a more informal approach, stemming from a necessary juggling of roles and responsibilities due to budgetary constraints. In addition, businesses should be sensitive to the different values of their organisation and their community partner, reflected in a different emphasis bottom line (financial for the business and client service for the community groups).
To ensure that your business is supportive of the partnership, it is important that the reasoning behind the partnership is clear to all levels of staff. A comprehensive training program outlining the purposes of the partnership and the expected outcomes can greatly assist in the concept being embraced at all levels.
Measuring and Evaluation
It is important to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the partnership and for this reason, clearly defined performance indicators and bench-marks need to be established and agreed upon from the outset. Ensure that performance indicators are both long-term and short-term in focus. Long-term is important so that the partnership can grow within a realistic time frame. Short-term indicators are important checkpoints for ensuring that the partnership is on track to achieve long-term goals. As in any business relationship, both parties should be sensitive to teething problems and be flexible in their approach to them.
Triple bottom line reporting (measuring a company’s social, environmental and economic bottom line) offers some insight into what performance indicators may be useful. A proliferation of triple bottom line standards are currently emerging and these fall into two brackets: performance standards and reporting standards. Both offer assistance to businesses trying to resolve their community involvement with their internal responsibilities. Two types of reporting standards and one set of reporting indicators are included in Box 9. The listing of performance standards is extensive and rapidly changing. More information on these standards can be obtained from the Prime Minister's Community Business Partnership’s secretariat.
Box 9 AccountAbility 1000
www.accountability.org.uk
Global Reporting Initiative
www.globalreporting.org
Ethos Indicators (english Version)
www.undp.org/hdro/rioforum/grajew.pdf
Key Factors for a Successful Partnership
- Transparency of agendas and expectations to ensure
- Agreement on the scale of partnership activities evaluation tools
- Appreciation of each partner’s role and contributions
- Understanding and appreciation of the partnership and its purpose throughout all levels of both organisations
- Free-flowing communication between organisations a common goal
- Regular and agreed upon measurement and
- Flexibility in response to allow the partnership to reach its full potential
- A well-planned exit strategy