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Public granting agencies and private foundations encourage non-profit organizations to form effective community partnerships to better serve the public. Successful partnerships are cultivated over time, and the benefits are numerous for the partnering organizations and the communities they serve. Before entering into a partnership agreement, a non-profit organization should be aware of the realities of partnerships and collaborations, and understand when it is best to carry out a project on its own.

Ingredients for a Successful Partnership
When entering into a partnership, know all you can about your partner's administrative capacity and ethical standing. Ideally, you have had a working relationship with the other organization. The primary consideration is: "Will this partnership or collaboration help ensure the highest quality project or service for our community citizens?"

• From the beginning establish project leadership. An oversight committee of primary stakeholders sets policy for the project that includes administrative and financial management, ensures accountability and ethical standards, sets goals and timelines, determines allocation of resources, assigns a project manager, and develops a written partnership agreement.

• Key personnel should have a high level of expertise.

• Key personnel or managers should check in with each other at planning sessions and meetings to ensure all partners are still committed and in agreement with current procedures.

• There should be a balance in commitment and administrative capacity among the partners, and each partner should have their own set of skills to contribute to the project. A mutual and frank discussion of limited areas of capacity is necessary when tasks are being assigned.

• Staff and volunteers are assigned duties within their area of expertise and their responsibilities are clearly defined.

• Collaborating organizations share common values and similar philosophy, and have established a positive peer relationship.

• Communication among partnering organizations is open and equal. Differing vocabularies are translated into common understanding.

• Maintain realistic expectations of the partner.

• Partners are willing to discuss and overcome challenges together.

• All partners understand, accept and practice accountability procedures.

• Do not forget to celebrate the success of a positive and effective partnership.

Benefits of Effective Partnerships
It is gratifying to board members and staff of non-profit organizations to participate in cultural and social development that benefits their community.

• Effective partnerships contribute to community cohesiveness and resiliency.

• The community benefits by receiving excellent well planned services and programs administered by a strong partnership of community organizations.

• Effective partnerships attract and strengthen community support for excellent public programs.

• Organizations increase their capacity to serve a broader constituency.

• Efficiency of each organization increases when they share the work load, save time and expand limited financial resources.

• When board members and staff of non-profit organizations increase their capacity to work well within a partnership, they acquire valuable skills that are vital to professional growth.

• A spirit of cooperation and community good will is cultivated.Skills of diplomacy among partners are developed and refined.

The Downside of a Dysfunctional Partnership
A weak or failing partnership is problematic and debilitating. Non-profit organizations rely on their public image and good standing within the community. Generally, public institutions operate in a transparent environment where integrity and professionalism is valued and carefully cultivated. Poorly matched partnerships can quickly turn negative and may cause strained or damaged relationships among the partnering organizations.

• Valuable professional relationships are weakened and drained by negative experiences within a failing partnership.

• Critical time, money and energy are wasted when managers or staff shift focus away from the public project to repairing a weak partnership.

• Efficiency is compromised by backtracking to correct mistakes made through poor planning and poor communication.

• A damaged partnership may deliver a poor program and slight the citizens that the program was intended to serve.

• When discord among partners becomes public knowledge, organizations risk losing community and funding support.

Why Partnerships Fail
Avoid entering into a partnership agreement prematurely. It is not realistic to assume that a partnership is always more effective, that funding entities always favor partnerships, and everyone involved will agree and get along. Some reasons for partnership failure are quite evident, other reasons are less evident.

• Inadequate leadership is evidenced by weak planning and lack of administrative oversight. Partners fail to develop policies and procedures to ensure a successful project.

• Commitment to a partnership is made in haste before trust and shared values among the organizations are established.

• Poor communication among partners creates confusion.

• Expectations among partners are unrealistic or unfulfilled.

• Tasks are not divided equally, or there is considerable imbalance in administrative capacity.

• Conflicting or hidden agendas weaken the collaborative spirit.

• Disagreement over financial matters undermines trust.

• Missions of organizations involved are radically different or there are strong philosophical differences.

• Difficulty sharing credit may cause staff or volunteers to feel ignored and unfulfilled.

• Competition for control erodes compatibility.

Recognize and Heed Warning Signs of a Failing Partnership
Learn to recognize the warning signs of a weak or failing partnership, and avoid denial or procrastination when dealing with challenges. Act immediately to address any issues that are threatening the integrity of the community program or project.

• Major disagreements arise throughout the project or disagreements are not resolved.

• Staff and volunteers are experiencing a pervasive sense of unease and lack of enthusiasm for the project.

• The partnership and project has an overall lack of focus, no one seems to be leading, or people are competing for control.

• Meetings and deadlines are being missed or important tasks are not being accomplished in a timely manner.

• There seems to be a hidden agenda.

• There is the feeling that some of the project organizers are speaking a different language.

• Partners start to resent having to meet with each other, or overreact and blame the other partner when there are challenges.

• People feel the need to reinvent the program or project mid-way.

• People involved are concerned about finances and the outcome of the project.

• Burnout: staff may assume too many responsibilities to compensate for what others are not doing.

• Funding is being stretched to accommodate mistakes, poor planning or backtracking.

The Ineffective Partnership: Repair or Withdraw?
We are in a partnership that is becoming dysfunctional. Community expectations are high, public and private funding is at stake, and we are concerned that program delivery and quality will be weakened. What do we do now? Do we try to repair the partnership, or do we withdraw? Is it realistic to assume that a facilitator can help repair our damaged partnership? These are questions that may arise if a partnership is not functioning well. A damaged partnership may become a public relations issue. When the partnership is dissolved late in the project, organization board members or executive directors are responsible for ensuring the public and funding entities that the project will be redirected and carried out with efficiency and integrity, or explain how and why the project failed and had to be canceled.

• Take action early if administrative tasks need adjusting or minor issues are cropping up that affect the progress of the project.

• Partnerships can be repaired if the partners are highly committed, continue to share core values, and are flexible enough to make necessary changes to strengthen their capacity to carry out a successful project.

• Diplomacy is vital when partners decide to seek redirection or if they find it necessary to dissolve the partnership.

• An experienced impartial facilitator may be helpful in redirecting leadership responsibilities or administrative tasks, or help to resolve particular challenges that need attention. It will be difficult to find a facilitator to help repair a severely damaged partnership.

• If there is only one person causing conflict, find a diplomatic way to redirect that person into a role that is less likely to impact the outcome of the project. From the beginning, set a policy for dealing with conflict.

• Diplomatically withdraw from the partnership if serious concerns and issues are unresolved. If the partnership is not a good match, strive for a mutual and cordial conclusion of the partnership agreement. Do not take disagreements into the public arena.

• Withdraw if legal and ethical standards are not adhered to.