My children love hanging out with their friends, and I see how it is important for them to develop their own friendships. My son is almost six years old and is now more discerning about with whom he chooses to spend his time. I am also enjoying watching my daughter (not quite three) starting to navigate this world as well. As adults, we become more selective as we do not have as much time (or energy) to spend with as many people. The same can be said with organizations. While instead of friendships, we call these partnerships or collaborations. How exactly do these partnerships help us?
Keeping us humble – Your work cannot be completed in a vacuum so working with other organizations allows you to stay true to your mission and not overstep your bounds.
- Staying on track – When you work with another organization on a grant, program or event, you have to align schedules and resources. This takes time and energy and ensures that you stay focused on what you need to achieve.
- Providing us with information – I often learn quite a bit from my colleagues on best practices, and the same can be said for your partners. Are they adding value to your work and providing you with important content and resources that you can leverage and are you sharing the same as well? This doesn’t always have to be a competitive dynamic.
- Achieving greater collective impact – Ultimately, you are all working towards the same goal although your approaches may be different. Funders love seeing collaborative grant proposals that indicate unique partnership agreements and collaborations.
- Sharing the load – Let’s face it, working to benefit the greater public good is hard work. It is nice to share the work so you don’t feel that it falls solely on your shoulders.
How are your partners going to help you grow and achieve more success?
