Picking Your Partners

​Partnerships are all the rage. Funders often prefer applications from a partnership of more than two organizations and sometimes it is more than a preference, rather a requirement.
 
Instead of scrambling last minute to find a willing partner who can supply you with a letter before the funding application deadline - think of partnerships as opportunities. 
 

• Partnerships encourage the coupling of missions. We sometimes try to massage our mission to fit the mandate of a grant. Instead, identify an organization with a mandate that matches the grant and demonstrate how your mission compliments or strengthens their outcomes. A single project can often satisfy two distinct yet complimentary missions.

 

• Partnerships speak volumes about your organization: It shows sector knowledge and organizational self-awareness.

 

• Successful partnerships require well-honed collaboration skills. Collaboration skills are always a good thing. In addition to impressing funders, collaboration skills help organizations improve relations with all stakeholders resulting in better governance practices, programs and outcomes. While the time and resources put toward partnerships can feel like a burden, the benefits have the potential to outweigh the costs.

 
 
Last piece of advice - consider reflecting the partnership in the project budget. Not compensating partners for their contribution can make a partnership appear weak or unnecessary. And proposals have no patience for weakness!