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Building Strategic Alliances and Partnering for Success
Author: Mary Simon Leuci Developed by University Outreach and Extension
Collaboration is important for accomplishing such a complex task as creating a community information network. This a task that extends over a significant period of time. It requires communities, groups, and citizens to think and act in new ways. Community groups will have to share and create new material rsources and construct strong connections with each other. No one group can create a full-fledged community information network without working with others. That is why Missouri Express requires the careful development of public and private partnerships for the creation of a community information network.
Such collaboration rightfully implies development of structured partnerships with formal lines of communications and job assignments as organizations in the community work together to accomplish a complex task, meet a goal, and resolve specific issues involved with creating a community information network.
Excerpt from Making Community Coalitions Work, pp. 5-7, Pew Partnership for Civic Change, Prepared by The Harwood Group, May 1993.
Qualities that contribute to successful community partnerships cluster around three ideas: continuity, flexibility and openness. Studies of successful community partnerships and coalitions (as opposed to those that come and go) show that they adhere to the following principles:
* Being inclusive. People in the community must be able to see their views and values reflected within the coalition. * Being able to come and go. There must be a sense in the community that there is always an opportunity to become part of the coalition, even if some groups are not currently members. * Looking outward. The members of the coalition must focus on the needs of the community, not just their own needs. * Building connections to existing community institutions. The coalition will benefit by drawing on the resources, skills, and experiences of existing community organizations and traditional leaders. * Maintaining continuity. The coalition must maintain enough of the same membership over time to develop institutional knowledge, develop lasting networks, and instill a sense of responsibility for the coalition and its work. * Having the legitimacy to act. There must be a sense that the coalition has the authority to take action-within the coalition, and in the eyes of others in the community. * Establishing realistic expectations. Citizens need to understand what the coalition can accomplish. Realistic expectations are essential so that the coalition is not doomed to failure. * Making incremental progress. The members of the coalition need to be able to se the fruits of their labor. They must be able to point to tangible accomplishments in order to sustain involvement in the coalition and build credibility with citizens. * Creating a steering committee. The coalition needs a recognizable group to take responsibility for maintaining progress and action within the coalition. * Maintaining a flexible structure. There is no template for building successful coalitions. Without the flexibility to change, the main purpose for coming together and the benefits of collaborative effort can be lost in strict procedural guidelines. * Recognizing and tapping the different skills of its members. Each member of the coalition must be seen as having skills to contribute to the long-term success of the group. For example, some members might be better at getting projects going while others can do the day-to-day work. Leaders of the coalition need to give direction, then move aside and let the members use their skills. * Tapping the capacities of the community. The coalition must recognize that citizens have roles to play in addressing issues. They must seek to find ways for people to assume these roles.
Civic leaders suggest that when these elements are not in place, community coalitions are at risk. When they are put into practice, coalitions will increase their chances for achieving their goals and promoting change.
Used with permission.
Keys to developing successful alliances and partnerships
Taking into account the work of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change and the practical experience of existing community information networks, here are some key considerations for developing strategic public and private partnerships for local community information networks.
* Lasting community-based partnerships are built on the fact that all parties trust each other. Trust has to be built through time and experience based on open and honest discussion/agendas, and personal contact. Start with an explicit commitment to each other and to openness and honesty. * Record minutes of meetings and other important information and share them from the beginning. This begins to build trust and shared understanding, while preventing or correcting misunderstandings, that will be necessary groundwork for the legal working agreements to follow. * Working agreements between partners must be clear, well thought out, provide a mechanism for orderly review and withdrawal from the agreement, and put in writing. Letters of agreement, memos of understanding, and contracts are all considered legal documents. * Recognize that each party brings different, and often not equal in value, resources to the table. Some groups bring in-kind contributions of time, staff, equipment, etc. and others bring money. Treating those who bring one kind of resource differently than those who bring another will erode trust. All are valuable and necessary to make the project work. * Each party brings different needs from their organization. These must be respected and considered as negotiation occurs. A successful partnership will be one that gains energy from the contribution of each of the partners. The whole will be greater than the sum of its parts. This means that the community information network should naturally build on the mission of each partner. * It takes time to analyze and work through partnership goals and issues and to deal in a straight-forward manner and openly with differences. When this does not happen, fights over turf, control and credit delay progress and can be destructive to the project. Remember that rushing to develop a partnership may sacrifice the well-being of the network in the future. * Developing a clear purpose and vision for the network is absolutely critical to the engagement of partners. Partners who participate in this process are more likely to remain committed to the project. (Guide 6 provides guidelines for developing a purpose and vision.) * Pay close attention to recognition issues. Be honest and fair about recognizing contributions, but be cautious not to overlook someone's contribution, however small it may be. Sharing recognition with those who deserve it always builds goodwill. Work from the beginning to share recognition and responsibility.
Suggestions for key partners to involve in nearly every community
* Local government: city, county, special districts such as water, sewer, fire, ambulance * Local health departments * Local offices of state and federal agencies: including Mental Health, Social Services, USDA-RD & USDA-NRCS, etc. * Senior centers * Missouri Community Betterment * Hospitals and clinics * Chambers of Commerce and other local business organizations * Educational institutions: pre-school programs, K-12, sheltered workshops, vo-tech schools, community colleges, colleges and universities, training organizations * Telecommunications firms: telephone, Internet service providers, cable, etc. * Utilities: gas, electric (public, private, and cooperatives) * Media: especially locally owned or community radio, TV, newspaper * Libraries * Economic development and tourism organizations and groups: including historic preservation, Main Street, etc. * University Extension * Regional Planning Commission or local Council of Governments
Other possible partners
* Social service providers: crisis intervention and referral organizations, counseling centers, etc. * Art councils and organizations * SCORE chapters * Churches * Labor unions * Private businesses: especially locally owned and high-tech * Electronic bulletin board systems and other community networks * Civic groups: League of Women Voters, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc. * Community Centers: including YMCAs, YWCAs, youth clubs/centers * Ethnic organizations * Advocacy groups: environmental, D.A.R.E, etc. * Farm and agricultural groups: Farm Bureau, fair board, FFA * Other community groups
How partners might contribute
The involvement of partners is an ongoing activity. Some networks may have primary or supporting partners and secondary or contributing partners, distinguished on the basis of level of commitment of resources. It is important to consider the implications of a tiered system. Will the secondary partners receive adequate recognition or feel like second-class citizens? Who defines the differences and is the information clearly shared with potential partners and contributors? Is there a perceived favoritism in the community for those who contribute more and what effect does this have on the community information network in the long term?
Partners might contribute any of the following: money, reduced fees (electric, telephone, Internet Service Providers), staff, supplies, office space, organizational management, financial services, training, public work stations, computers, routers or computer hub, meeting space, office supplies, help desk support, other administrative services, or services such as printing, logo or brochure design, home page design, conducting community assessments, etc. The list of possibilities for contributing is endless as is the list of potential partners.
Summary
Community information networks by their nature and definition involve partnerships for successful development and operation. Establishing sound partnerships and alliances begins now and continues throughout the duration of the community information network. The most important factors to remember include: develop a foundation of trust built on openness and honesty, be inclusive, respect the diversity of partners, share recognition and responsibility, and take the necessary time to "do it right" from the beginning.
Resources
* Building Coalitions, The Ohio Center for Action on Coalition Development. Ohio State University Extension, Columbus, OH, 1993. * Community Development Handbook: A Guide for Facilitators, Community Leaders and Catalysts, Donald Littrell, Doris Littrell, Lee Cary, Murray Hardesty, Susan Maze, Jack Timmons. The Entergy Corporation, New Orleans, LA, 1992. * Community Information Service Management Guidelines. Pittsburgh, PA: infoWorks Publishing, 1996. Each regional resource team has a copy. Also ordering information can be found at the following: http://www.infowks.com/bookord.html. * Making Community Coalitions Work, The Harwood Group. The Pew Partnership for Civic Change, Charlottesville, VA, 1993. * Neighborhood Networks: A Resource Guide, Aspen Systems Corporation and the Harrison Insitute. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1996. * New Community Networks, Wired for Change, Douglas Schuler. Addison Wesley, New York, NY, 1996. * Partnerships: Shared Leadership Among Stakeholders, 2nd Edition, Lorna Clancy Miller, Boyd E. Rossing and Sara M. Steele. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 1992. * The Quickening of America: Rebuilding our Nation, Remaking our Lives, Frances Moore Lappe & Paul Martin DuBois. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, 1994.
World Wide Web Resources
* Columbia Online Information Network http://www.coin.missouri.edu/about/funding.html http://www.coin.missouri.edu/about/agree.html http://www.coin.missouri.edu/about/cngovern.html#by-laws * Lebanon-Laclede Online Information Network http://www.llion.org/about/bylaw.html * Ozarks Regional Online Network http://www.orion.org/about/index.html * The Morino Institute http://www.morino.org/ * National Public Telecomputing Network http://www.nptn.org/ * World-wide listing of community information networks http://freenet.victoria.bc.ca/freenets.html
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