Thank you for joining us for this
Leadership Talk Webinar.
My name is Abby Smirl and today we'll be
talking about organizations building
relationships.
What is Leadership Talk? Manitoba
Agriculture and Resource Development
Industry Leadership staff
are providing free webinars to support
agriculture organizations to build their
organizational capacity.
This content is designed for
informational purposes only.
This information is not intended to be a
substitute for professional advice.
Organizations should consult their
professional advisors related to
specific situations.
Today we'll be covering the following
topics. What is a partnership?
Why and when should i partner. The
partnership continuum.
Best practices as in what makes
partnerships work.
Knowing your organization and
partnership agreements, so put it in
writing.
The simplest definition of a partnership
is two or more organizations working
together
to do something beneficial for each
organization.
Working together in a partnership,
alliance or collaboration
may be a way to further a project, work
towards your organization's mission and
vision,
and help your organization remain viable.
For each organization it's a win-win.
A partnership can be an effective
strategy when organizations are looking
to further a project or respond to
an increase in demands for services.
Sharing knowledge and ideas and bringing
together complementary strengths
can increase results while achieving
goals that neither organization could
have accomplished alone.
Each organization has a mission and
vision to guide their activities
but if two organizations have similar
missions they can work towards them more
efficiently together.
Two organizations working in partnership
can share resources which
renders staying viable more achievable.
It doesn't make sense to have multiple
organizations doing the same thing,
so partnering avoids duplication of
services and provides better access to
funding.
By developing a broader program or
bringing new skills
and capacity to your organization the
organizations become more effective at
lobbying or advocated on issues
as well as at the everyday work of the
organization.
There are important factors to consider
as you explore the feasibility and
advisability of forming a partnership.
Consider the following, does your
organization have common interests and
concerns,
have an understanding of your
partnership environment, have an
understanding of what a partnership
involves and have an open mind about
doing things differently.
For example some organizations have
found themselves in situations where
a problem or project is beyond the
ability of a single individual
 to handle where the issues are
appropriate,
for example they impact more than one
group where the time is right for
funding or relevance of issues and where
key people or organizations are willing
to come to the table.
Organizations can work with other
not-for-profit organizations,
businesses or government organizations
to form partnerships.
The degree to which partnerships are
formalized and how they meet the vision
and mission of an organization
is where they will fall on the continuum.
There are several
partnership models involving different
levels of formality and commitment.
Various models we reviewed have between
three and five levels
and use varying words for descriptors.
There can be a range
of very informal partnerships, such as
networking.
To formal partnerships, such as full
collaboration.
If you take a moment to think about the
various relationships your organization
has or has had
where do you think they would be on the
continuum on the screen.
Nonprofits can partner by sharing space
and infrastructure,
human resources, marketing and
advertising,
staff or board member training, funding
or fundraising
and programming.
Networking is the simplest level of
partnership where information is
exchanged for
mutual benefit. It can be done formally
or informally.
A cooperation or alliance is when
activities or ways of working are
altered to achieve a common purpose.
It may be informal and may or may not be
long lasting.
At the cooperation or alliance level,
organizations may choose to partner
through an agreement to share a resource
such as an office space
or equipment. If we use the example of
sharing office space,
organization A and organization B each
have a part-time employee.
Most buildings don't want to rent on a
part-time basis
so the two organizations decide that
they can share the office space.
Energy goes towards what is best for
each organization,
there is little risk involved, if the
situation isn't working out
it's fairly easily terminated. While
there needs to be an agreement in place
to ensure privacy of records,
fairness and use of equipment, what the
shared expenses are
and so on, little interaction occurs
between the two organizations.
The next level can be called
coordination, partnership or coalition.
This level of relationship requires a
willingness to commit more time and
effort.
It is more likely to occur when groups
are like-minded in mission,
vision and goals. It is a more formal
relationship.
If we use the example of jointly
planning or marketing an event
perhaps something like a conference, each
organization maintains its own expertise
and influence
but a group is set up to coordinate the
planning. This requires formalized lines
and communication
and a clear division of roles and
responsibilities.
With a working relationship that is
intertwined there is a greater risk that
if something goes wrong
an organization suffers not only a loss
of resources used
but possibly damage to its reputation.
Rewards are also recognized jointly but
the main goal is
to get the job done well. There is
information sharing,
program coordination and joint planning
involved.
Each organization puts in resources,
whether that is personnel,
funds or facilities.
Collaboration is when each other's
capacity is enhanced for mutual benefit
in addition to all the points of the
other levels.
When organizations collaborate they each
meet their individual missions and
visions
but the big picture is considered.
Organizations feel that they are all
in this together whether the outcome is
positive or negative.
Competition is left at the door and the
focus switches from
there is not enough to go around to the
more we share
the bigger the pie. Organizations work
together to develop a strategy to
deliver a program that works towards a
shared mandate,
everyone shares in the successes and the
failures.
The organizations become quite
integrated and invested in each other
while bringing their own viewpoints and
expertise to an issue.
This requires clear lines of
communication and a commitment across
each organization for the betterment of
all.
An example of this might be two
agriculture organizations which might
compete for the consumer dollar but
recognize that promoting consumer
education
benefits everyone.
While listening and watching have you
thought of an opportunity for an
organization you are involved with to
work with another?
If so where on the continuum would it be?
Would it be a partnership,
an alliance or a collaboration?
When partners have different
perspectives and expertise more
integrated services can be provided.
In the same way the differing viewpoints
that organizations have on the issue
allows for a more complete picture of
that issue and a better response.
The best practices that lead to the
benefits of partnering can include
a partnership approach that is spread
across the participating organizations.
Not left to one or two individuals or
offices.
Members have a sense of ownership over
both process and
outcome. Great communication that is open planned and consistent. A shared vision
along with mutual respect, understanding
and trust.
Smart goals, the common goals
that are better achieved together than
separately.
Adequate funding and resources. Good
governance practices.
When participants see the benefits of
working together outweigh the costs
they will start to work together more
willingly and efficiently.
Working in a partnership can be time
consuming and requires commitment of a
lot of individuals.
It requires patience and perseverance,
committed leadership
and skillful facilitation. Using a
skilled facilitator to establish the
parameters can put everyone on the same
path to success.
Those in partnerships must also think
about the short-term and long-term goals.
Accomplishing short-term goals helps
individual organizations
see that progress is being made towards
the ultimate goal.
Partnering with other organizations is
worthwhile it allows you to do more
and do it better.
A successful partnership requires each
organization to know what they bring to
the relationship
and what they hope to gain from working
together.
Manitoba Agriculture and Resource
Development have developed an
organizational assessment tool
to help your organization evaluate
strengths and weaknesses,
as well as uncover opportunities for
growth and areas for potential
partnerships.
An organizational assessment will have
your staff and board members reviewing
the topics as seen on the screen.
When stepping into a partnership each
organization should have a clearly
defined mission,
vision and set of values. These
statements should be complementary
between the organizations.
If the vision of one organization is
contradictory to another
a partnership is not likely to succeed.
Once organizations decide to enter into
an agreement it's important for all
parties to have a clear understanding of
what the relationship will entail.
A written agreement between two
potential partner organizations can help
define the expectations of each
organization
and what the partnership will look like.
When putting an agreement together
here are some things to consider and
include.
Vision, mission and goals.
Responsibilities and expectations of
each partner.
Resource contributions. Financial
commitment and disbursement of funds.
Communication plans and policies and
procedures
of collaborating organizations.
As board members or staff change the
partnership agreement
will help to ensure the continuity of
the partnership.
To summarize what we've learned. The
topics covered in the webinar were:
What is a partnership. Why and when to
partner. Partnership continuum.
Best practices. Knowing your organization
and partnership agreements.
What are your next steps to get going on
a path of working together
towards common goals.
Make time to visit our Manitoba
Agriculture Industry Leadership web page
at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture. There you will find a number
of resources including fact sheets and
worksheets,
templates and guidebooks, that will help
you strengthen your organization.
You also find contact information for
Rural Leadership Specialists
who are available to work with your ag organization.
The website contains a wealth of
information related to starting an
organization,
developing a strategic plan, being a
board member,
leading an organization, board operations
and dissolving an organization.
The resources section also contains a
number of tools and links that you will find helpful.
 
